Questions on handling, preparing, and storing food in ways that prevent foodborne illness.
9
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5answers
5k views
Can chicken not completely cooked then cooled be fully cooked later?
I cooked some chicken but didn't realise it hadn't completely cooked through. It then went in the fridge and a day later I cut through it to discover the problem.
Is it now safe to put that chicken ...
9
votes
8answers
18k views
Is it safe to cook a steak that was left out (raw) for 7 hours?
I left a round steak out for 7 hours in a container of cold water. It was wrapped very well, hadn't been opened yet.
Is it ok to cook this? I planned on cooking it in the crockpot for 8 hours.
9
votes
3answers
725 views
What is a kitchen rag?
In his answer to a question about nail biting, nicorellius referred to not wiping your hands with the "kitchen rag". I've never worked in a professional kitchen, and the only rags I have around my ...
9
votes
2answers
387 views
How do you wash fruit and veggies effectively?
When eating or preparing fruit and vegetables, you should wash them beforehand to get rid of pesticides, bacterias, fertilizers, etc. However, I notice that I (and others I know), just put the thing ...
8
votes
6answers
10k views
Are fungal toxins a significant problem in coffee, and if so, can they be avoided?
I stumbled across this blogpost which claims that coffee is awesome for our bodies but only if it doesn't have mycotoxins (toxins generated by fungi).
To quote them:
One study showed that 91.7% ...
8
votes
4answers
1k views
Is designating knives to avoid cross-contamination necessary?
I have a friend who assigns one knife for cutting raw meat, another knife for cutting fruits and vegetables, another for cutting cooked meat, etc. Is washing one knife after each specific use not ...
8
votes
3answers
4k views
Can I still eat this fish?
I just found a couple of salmon fillets in my freezer that seem to have been there for about two years. Are they still edible, or should I bin them?
8
votes
5answers
1k views
how often is cleaning done in a professional kitchen?
Today I saw Gordon Ramsay Kitchen Nightmares. Regardless of the alleged nature of "reality", he said that fridges at his London restaurant are cleaned twice a day. Is that excessive or in line with ...
8
votes
5answers
3k views
Why prevent apples from turning brown?
It's somewhat well-known that applying an acidic solution to sliced apples prevents them from turning brown as quickly. I believe that the primary motivation to prevent the "browning" is aesthetic: ...
8
votes
4answers
10k views
Is it safe to use plastic wrap in boiling water?
While I've come across one or two recipes that call for using plastic wrap in pots of boiling water (for example, to cook eggs), I've always been a bit wary of putting the wrap in boiling water. Can ...
8
votes
3answers
4k views
Ground beef storage and use past sell-by date
When I buy food it's at least a few weeks worth, and I bought some ground beef the other day with the intention of using it over a couple weeks. I have a couple questions regarding storage:
I use ...
8
votes
4answers
1k views
How thoroughly do you need to clean the inside of a chicken before baking it?
My wife's family breaks apart the inside and cleans out what is in between the bones. My family just rinses the inside and then bakes it. Do you need to be super thorough when cleaning a chicken or is ...
8
votes
3answers
29k views
Is it safe to eat sprouted onions?
I opened my onion rack lately to find onions that had sprouted several-inch-long green roots... It made me extremely queasy and I threw them out. But I was wondering - would it be safe to eat them / ...
8
votes
3answers
6k views
What meats can I serve medium rare and why?
It is generally accepted that pork and chicken must be cooked completely (unless put through a strong curing process) while certain cuts of beef and lamb can be served on the rare side. Why is this?
...
8
votes
4answers
40k views
How long can I leave an uncooked steak out?
This is similar to This Question, but hopefully different enough.
I have 3 porterhouse steaks sitting in my refrigerator that I need to cook up tonight. I've been told leaving them out for an hour ...
8
votes
6answers
3k views
dry garlic in oil --> botulism risk?
My girlfriend and I are thinking of preparing some flavored oils for Christmas presents this year (don't tell anyone!). We've read online that fresh garlic presents a health hazard when stored at room ...
8
votes
3answers
791 views
Can I sous-vide meat (at a temperature between 40ºF and 140ºF) for more than four hours?
According to the USDA cooking chicken at 145ºF (63ºC) for 13 minutes (i.e. maintaining an internal temperature of 145ºF for that long) will bring about a "7 log10 relative reduction of salmonella".
A ...
8
votes
2answers
50k views
How long after I cook chicken is it safe to eat if stored in a fridge?
How long after I have cooked chicken can I safely eat if stored in the fridge. Same day only? Next day? Within a week?
8
votes
1answer
278 views
How dangerous is it to bake food with plastic?
I just baked a spiral ham for an hour. There was a little piece of plastic that I was supposed to 'remove before cooking', but I didn't notice it.
After an hour, the ham was baked and the plastic ...
8
votes
5answers
374 views
How effective are modern home refrigerators at keeping other foods cool when hot food is introduced to the space?
In the comments to this answer, there is some discussion as to whether putting significant mass of hot food into a refrigerator will unacceptably warm the other food already inside.
Elsewhere on ...
8
votes
2answers
938 views
Is it safe to eat green onion slime?
I just harvested some scallions from the garden, where it's getting bit chilly (late November in Seattle).
After chopping them, I realized that their insides were covered in a gelatinous, slippery, ...
8
votes
1answer
511 views
What the advantage of a 'bakers couche' for proofing bread and is it safe?
A bakers couch is just floured fabric, whats the advantage to using it? King Arthur's site says that it promotes chewy, crunchy crust - how's that? If I'm just keeping it floured and not washed all ...
8
votes
1answer
2k views
Are the claims legitimate linking botulism to vacuum prepared foods?
I have read in many places 1,2,3 claims of a link between preparing foods sous vide and botulism, with claims that this is because the food is prepared in a vacuum.
This struck me as illogical, so I ...
8
votes
2answers
21k views
How long is it safe to drink coffee after brewed?
How many hours/days would you recommend to drink coffee (after brewed) and consider it safe? (For example if you don't want to waste it). What is the difference if it is refrigerated or not?
The ...
8
votes
3answers
922 views
Ideal fridge temperature accounting for temperature spikes
I've read the question on the ideal fridge temperature, but am asking a more involved question about a baseline temperature and temperature spikes. How will a few hours each day at 10 C effect the ...
7
votes
3answers
1k views
Is it safe to prepare Chicken Tartare?
I know that raw chicken generally has a lot of safety concerns. Is there anyway that I can source the chicken to minimize these worries? What are the general concerns? How can I combat them? Are there ...
7
votes
4answers
13k views
How long will food last in a refrigerator that is turned off?
We will be having a power outage in our building soon and our fridges are pretty full. The power will be off for about 10 hours. Will our food last safely during this time?
7
votes
5answers
4k views
Minimum procedure for sterilizing mason jars for canning
My wife and I are about to do some tomato canning tomorrow. We have a bunch of mason jars that we didn't have time to sterilize. She thinks that just washing them in hot water is enough. After ...
7
votes
3answers
585 views
Is eating road kill a health-hazard?
I read this recent news story about a Kentucky Chinese restaurant dragging road kill into their restaurant and the town became skittish and shut the restaurant down.
Is eating road-killed venison a ...
7
votes
4answers
251 views
How do you source meat that will be minimally cooked?
I was recently asked where one could find meat that could be prepared "blue to blue-rare". What kinds of meat (other than fish) can be prepared this way and how would one go about finding a reliable ...
7
votes
3answers
356 views
Can adequate heating transform spoiled food into safe food?
Suppose I have some food that became unsafe or contaminated by any means besides explicitly adding dangerous substances. It could be past the expiration date, or handled unsafely by leaving at room ...
7
votes
2answers
5k views
Does having spoiling food in your fridge cause other food to spoil faster?
We all have forgotten remnants that get pushed to the back of the fridge and eventually become science experiments. Does the presence of such items (assuming they're left in a non-air tight container) ...
7
votes
2answers
565 views
How can I make yogurt at home?
What are the requirements for making yogurt at home. Is there a solid recipe for making yogurt?
7
votes
3answers
4k views
Is it safe to reheat food in plastic containers?
Is it safe to reheat food in any type of plastic container or are there only some types of plastic ware that are safe to use?
7
votes
1answer
3k views
Are nectarine seeds edible?
Eating a nectarine this afternoon, I found the pit was cracked open. Curious, I broke it apart and found an almond-like seed (or nut?) inside.
I remember hearing that some almonds, or perhaps their ...
7
votes
5answers
605 views
How to cook insects?
I love touring and I am trying to cut my dependency on my protein sources such as soy powder, beans and other supermarket stuff. Touring is a bit like camping but with longer distances and a bike. So ...
7
votes
3answers
4k views
Hygiene-wise, need to clean grill/broiling tray after each use?
Hygenically speaking, is it necessary to clean an outdoor barbeque
grill and/or an oven broiling tray after each use? Thoughts:
Many people don't clean their barbeque grills all summer long, in
part ...
7
votes
1answer
1k views
Do canned kidney beans contain Toxins?
I'm attempting my first slow-cook today but, of course right after I started it, I read that there's some nasty chemical in uncooked kidney and cannellini beans that can cause vomiting. And apparently ...
7
votes
4answers
2k views
What are the safety considerations in making pine needle tea?
Living in a northerly climate, I have often speculated about how aboriginal people avoided diseases caused by vitamin deficiencies like scurvy (no imported citrus in those days.)
According to ...
7
votes
2answers
17k views
Cooked whole chicken has congealed blood around joints and bones, should I worry?
So I just roasted a whole chicken and finished carving/cleaning the carcass today. I discovered a great deal of congealed red matter surrounding many of the joints and bones. Looks like congealed ...
7
votes
1answer
425 views
How should I manage my fridge?
I try to be careful, I really do, but I found a week old cod smelling 'fishy' in my fridge. Normally, I put the date on the package, so at least I know how long things 'last' in there (lost and ...
7
votes
4answers
2k views
What precautions should I take when preparing food while I have a cold?
If I have a cold, what precautions should I take while preparing food to make sure that I don't transmit germs?
7
votes
2answers
1k views
Partially defrosting, then refreezing?
OK, so we shouldn't refreeze meat once it's been defrosted.
But if I've partially defrosted meat, then popped it back in the freezer, is that safe? Specifically I'm thinking of sausages or steaks or ...
7
votes
2answers
633 views
How long will a fresh herb paste last?
I make a paste using ground fresh basil, ground fresh mint, ground dried ginger, salt, ground roasted coffee, and raw honey (enough to coat all of the ingredients well). It makes a great rub, and can ...
7
votes
2answers
687 views
When is Slow Cooking done - time vs temperature of meat
I have read that slow cookers manufactured recently (not sure what time period that actually means) rise to their cooking temperature faster because of FDA concerns of keeping a food at a dangerous ...
7
votes
2answers
2k views
Is hot tap water safe for cooking?
I'll typically bring hot water from the tap to the boil instead of waiting longer for cold water. This hot water comes from water heater with a large storage tank. Is this considered safe?
For ...
7
votes
2answers
1k views
What determines if the handle of a pan gets hot while in use?
About three years ago, we replaced a one 10" skillet with another, both Macy's Tools of the Trade anodized aluminum teflon skillets. (The teflon coating didn't last on the old pan.)
The old pan had ...
7
votes
1answer
219 views
Storing and re-using rendered duck fat
I recently made duck confit in my slow cooker. I purchased a 2 lb container of rendered duck fat for that purpose, which I'd like to save. Is it possible to re-use the fat? If so, how should I store ...
7
votes
2answers
430 views
Is it safe to store hot tea in PET bottles?
Every morning I bring with me a small PETE (from some searches it seems to be the same as PET plastic) bottle (an ex coke bottle) containing hot tea.
Is it safe to store hot liquids, especially, tea ...
7
votes
1answer
168 views
How to ship bread or bread dough?
I've been thinking about starting a boutique mail order dinner roll business.
Dough
While I'd really like to ship dough and allow customers to bake (per roll) at their leisure, I'm beginning to think ...
