Questions tagged [food-safety]

Our community answers question on food safety as defined by official regulations. Questions and answers that contradict that view, are considered off-topic.

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11 votes
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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 ...
Daniel Bingham's user avatar
11 votes
2 answers
2k views

Poisonous Escoffier recipe?

I found a strange recipe in Escoffiers's Guide Culinaire: 2939 - CHERRY WATER Stone two lbs. of very ripe cherries, and rub them through a sieve. Put the purée into a basin with the stones crushed in ...
user11130854's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
3k views

Do plastic cutting boards harbor more bacteria than wood boards?

I've heard on numerous occasions that plastic cutting boards harbor more bacteria than wooden cutting boards. I use a large wooden cutting board often, but recently I've been finding it heavy and it ...
Behacad's user avatar
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11 votes
2 answers
15k views

Chocolate mousse with cooked eggs?

Most recipes I have seen for mousse require you to use egg yolks and don't involve any cooking of the egg. It's my understanding that when an egg's yolk is still soft (or not cooked at all in this ...
Senseful's user avatar
  • 1,081
10 votes
2 answers
50k views

Can a blood orange be half bloody?

I've got a "sanguino moro" (blood/red) orange, but it appears to be only half-bloody, as in the photo below. However all figures I've found on the internet show oranges that are purely red inside, for ...
yo''s user avatar
  • 519
10 votes
3 answers
3k 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 ...
mankoff's user avatar
  • 211
10 votes
3 answers
121k views

Do Bouillon Cubes/Powder go bad?

I just found an old jar of Beef Bouillon cubes and although there is no expiration date, I'm a bit skeptical about using them - do they go bad?
AttilaNYC's user avatar
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10 votes
2 answers
4k views

Should I clean all of my cooking utensils after being exposed to mothballs (naphthalene) for over a week?

While I was away on vacation my roommate put mothballs in the kitchen cabinets where the pots and pans and cutlery are stored. I have removed them and thrown them out ( not sure if I was overreacting ...
L Patterson 's user avatar
9 votes
3 answers
127k views

How can I tell whether beetroot is still edible?

I have some raw beetroot I bought about a week ago, having stored them at room temperature since. It's the first time I bought it raw, and I'm unsure whether it's still edible. It is already soft, ...
Pekka's user avatar
  • 547
9 votes
4 answers
106k views

Cracked Eggs & Safety

I bought some fresh eggs the other day which don't expire until next month. They've remained in the fridge in their carton. I just realised that a few of the eggs are cracked. Is it still safe to ...
username's user avatar
9 votes
3 answers
19k views

Safety of glues in wooden chopping boards

It seems to be becoming more difficult over time to get a wooden chopping board that isn't made of separate pieces of wood that are glued together. I did find some sites discussing how to choose a ...
Highly Irregular's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
38k views

Can I use the same board for meat and vegetables?

I've heard that it's not good to use the same board for vegetables and meat, not only when you are making a salad but in general. Something about the bacteria in dirt and the bacteria in the meat is a ...
user avatar
7 votes
3 answers
1k views

What is the correct procedure for cooling and reheating leftovers?

After a night's meal I have the tendency to always make more than enough food. Most of the time there are 2 – 3 portions of leftovers after everyone’s had enough to eat. I always throw them away, ...
Pork Chop's user avatar
  • 1,173
7 votes
1 answer
4k views

Does cooking raw meat/poulty extend its shelf life?

I pulled a chicken out of the freezer a couple of days ago with the intention of making stock/soup. It's defrosted now and ready to go, but I don't have the mirepoix ingredients and I'm too lazy to go ...
Jolenealaska's user avatar
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7 votes
5 answers
135k views

How can I know whether a potato is too old?

I have many kilograms of potatoes that are turning bad, I don't want to throw them away. The term "turning bad" means that the best-before days on the products vary between 1-4 weeks i.e. they are old ...
user avatar
7 votes
5 answers
52k views

How do you know when mussels are done?

I bought 1/2 pound of mussels and cooked them in a cast iron skillet with a little white wine and some shrimp stock on boiling heat. Almost all of them opened after about 15 minutes, some did not. ...
user avatar
6 votes
5 answers
2k views

I bite my nails. How can I keep proper hygiene in the kitchen?

I'm not a professional chef, but I think someone will have this issue, somewhere, and is a chef. A similar question asked about having a cold, but nail biting is much worse due to the obvious amount ...
Stefano Borini's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
62k views

How long can I keep thawed vacuum-packed fish in the fridge?

I know that for fresh fish, or fish that was previously frozen without special storage, you should use it the same day. If I thawed too much, does the fact that it was vacuum-packed add to the time I ...
Monica Cellio's user avatar
6 votes
3 answers
9k views

Garlic Overflow — Why won't my olive oil stay in its jug?

I'm the kind of chef who chops up whatever the local bazaar has that week, adds a random amount of seasonings until the color suits my fancy and then cooks it. Somehow. Most days I don't go hungry. ...
Caleb's user avatar
  • 280
6 votes
2 answers
10k views

Is it safe to use the same cooking utensils for raw and cooked meat?

So, being new to cooking, I tried cooking a pan-seared ribeye steak for the first time recently. I'm just getting new cooking utensils, and the idea of flipping the steak is something I'm not sure ...
Tux's user avatar
  • 337
6 votes
2 answers
81k views

Beef discoloration on parts not in contact with air

I have bought a pack of sliced beef and opened it up as soon as I got home. Judging by the date on a package, it was packed on the same day I bought it. It was red on the outside, but dark and brown-...
Slartibartfast's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
3k views

Can you water bath a cooked then cooled jam recipe?

I tried a peach jam recipe that is cooked then cooled to thicken without pectin (6+ hour cool time). The recipe says you can freeze it or can it. What would be the safest method to can it? I have ...
Diana's user avatar
  • 61
6 votes
2 answers
103k views

Is it safe that my medium-rare steak is cold in the middle?

I do my steak in a heavy-bottomed pan on the stovetop for a couple of minutes a side on high heat and it comes out just as I like it - medium rare. Before cooking, I usually remove the steak from ...
user avatar
6 votes
9 answers
9k views

What to do about beetle infestation of wheat products? How do we prevent reinfestation?

Today my wife went to make some bread. She noticed some very small insects in the whole wheat and regular flour. Upon further inspection, many of our wheat based products were infested with these ...
Doug T.'s user avatar
  • 1,190
5 votes
1 answer
71k views

How to tell if frozen mussels are good?

I live a far distance from any body of salt water, so the only mussels available are packaged frozen mussels. I have always heard that cooked mussels must open or they are not good to eat, but when ...
Wulfhart's user avatar
  • 570
5 votes
3 answers
55k views

homemade chilli oil

I am making chilli oil using light olive oil, crushed chilli, dried garlic, dried fennel seeds and parsley. I have been making this for years. I am concerned about this Botulinum business. Should I ...
terribabe's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
15k views

What is the recommended temperature for cooking eggs?

Omelette, scrambled eggs etc. Are there any visual cues by which you could know if the eggs are "Safely cooked"?
Bar Akiva's user avatar
  • 5,825
5 votes
4 answers
4k views

Could I get sick from accidentally cooking an olive can metal lid in my spaghetti sauce?

I accidentally cooked a metal lid from an olive can in my spaghetti, but didn't find it until everyone had already eaten. Could my family get sick from it?
Guest's user avatar
  • 51
5 votes
2 answers
22k views

Mothballs in the pantry: is it safe to keep food there?

My roommate put some mothballs in the pantry and when I came home and saw them, I took them out. They were probably only there for a few hours, but is it safe to store food in there? Should I throw ...
GKS1's user avatar
  • 183
5 votes
1 answer
4k views

What would cause bubbles in confit garlic stored in oil?

I made confited garlic. It was simply garlic simmered in sesame oil. When I opened the mason jar at room temp, it bubbled fairly rapidly, to the point where the oil overflowed. My first instinct ...
cad's user avatar
  • 306
5 votes
1 answer
27k views

What are the consequences of leaving the fridge door cracked open overnight?

My girlfriend accidentally didn't close the fridge properly and left it open 2 inches all night (more than 8 hours). I had a lot of raw chicken breast and raw salmon in there. Is it still edible? When ...
Napster's user avatar
  • 423
5 votes
4 answers
304k views

How can I tell when chicken thighs are sufficiently cooked to eat?

Last night I was grilling chicken thighs on a barbecue and I was told that if there was any pink inside them, they are not safe to eat. My question is twofold: (a) Is this true? (b) Is there a way ...
bryn's user avatar
  • 2,391
4 votes
1 answer
30k views

How long can I safely keep a thawing pork shoulder in the fridge?

I purchased a rock-hard, six-pound pork shoulder at the farmers' market on Sunday and have been thawing it in the fridge since then. As of this afternoon, it's still not completely thawed, and I'm ...
Iuls's user avatar
  • 4,974
4 votes
2 answers
39k views

Does cooking reset the expiry date of ingredients?

Assume I have the following ingredient all expiring tomorrow: Mushrooms Paneer (Cottage cheese) Basmati rice If I make a dish with these 3 ingredients (basically put rice, chopped mushroom,chopped ...
user87166's user avatar
  • 233
4 votes
2 answers
3k views

Cooking kidney beans in a slow cooker, how do I make sure they're safe?

I'm making 15 bean soup from a bagged dry bean mix that contains red kidney beans. Following the instructions, I soaked them overnight and threw out the water, but then thought I'd be clever and throw ...
Yumecosmos's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
3k views

How long will Sake last in the fridge?

We've had Sake chilling in our fridge for about a year now. It has been opened. Is this still safe to drink or is it time to throw it out?
geoffmpm's user avatar
  • 270
4 votes
2 answers
4k views

Can you use marinade twice if it was first used on precooked meat?

I made precooked frozen meatballs in the crockpot with jelly and honey BBQ sauce. It was really yummy and was wondering if the sauce that's leftover would be ok to marinate some ribs in?
Nicole R's user avatar
4 votes
5 answers
9k views

Does spoiled milk make any ingredient?

Bear with me here, My roommate insist that she wants to keep her spoiled 2% milk in the fridge, it's been 1 month! That thing look disgusting. To my knowledge, you don't use rotten milk for anything/...
Jabberbyter's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
2k views

Freezer warmed to -6C. Safe to eat the food?

My freezer recently warmed to -6 degrees Centigrade during a long power outage from its usual -18C. It's now on its super freeze cycle and cooling back down again. Is the food inside still safe to eat?...
niemiro's user avatar
  • 195
3 votes
4 answers
65k views

Defrosting meat/fish in warm water

I have found warm water to be a great way to quickly defrost meat and fish as opposed to just letting it sit outside the freezer, which is what my mom does. But I wonder if there are any negative ...
amphibient's user avatar
  • 2,921
3 votes
2 answers
17k views

Canning in a Pressure Cooker

Well, unfortunately the present my mom got me last Christmas turned out to be a pressure cooker and not a pressure canner. I've read that it is unsafe to can low acid foods using a pressure cooker. ...
Peter Turner's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
2k views

Kroger Sell-By Dates

I have a box (actually, 6 boxes) of Kroger brand lime gelatin dessert with sell-by date stamped: SELL BY JUN 05 09B KA Is this June 5, 2009, June 9, 2005 or June 2005 (with "09B" of no ...
squidlydeux's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
5k views

Is this moldy vinegar salvageable? [duplicate]

I started making apple cider vinegar using the second method listed on http://thehealthyeatingsite.com/apple-cider-vinegar-recipe/ It's been little over 4 months and my mix is looking really weird. ...
HMaskSalesman's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
14k views

Is unrefrigerated kimchi safe?

As the question states, is kimchi still safe to eat after spending a few hours unrefrigerated, the time it takes me to get home ? I'm mostly concerned because my commute home involves time in a ...
blackbird's user avatar
  • 309
3 votes
4 answers
1k views

Physical method to season steaks

When seasoning steaks I use many different dry spices etc. What is the best method to apply spices to the meat without having to flip the steaks many times or have to wash my hands many times?
John's user avatar
  • 531
3 votes
3 answers
761 views

How to defrost frozen food in fridge

I've read that allowing frozen food to defrost in the fridge or under running water is generally a good idea (compared to leaving it out on the worktop). I'm aware there are some situations where it's ...
Dave's user avatar
  • 1,166
2 votes
1 answer
3k views

Can I reprocess jars that have sealed?

We lost track of the venting time but since it was a strong heavy steam, husband put the weight on. Regulating the jiggles was hard to do and finally we just turned the heat off. Thinking to start ...
Berta Severance Sergeant's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
17k views

How long will roux keep? [duplicate]

I've made roux some time ago. Forgot to put the date on the container. How long will it keep in the fridge? I'll be making a sauce in a day or two...
BaffledCook's user avatar
  • 13.2k
2 votes
3 answers
10k views

Why are standard cast iron maintenance practices compatible with food safety?

How on earth is not washing a cast iron with soap not harmful? Since even if you wash it good with hot water and Salt, wouldn't there still be a possibility of harmful bacteria and such left in the ...
user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
98k views

Food Safety Question - Refrigerator Temperature

The temperature in my refrigerator has suddenly increased and seems stuck at 55 degrees (12ºC) no matter how I set it. Clearly something is wrong but it's Sunday and I can't get anyone out to check it ...
MJB's user avatar
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