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75 votes

Is it true that moldy jam/pickles are good to eat if you mix the mold into the rest of the mixture?

Unless there is good reason to assume it is not mold/bacterial colonization, but some other precipitate as explained in other answers: There is no scientific reason at all to assume that such a ...
rackandboneman's user avatar
50 votes

If one tomato had molded, is the rest of the pack safe to eat?

Yes - the mold is an indication that the spores have entered that tomato, but do not indicate any problems with others. Mold usually enters fruits like tomato through the stem site or damage to the ...
bob1's user avatar
  • 13.8k
35 votes
Accepted

How to know if blackberries are safe to eat?

As soon as you get them home, inspect for damaged berries & discard any that are not perfect. Wash the rest in a colander or sieve under cold running water. Drain well. Spread on dry paper towel ...
Tetsujin's user avatar
  • 29.7k
34 votes

Is it true that moldy jam/pickles are good to eat if you mix the mold into the rest of the mixture?

Well, let's start from the top. You mentioned "Jam and Pickles," but these are actually two very different environments for the growth of things like molds and bacteria. In terms of jams (but also ...
taswyn's user avatar
  • 441
33 votes

Why does my home-made bread go mouldy?

Well, I don't think you're doing anything wrong -- I think it's because you aren't using any preservatives in your bread (and that's a good thing, right?). I find my homemade bread has to be eaten in ...
franko's user avatar
  • 5,962
28 votes

My silicone mold got moldy. Can I clean it or should I throw it away?

If the mold (shaping device) is actually silicone rubber, you should be able to kill any mold (fungal growth) quite easily. I use silicone bread pans that are rated to 450 °F / 232°C (correction, poor ...
Ecnerwal's user avatar
  • 15.7k
27 votes

Jamon Serrano smells awful

Nope, Jamon Serrano should not smell bad. It can be normal for it to have mold on the very outer surface, which is generally harmless and can just be scrubbed off, but a foul smell means that there is ...
Jolenealaska's user avatar
  • 58.5k
26 votes

Is it true that moldy jam/pickles are good to eat if you mix the mold into the rest of the mixture?

I have no idea about pickles, but if your jam has mold on top, the last thing you want to do is mix it into the rest of the jar. If you just have a couple tiny spots of mold on top of the jam, or on ...
Lorel C.'s user avatar
  • 7,082
23 votes

My sourdough starter is going wrong in every possible way

If it has mold on it then it needs to be thrown away, you are unlikely to salvage it. Once a sourdough starter goes wrong it's generally not worth your time to try and save it, just start over.
GdD's user avatar
  • 75.4k
22 votes

Jamon Serrano smells awful

Microbiologist here. That meat is clearly spoiled, please don't eat it. While you could clean the mold off the outside, the discoloration and smell suggests that other microbes are at work too. Save ...
µBadger's user avatar
  • 320
21 votes

If one tomato had molded, is the rest of the pack safe to eat?

I once worked in grocery produce. The skin offers a remarkably effective protective layer. I have opened crates of tomatoes where one has completely turned to mush, while every other tomato in the ...
Exasperation's user avatar
18 votes

Jamon Serrano smells awful

As others have said, your jamon is almost certainly spoiled.However, I wouldn't throw it out just yet. I assume you bought this jamon recently, or at least close enough to this moment that it hasn't ...
Nzall's user avatar
  • 1,583
17 votes

Is it true that moldy jam/pickles are good to eat if you mix the mold into the rest of the mixture?

You assume it is mold, but actual mold in jam bottles are rather rare. What you more often get is Congealed Pectin or crystallisation of the sugar crystals. Remember that sugar is very much a ...
Neil Meyer's user avatar
  • 4,644
15 votes

Why is my homemade bread molding after 2 days?

Without preservatives in the bread your bread won't last as long as store-bought, but there are some things you can do to make it last longer: Proof the bread longer, thus creating more acid in the ...
myklbykl's user avatar
  • 4,694
13 votes

Why does my home-made bread go mouldy?

The rate at which your bread will develop mold is mostly dependent on two factors — humidity and the acidity of the bread. A well baked sour dough loaf ( a boule ) will scoff at your garden variety ...
TheHarryChannel's user avatar
13 votes

My silicone mold got moldy. Can I clean it or should I throw it away?

Discoloration of silicone is common, and it isn't a safety issue. Silicone is porous, and so yours absorbed coloring, most likely from the dessert as it was left in there awhile. Cleaning it ...
GdD's user avatar
  • 75.4k
12 votes

Very moldy cast iron cookware - what's the best way to clean it?

The most efficient method would be to skip the whole bleach step, and start right in on burning the mold (and seasoning) off either in a fire or in an oven on the self-clean cycle. Then proceed to re-...
Ecnerwal's user avatar
  • 15.7k
10 votes

bread that does not get moldy

It's the baking and packaging. These dark rye breads are baked for a very long time (effectively pasteurizing them) and then sealed in their packaging. If you do this in a commercial setting that can ...
Stephie's user avatar
  • 58.5k
10 votes

Black spotting/dust in stainless steel utensils.Is this mildew?

The specks are corrosion pits. Austenitic stainless (aka- 18-8 , 304 , and several other numbers) are notorious for pitting in salt (halides). The 316 and 317 with molybdenum are more resistant but I ...
blacksmith37's user avatar
  • 1,095
9 votes
Accepted

Jamon Serrano smells awful

The green from the picture looks.. strange. I'd expect a brand/tattoo, but not a green spot like that. It should also not be dry and flaky. It has been cured with salt, so that may be what you're ...
cbay's user avatar
  • 118
9 votes
Accepted

Green and white mold on dry part of onion only. What to do?

Because nothing else is affected, your red onions probably acquired the mold spores before you purchased them. Perhaps they were stored in a humid area that facilitated the rapid growth. Hopefully, ...
ElmerCat's user avatar
  • 2,709
9 votes
Accepted

What are these white 'bits' in my nutella

Great pictures: those are so clearly areas of oil/fat which have separated from the main nutella emulsion. Carefully gouge one out and smear it around or put it onto a heated surface & see if it ...
Lorel C.'s user avatar
  • 7,082
9 votes

How to know if blackberries are safe to eat?

How am I supposed to store blackberries to prevent it from molding after 1 day? Buy frozen. They're fresher (picked ripe and flash frozen, versus picked unripe so they last to the grocery store). ...
RonJohn's user avatar
  • 368
9 votes

Bubbles/foam on refrigerated maple syrup - safe to eat?

Assuming the can and the syrup were in good shape when opened, it's not going to mold in the refrigerator in a week's time. Although you say the bubbles weren't there when transferred, do you just ...
BowlOfRed's user avatar
  • 1,056
8 votes
Accepted

Sourdough Starter Black Spots

I would discard this batch, carefully clean everything and start over. If you truly mixed well in the beginning, then the fluffy bits are probably mold and the black spots are somewhat fishy as well. ...
Stephie's user avatar
  • 58.5k
8 votes

is this mold on my kimchi or yeast?

That looks like mould (mold). Kimchi typically only goes mouldy when the vegetables are not submerged, which looks like is happening here, probably because of your choice of container. Use a deeper ...
mbjb's user avatar
  • 1,739
8 votes
Accepted

Is this layer on top of my fermented peppers mold? If it is not, is it still safe to eat?

The growth of yeast is already slowed down by the approximately 2-3 bakers percent salt content in a dough, which makes round about 1-1.5% in total. So I doubt yeast will grow on a brine with 10% salt ...
J. Mueller's user avatar
  • 2,119
8 votes
Accepted

Can I eat food with a bit of mold if I treat it for X minutes in the microwave?

No. In many cases, it's not the mould (or bacteria etc.) itself that poisons you, it's toxins released by the pathogen. Killing the mould doesn't say anything about what happens to the toxins, any ...
Chris H's user avatar
  • 43.7k
7 votes
Accepted

Moldy food left in oven, safe to cook?

You will have mold spores in your oven, but the temperature will take care of them. All it means is that you might have some mold spore dust on your food later, which you won't even notice and is ...
GdD's user avatar
  • 75.4k
7 votes

Food was left in Instant Pot for a month and it grew mold. Is it safe to use it after cleaning?

While the other answers here all suggest overnight soaking with chemicals and/or high-heat treatment I would say that cleaning it thoroughly is enough. Get all that you can out of it, then clean it ...
GdD's user avatar
  • 75.4k

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