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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How do I know if food left at room temperature is still safe to eat?
If I left food out of the refrigerator for some period of time, is it still safe? If I left it out too long, can I salvage it by cooking it more?
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How long can I store a food in the pantry, refrigerator, or freezer?
How do I know if a given food or ingredient I have is still good, or if I should discard it?
How can I best preserve a food or ingredient?
This broad question is intended as a "general reference" ...
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Why is it dangerous to eat meat which has been left out and then cooked?
If cooking meat kills bacteria, and bacteria are responsible for problems with eating meat which has been left out, then why is it dangerous to eat meat which has been left out at room temperature and ...
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How long can cooked food be safely stored at room/warm temperature?
If I leave fully-cooked food (particularly meat) out at warm temperature - say on the counter or in a crock pot that's been turned off - how long will it stay safe to eat?
Does it make any ...
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Is there a problem with defrosting meat on the counter?
I generally defrost meat on the kitchen counter. A friend of mine suggested that this was dangerous and suggested that I defrost meat in the refrigerator. I am no biologist but it seems to me that as ...
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How dangerous is it to refreeze meat that has been thawed?
I've often been told by people that I shouldn't refreeze meat (particularly hamburger meat) once it has been thawed. However, this seems a little silly to me. I can't imagine how meat that hasn't ...
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Botulism, Garlic, Cold pressed Olive oil and mason jars
I make a product I invented called Maybe It's Marinade. It consists of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil and pressed garlic as the base and comes in three varieties, AoliOliO, Dill, and Cayenne ...
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What do I need to know about temperature and food safety?
What general rules do I need to follow to keep my food safe? How do I know what temperature to cook something to, or whether my food is safe at room temperature?
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Rules for refreezing food
What are the general rules regarding when can you refreeze food that was frozen and then thawed in the fridge? and what are the reasons behind them? (Hygiene? Food quality?). Let's assume for the sake ...
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Is it safe to put hot food in the fridge?
I heard that putting really warm food in the fridge right after cooking it is not the right thing to do. It might cause bacterial growth? Is this true?
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How to quickly and safely defrost chicken?
What is the safest, quick way to defrost chicken? Microwave? Running water over it?
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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.
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Is it safe to eat potatoes that have sprouted?
I'm talking about potatoes that have gone somewhat soft and put out shoots about 10cm long.
Other online discussions suggest it's reasonably safe and the majority of us have been peeling and eating ...
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Frying Oil Reuse
What are some guidelines or rules with regard to filtering and reusing (vegetable/canola/sunflower) oil that has been used for deep frying?
Is it safe and acceptable under some circumstances to ...
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How long can I keep eggs in the refrigerator?
To keep eggs useful and healthy, what is the average time I can keep them in refrigerator? Can I freeze, and re-use them after melting, or will they be useless or not healthy to eat?
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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 ...
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Is it safe to eat raw eggs?
I have a friend that is training for a marathon and he drinks 6 raw eggs before running (Yes, like Rocky) - is this safe?
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What are the acceptable methods to thaw food items?
What are the proper ways to thaw foods? Are there any advantages or disadvantages to them?
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Do "Best by: XX-XX-XX" foods have an expiration date?
How long will foods that have "Best by: XX-XX-XX" on the product last past that date?
I have tried looking online, and all I can find is anecdotal evidence, which isn't very assuring for me since ...
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Never ending soup; is it actually safe?
In the poor student or youth worker days it was popular to have never ending soup; a large pot on the stove that was topped up with new and leftover ingredients when available.
Normally the pot was ...
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What temperatures should I keep my refrigerator and freezer set at?
For a refrigerator, if it's cooler, items like milk and meat last a bit longer. However if I set it close to freezing then some items start showing frost on them. What temperature should I set my ...
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How long can eggs be unrefrigerated before becoming unsafe to eat?
A friend of mine accidentally left a carton of eggs on her counter, unrefrigerated, for three days. The eggs had been previously refrigerated both at the store and at home. Now she's planning to do ...
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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 ...
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Is it bad to leave the crock pot on "warm" (not low) all day?
I just bought all the ingredients to make a soup in the crock pot. I was planning on having it cook all day, but I just realized the recipe only calls for it to cook on low for 3-4 hours. If I cook it ...
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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 ...
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Is "until juices run clear" a valid test for poultry doneness? Why or why not?
I've come across this particular recommendation many times in various recipes and cookbooks and probably even given it out myself once or twice. Poultry is sufficiently cooked when the juices run ...
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Does meat need to be washed before preparation?
I don't even remember where I have learned that, but I've always thought it common knowledge: Before a piece of meat gets seasoned, or malleted for tenderizing (sorry, don't know the English word for ...
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Can one preserve food by periodically heating it?
I get that keeping food temperature low will slow down chemical reactions and preserve food, but sometimes my sister preserves food by heating it every 6 hours or so (up to 1-2 days). Does this help ...
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Can store bought salmon be used for sashimi?
Is it safe to consume raw fish purchased at the fish counter of a typical suburban grocery store? If not, do you have any tips for finding sushi grade fish. Also, are there requirements for safe sushi/...
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Safe to wash rice the night before and leave overnight before cooking?
I'm trying to figure out a convenient way to bring fresh rice for lunch. Cooking it the night before and leaving it in the fridge causes it to become dry and hard and unpleasant, and I've read that it'...
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Is it safe to leave butter at room temperature?
Is it safe to leave butter at room temperature? If so, for how long is it safe to keep it out?
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Can you reuse marinade used with raw chicken?
I marinated chicken a couple weeks ago, and stored the marinade afterwards in a jar. Can it be reused, or is that dangerous? I've been told conflicting stories here. The marinade is mostly teriyaki if ...
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Room temperature "rest" for fresh mayo?
On the mayonnaise episode of Good Eats, Alton Brown recommends letting homemade mayo sit at room temperature for 4-8 hours before refrigerating. The idea is to let the acid in the mayo kill any ...
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Is Teflon dangerous?
I've read that non-stick saucepans using Teflon are dangerous. Why do so many people still use them including all the professional chefs, and how do you personally feel about using them after reading ...
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How to make garlic oil in a safe way...tomorrow
I am planning on making some garlic oil for a friend of mine as a birthday present. Her birthday is tomorrow, so this question is a bit urgent.
I've read a few of the posts that indicate that ...
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Cure for burns from hot peppers / capsicum oil?
So, I foolishly ignored advice about wearing gloves while handling hot peppers. I thought since they were "just" anaheim peppers I'd be fine... I was wrong, and I repent.
Does anyone know of a way ...
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Is smell a bad way of determining whether meat is still good?
I have always relied on my sense of smell to determine whether meat (most often chicken) is bad and I thought it was reliable. However, I have just heard that [1] smell is not always reliable, since ...
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Should maple syrup be stored in the refrigerator?
Is there any reason to store maple syrup in the refrigerator? It tastes better when it's a little warmer.
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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 ...
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Garlic Infused Oil—Safety
I recently received a bottle of garlic and herb infused olive oil as a gift. It came in a fancy bottle with a cork on top. I tried it out last night and it's terrific.
I've heard about the dangers of ...
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Is it safe to use oil at its smoking point? [closed]
Teflon toxicity and second degree burns aside, are there any health issues related to cooking with oil at or past its smoking point? Googling a bit I found one article that went so far as to say you ...
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power outage/frozen meat
We were on vacation for a week. The neighbor said we were out of power the whole time. We have a chest freezer full of beef. It thawed but remained in the freezer unopened the whole time. Is the meat ...
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Is it safe to eat moldy cheese if you slice off the edges?
Whenever my cheese gets too old and has a bit of blue/white mold on the side, I'm not sure whether I should throw it completely out or not. Is it safe to eat if I cut off the edge? Should I cut a bit ...
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Is it safe to eat a cooked steak that (briefly) touched the plate that was holding the raw meat?
So I just finished preparing a perfect-looking steak, and as per usual, my apartment's hypersensitive smoke detector decided to go off. Not wanting to put the steak back into the pan, in one ...
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How to keep my (deep frying) oil usable as long as possible?
I have a new deep fryer. I am pleased with its results so far. I am not a 'heavy user' though - say once every 2-3 weeks. I want to re-use the oil a couple of times. The deep fryer is covered but not ...
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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 ...
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Coconut Water from White vs Brown Coconuts
The warning label on each coconut describes how to treat the water within each. The water on the brown coconut is to be discarded; the water on the white coconut is safe for consumption.
In what ...
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Are these worms in my black eyed peas/beans?
I was cooking some organic black eyed peas earlier today and I found what appeared to be worms. I had the peas for about 1.5 weeks before I cooked them.
Is this common?
I did rinse the peas before ...
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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 ...
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Mold on Vinegar Batch?
About 2-3 months ago I decided to start my own batch of vinegar. I started with some Braggs apple cider vinegar which contains the mother, and I added some old wine and some fruit juice to the mix. ...
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