22
votes
Accepted
Silicone food molds that have been used to prepare (caustic soap): Safe for use with food again?
I think it sounds fine.
Strong acids and bases do their thing by dissolving into water. They are highly soluble. Once diluted through rinsing, they’re not really a problem. (A dishwasher would be ...
- 26.1k
20
votes
Accepted
Is a garlic bulb which is coloured brown on the outside safe to eat?
Your garlic is fine, some discoloration of the outside layers is normal. When garlic is lifted out of the ground it's covered in dirt and the outer layers are brown. Garlic is then cured (it's just ...
- 74.2k
11
votes
Silicone food molds that have been used to prepare (caustic soap): Safe for use with food again?
I use my own homemade soap to clean dishes on occasion. In particular I usually let my mixer bowl, measuring cups etc. stand overnight after a batch of soap, with the residue still in them, and clean ...
- 605
9
votes
Is a garlic bulb which is coloured brown on the outside safe to eat?
Dirt, or oxidation would explain the brown color (dirt if it's always been this way, oxidation if it's changed. Garlic grows in the dirt, and if it's not harvested early enough to have plenty of dirty ...
- 15k
7
votes
Accepted
Are non-glazed or matte glazed clay mugs safe for containing hot drinks? [video included]
Potter here, weighing in at Stephie's request.
What we see on video is sufficient to determine that the mugs are not vitrified ceramics. Vitrified means that the clay has been fired to a temperature ...
- 58.7k
6
votes
Ate some bad green salsa before i realized it was bad. Botulism?
First things first: we cannot and will not give individual health advice. If you have a question pertaining your personal well-being, call your healthcare provider.
But we can, at least to some degree,...
- 57.8k
6
votes
Accepted
Why did my potatoes and bananas spoil to mush within a week?
This sounds like soft rot on the potatoes. Soft rot tends to ooze "water" from the lesion and release a foul smell as it breaks down the potato. The potato will still look white and be mushy,...
- 13.3k
5
votes
Accepted
Silica gel to dehydrate soft cheese safely?
Officially, you should be using food-grade silica gel to dehydrate foods; this is why some countries have a certification system that distinguish between food and non-food grades.
That said, though, ...
- 58.7k
4
votes
Accepted
Recovering from a sous vide disaster
If you cut finely enough - Chinese stir-fry style - you can cook it from raw in a hot sauce, in 'back to the boil plus 1 minute.'
For bite-sized chunks, that would be three minutes.
From cold but ...
- 28.8k
4
votes
Are these mold spots on my new stainless steel pans?
Those are hard water spots, left by minerals in the water, or soap spots left by your dishwasher soap. They are harmless, so one of your choices (the one I'd make) is to simply ignore them. If you ...
- 58.7k
3
votes
Are non-glazed or matte glazed clay mugs safe for containing hot drinks? [video included]
Your video shows that the clay is not waterproof. This means liquid will be absorbed into the clay, which then can harbor mold and bacteria and contaminate food at a later time. This is why unglazed ...
- 57.8k
2
votes
Canning tomato sauce without citric acid
The purpose of adding acid to canned tomatoes (and tomato sauce) is to lower the acidity of the food in order to inhibit the growth of the botulinum bacteria (a pH of 4.6 or lower does the trick). ...
- 218
2
votes
Pressure canning issue with weight and timing
According to https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_02/applesauce.html
Pressure canning applesauce requires 5 minutes at pressure for pints (half-litres) and 10 minutes at pressure for quarts (litres)
It can ...
- 15k
2
votes
Canned (shelf stable) pickled eggs that don't require refrigeration?
There is an article available here that discusses how shelf stable pickled eggs are made.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311743836_Pickling_Eggs
Egg Innovations and Strategies for ...
- 425
1
vote
Do you wash before consuming already cut parts of fruits?
It likely depends on what you’re doing with the fruit.
Food that has been packaged like this should have been done in a hygienic environment so there isn’t a significant risk of bacteria or similar ...
- 79.3k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible