I can't believe I haven't read through this thread until now. Pie Lady, you crack me up. On a related note, why is butter okay at room temperature?

Thanks! I dunno about the butter though. I'm guessing magic.

The reason that butter can safely be left out on the counter is that its water content is too low for bacteria to grow. That is true even of unsalted butter, but the salt in salted butter further inhibits bacterial growth.

Depending on the room temperature, butter will last for about two weeks on the counter before the fat in it starts to go rancid, which affects its taste and odor but not its safety. It would take even longer than two weeks for the milk solids in butter to start to spoil (which would be detectable by a sour taste and odor, like spoiled milk). Stick it in the fridge occasionally overnight and you can put off rancidity much longer.

Not that I've ever had butter go rancid or know anyone who has. Unless you're a vegan, if you can't get through a stick of butter in two weeks ... well, you should eat more butter.

Pie Lady wrote:What do you do with an open container of tamarind concentrate? The ingredients are tamarind and water. It's so thin I feel like it should be refrigerated, but there's no instructions on the bottle. WW-LTH-D?

A little Googling led me to this page, which says

Storage Recommendations

Tamarind Concentrate can be stored at ambient temperature.

Shelf Life

More than two years at normal room temperature. The only change that happens is in colour; when the Tamarind
Concentrate turns into a darker colour after prolonged storage, due to breakdown of natural sucrose inherent in the Tamarind Fruit.

Sunday evening I put an eggplant on the smoker after I pulled everything else off, poked some holes in it, and forgot it there. It's now Tuesday.

Edible or Deadible?

leek wrote:Sunday evening I put an eggplant on the smoker after I pulled everything else off, poked some holes in it, and forgot it there. It's now Tuesday.

Edible or Deadible?

I think okay.

I don't think it would hurt you but it likely doesn't taste very good (eggplant can get pretty bitter...)

I'd at least have to try a bite just to see what happened to it!!!

Say, can you give a baby goat milk ice cream? (Homemade, only the usual stuff like yolks, salt, vanilla, lemon juice, etc. No honey, I know.)

My kids, no problem. Some people hold off on introducing eggs for a while. I would always ask a parent before slipping a kid something, though.

Goat milk was actually used as a breastmilk substitute long before cow milk, and many people today think it is more digestible and appropriate for little ones. So if you are OK giving your child cow milk, then there is absolutely no reason to avoid goat milk.

Hi,

You need to ask the Mom, because they are the arbitrator of everything.

Regards,

Pie Lady wrote:Say, can you give a baby goat milk ice cream? (Homemade, only the usual stuff like yolks, salt, vanilla, lemon juice, etc. No honey, I know.)

I seriously read this as PieLady trying to give a "baby goat" some "milk ice cream". I wanted to ask, why would you want to give a baby goat ice cream in the first place.

My answer was going to be; it wouldn't be baaaad to ask the mama goat first.

Ha! Puns!!

I used to get a certain brand of canned beans, but stopped because the underside of the lid had black funk on it. It looked as though someone burned the lid and sealed it anyway. These were cans of white beans, and the goo that comes with canned beans was blackish too, especially on the bottom. The beans looked fine. What is this? Is it just discoloration or are they unsafe to eat? I tossed 'em out of fear. I should have taken a photo. Has anyone else come across this?

I think it probably was harmless discoloration --- the food reacting with the tinplate or aluminum in a predictable way and one might even say intended way (acting as a sacrificial anode) produces black deposits. This can happen if the food comes into direct contact with the metal, which is to say, if there is some flaw in the coating of the inside of the can. The reaction happens on the underside of the top of the can (if I understand correctly) because it occurs in the presence of oxygen, so, where ther is some headroom in the can, or after you open it.

(Not so sure about what you describe as the black goo on the bottom, though ...)

This is from a website called foodsafetysite.com:

Black deposits on the underside of a lid are not a sign of spoilage. The underside of a canning lid is coated with enamel. If there are imperfections, such as tiny scratches or pinholes in the enamel, natural compounds in food can react with the metal in the lid to form harmless brown or black deposits.

Here's a site with a more technical explanation: http://www.finishing.com/491/54.shtml

But I stress it's NOT my area of expertise; I just know a little about chemistry. I yield to anyone more knowledgeable on the subject, and I suggest you do your own research to satisfy your doubts one way or the other.

So I bought some smoked whitefish Sunday. I was going to make hash for breakfasts, then got lazy. They're in vacuum-sealed packs, but there's no date. How long does this stuff last? Can I wait to cook it until this coming Sunday?

Thanks!

Pie Lady wrote:So I bought some smoked whitefish Sunday. I was going to make hash for breakfasts, then got lazy. They're in vacuum-sealed packs, but there's no date. How long does this stuff last? Can I wait to cook it until this coming Sunday?

Thanks!

Hi,

I assume this has been kept refrigerated, I would eat it.

Regards,

It has. I'll make the hash this weekend. Thanks!

At this thread nears its five year mark, I would be very interested to know if there have ever been any adverse effects of the consumption here dared and recorded.

So: y'all dared. Did you win? In flavor, economy, and intestinal fortitude? How does one measure the success of the daring? Are expiration dates just a planned-obsolescence racket?

Santander wrote:At this thread nears its five year mark, I would be very interested to know if there have ever been any adverse effects of the consumption here dared and recorded.

So: y'all dared. Did you win? In flavor, economy, and intestinal fortitude? How does one measure the success of the daring? Are expiration dates just a planned-obsolescence racket?

It's obvious: those who dared and lost are no longer with us. May they rest in peace.

_________________

Santander wrote:At this thread nears its five year mark, I would be very interested to know if there have ever been any adverse effects of the consumption here dared and recorded.

So: y'all dared. Did you win? In flavor, economy, and intestinal fortitude? How does one measure the success of the daring? Are expiration dates just a planned-obsolescence racket?

Here are the stats:

1. Pie Lady vs. 3-Day Yogurt, 04/30/10
Winner: Pie Lady
Results: I ate it with no ill effects. I did not vomit, thus hoppy2468 still owes me $10. Luckily I do not charge interest. Cilantro bet 9-1 on superpowers and as I now glow in the dark I guess that means someone owes him $90, although the payee is unclear. No one calls me Queen Acidophilus, unfortunately. Haley Joel Osment was delicious.

2. Pie Lady vs. Puffed Foil Yogurt, 06/22/11
Winner: Draw
Results: It was tossed.

3. Mr. Pie vs. Lunch, 06/13/12
Winner: Undetermined
Results: Don't remember. I probably ate it myself. Nobody died.

4. Error, 06/13/12
I meant to say hazelnut yogurt. Still haven't seen it, but I'd like to try it and see if that gives me superpowers.

5. Pie Lady vs. Russell Stover, 11/14/12
Winner: Draw
Results: Bugs or chocolate? I didn't know and didn't care to find out.

6. Pie Lady's Friend vs. Year-Old-Yogurt, 03/14/13
Winner: Pie Lady's Friend
Results: Still alive. Has 5 cats. Still have not received details though if I ask him today I'm sure he'll know.

6. Pie Lady vs. Sour Edamame, 04/01/13
Winner: Pie Lady
Results: Apparently sour edamame gives no ill effects except repelling the taste buds, although I sally forth and eat them anyway. I draw the line at eating edamame that's so old there's a gooey whitish ooze all over 'em. I know, elitist.

7. Pie Lady vs. Instant Coffee, 05/10/13
Winner: Undetermined
Results: Couldn't tell if it would have tasted like shite within the confines of the sell-by date or not; I suffered no ill effects except another insult to the taste buds, which any day now may revolt.

8. Pie Lady vs. Butter, 11/18/13
Winner: Pie Lady!!
Results: Meaning of life confirmed, plans to jump in front of train due to unevenly buttered toast scrapped. The world is a better place.

9. Pie Lady vs. Tea, 02/21/14
Winner: Pie Lady
Results: No ill effects, and I'm still drinking it. There's no end to this tea.

10. Pie Lady vs. Almond Paste, 04/16/14
Winner: Pie Lady
Results: No ill effects. Can't remember what I made but there were no death reports.

11. Pie Lady vs. Tamarind, 09/09/14
Winner: Undetermined
Results: So far so good, but it's only 6 months old.

12. Pie Lady vs. Goat Milk Ice Cream, 12/04/14
Winner: No contest
Results: The friend in question is the flaky type that always cancels at the last minute. I was on the way over with a Hoosier Mama pot pie when I got another cancellation, 2 stops from her house. So I ended up eating the pie and decided it wasn't worth the effort to make the ice cream. So the winner is technically me.

13. Pie Lady vs. Black Snot Beans, 04/24/14
Winner: Draw
Results: We suffered no ill effects after the first can, but after seeing this a few times in increasing amounts, I decided not to buy this brand anymore (despite the lower cost). Katie's description was helpful but it certainly didn't make me want to eat them, non-killy-status or nay.

Champ: Pie Lady, 6.

You have done a service for society. Many thanks for the entertainment as well.

You betcha.

I bought a full-fat plain yogurt and lost it in the fridge. Ate it on April 3, 2015. It was dated Nov something 2014. It was fine, I suffered no ill effects.

For what it's worth, a few years ago, I woke up in the middle of the night with gas pains and swallowed a big swig of a kaopectate knockoff that I found in the cabinet under the sink in the dark. It tasted like excrement. Too late to spit it out, I had already swallowed it. Turning on the light, it was almost black and very syrupy. I checked the expiration date. It expired in 1992. Probably bought it in the 80's.

The gas pains went away and I'm still here.

Eww, you win. My husband talked me into tossing some coconut water from November 2014 and now I think that was premature. Had I seen this story earlier! Glad you're still alive.

Who cancels when someone is coming over with Hoosier Mama?!?!?

Fools!

While unpacking my groceries on Saturday morning, I set the meat on the counter while clearing space in the fridge and forgot to put it in; I didn't notice until this morning. It was a vacuum-sealed flatiron steak (also: Jewel now has vacuum-sealed flatiron steaks for sale!). While it was cool to the touch in the morning, I know my apartment gets pretty warm during the day, and it was sunny on Saturday.

I cooked it for dinner tonight; will update you in the morning as to my status.

Independent George wrote:While unpacking my groceries on Saturday morning, I set the meat on the counter while clearing space in the fridge and forgot to put it in; I didn't notice until this morning. It was a vacuum-sealed flatiron steak (also: Jewel now has vacuum-sealed flatiron steaks for sale!). While it was cool to the touch in the morning, I know my apartment gets pretty warm during the day, and it was sunny on Saturday.

I cooked it for dinner tonight; will update you in the morning as to my status.

I don't think I'd have eaten it: remember that some of the nastier bacteria such as Botulin do not require oxygen, and their toxin survives heating.

I hope you're well.

Me neither. Are you still with us?