Will someone teach me about food spoilage?

[DianeS]

OK. When I was young, I was raised that if a food item sat on the counter for more than an hour or so, that it might have gone bad and to throw it away. This applied ESPECIALLY to dairy items. Everybody knew somebody who ate egg salad at a picnic and ended up in the hospital, or someone who left out the milk overnight and made all her kids sick the next day. And the refrigerator should be cleaned out regularly, and if it was in an container without a sealed lid for more than 2 weeks, it was thrown out too.

But that was then and this is now. And I find myself making cultured butter which means leaving it on the counter overnight ON PURPOSE. I also am working on fermenting feed for my chicks. And making sourdough starter that sits beside the fireplace 24/7. And gathering the eggs from my chickens and leaving them (GASP- unwashed) on the counter instead of putting them in the fridge. Not to mention the bone broth I made at Thanksgiving that is still in my refrigerator and regularly used that still beats the pants off of anything one can get at the store.

I make my own butter now, and it has a smell to it. It's a good smell, but I'm not used to butter having any smell at all, and I realize that means I really can't rely on "if it doesn't smell right, throw it out" version of the rule because I don't KNOW what any of this new stuff should smell like in the first place! I can't rely on the "if it looks different, throw it out" version either, because my home-layed eggs certainly look different than anything I've ever eatem before!

I think part of my problem is that I don't really understand the mechanics of what turns food into something that will make us ill. I know it's the growth of bacteria - but isn't that the same description of fermenting and culturing? I know it happens at warmer temperatures most often, but that doesn't always cause it. Some things left at room temperature spoil - some culture. If the fat stays over my bone broth, it stays good, but if that cracks it goes bad. I don't really understand why. So I could end up throwing out something good, or eating something bad.

Basically, I need a primer course on this sort of stuff. I'm learning so much about so many things I don't want to poison my family by mistake and not even realize I'm doing something that can cause it.

So, is this something people can explain to me? Or are there sites I can learn from? Books I can read? I don't think I'm asking for the full chemical explanation, but maybe I am. Thanks for anything you can provide.

 

[Wannabefree]

If it isn't growing hair, or smells dead, we generally figure out something to do with it Ok...maybe not THAT extreme, but it has to be pretty bad for us to toss it. I am more careful about mayo and tuna, but...my grandma never even stored her mayo in the fridge, so I dunno for sure. We're still alive though.

I do know the answer about the fat on top of the broth being broken. The fat serves as a barrier against bacterial growth. If it is not solid, the broken places will allow bacterial growth. But then, as stated, bacterial growth is encouraged with fermentation

I am just a stickler for not contaminating food with dirty hands, etc. The rest...I don't worry too much. DD has accidentally eaten out of the 2 day old dog scraps and she's still very much alive She has had cereal with "spoiled milk" and mentioned it AFTER she ate the whole bowl :/ and eaten bacon that has sat out all day for an afternoon snack Either she's completely immune, or it's just okay.

 

[FarmerJamie]

Check out "Nourishing Traditions", lot's of stuff around fermenting foods and the like.

 

[moxies_chickennuggets]

I try to mark dates on things that don't get used up very quickly. Especially leftovers, sour cream, cottage cheese. I mark the "date opened"...or, a "use by" date. Other things like milk don't last long enuff here to worry about. We had to date things while I worked in assisted living/nursing homes...so residents didn't get sick from spoiled food. And f course...wash your hands often.

 

[hqueen13]

Very interested to know more about this!!

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Usually when you culture a food you will start it with a starter or you will have some description of how it should look/smell/taste once the proper bacteria takes hold. If it smells or looks off you should be able to tell. You could also taste a very small amount to see if it makes you feel sick. The only thing I am aware of that would kill you from just a taste would be botulism toxin and that tends to only be a concern with improperly handled canned foods.

So basically food goes bad when "bad" bacteria or mold grows in it, but it ferments when "good" bacteria or yeasts grow on it. Usually the "good" bacteria prefer a temperature range and if you can keep the food at that temperature you are more likely to encourage the "good" bacteria to grow. It is also important not to accidentally introduce "bad" bacteria via cross-contamination, etc.

 

[k15n1]

Dairy is generally safe, even when left out. How do you think people discovered yogurt? Certain bacteria, which happen to be safe for humans, keep their lactose-digesting metabolism at-the-ready, so they often beat out other food-spoiling bacteria that might hurt you.

Most meats, however, I wouldn't leave on the counter to thaw/incubate all day. Especially ground meats. But my mother-in-law does and none of us have died. I think she cooks the sh*t out of it, which kills off the E coli. But there are bacteria that generate toxins that are not heat-inactivated. Just FYI. (There are a variety of opinions on this topic represented on the forum.)

 

[KnittyGritty]

But it's RAW dairy that can be left out; pasteurized will just spoil.

 

[ORChick]

But it's RAW dairy that can be left out; pasteurized will just spoil.

Exactly

 

[moolie]

Food safety rules I like to follow, in no particular order:

1) Keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot, unless you are "processing" something via fermentation or other biological process like making yogurt or cheese--in which case you keep everything scrupulously clean and follow the instructions.

2) Rely on food storage charts in cookbooks etc. for how long you can keep cooked food in the fridge (casseroles, meats, sauces etc.) and also rely on your common sense--most cooked foods are good for a week after cooking IF they were cooled and refrigerated quickly. Food storage charts for freezing food generally refer to "optimum freshness and best taste", you can freeze just about anything for longer than the charts say--except for high salt foods like bacon, and baked goods which degrade after a few months (they get that freezer burnt flavour).

3) More common sense, if something looks or smells wrong, it probably is.

4) If I'm worried about it, my husband will probably still eat it and suffer no ill effects--so he takes leftovers that are older than a week (if and when we have any) to work for lunch. If he thinks it's "off", it probably is.

5) Most veggies and fruits store just fine on the counter top rather than in the fridge, but need to be eaten sooner than if refrigerated. The exceptions are anything tender like lettuce etc. Some fruits and veg (bananas, oranges, tomatoes) taste much better when stored at room temp than in the fridge, and tropical things like it warmer--e.g. bananas turn brown when they get cold.

6) Eggs straight from the bird (not washed) store just fine at room temp and don't require refrigeration because the coating on them keeps the air out of the porous shells, however if you buy eggs that have been refrigerated you need to keep them that way.

7) Uncured meats/fish and dishes containing meat/fish should always be kept cold, and be cooled quickly after cooking to stay freshest. Some cured meats like dry salami and summer sausage will store just fine at room temp along with the type of hams that you can hang (skin/rind on). Most bacon needs refrigeration unless you know how to keep it.

8) Potatoes need to be kept cool and out of the light or they turn green and develop poisonous compounds known as solanines. Don't eat green potatoes, or at the very least cut the green parts off before consuming.

9) Raw dairy is fine without refrigeration, pasteurized dairy needs to be kept cold. Some hard cheeses keep just fine at room temp as long as they have a rind, soft cheeses should be kept cold or they mould very quickly. Butter goes rancid quickly if it gets too warm, so if you keep it out of the fridge only keep out as much as you'll use in 4-5 days--if the outside oxidizes and turns a darker colour/goes rancid, chances are the inside is still just fine--scrape off the darker layer and keep enjoying. Pretty much any dairy you buy from the store should be kept cold.

10) We keep bread at room temp in a plastic or paper bag (depending on how quickly it will be eaten) and any extra that we bake in plastic bags the freezer for up to 4 months (although nothing ever lasts that long).

11) We don't buy salad dressing or mayonnaise, but I've been told that once you open that jar it's actually only good for two weeks at the most--so if you buy this stuff, buy small containers and use it up fast. Most other store bought condiments are sufficiently acidic like ketchup and mustard that contain a lot of vinegar which helps them to last longer, but if your ketchup is old you can taste it so chuck it when it doesn't taste good anymore.

That's all I can think of for the moment, and as always YMMV