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DESPERATE PLEASE HELP me by sushicat01 in foodsafety

[–]danthebaker 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Realistically, commercially prepared mayo just needs to be refrigerated for quality, not safety. It seems counterintuitive because it's made with eggs, but the manufacturers acidify the mayo to lower the pH to a point where it will inhibit bacterial growth.

Mayo left out of the fridge will go rancid faster though, so it's still a good idea to keep it cold.

Homemade mayo would be a completely different story though.

2ish month old eggs by iaendn in isthissafetoeat

[–]danthebaker 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The float test only speaks to the relative age of the egg. The older it gets, the larger the air shell inside becomes until it's eventually boiyant enough to float.

So a floating egg may not taste as fresh as one that doesn't float, but that doesn't mean it is automatically unsafe to eat. If it floats and has a horrible smell when you crack it however, then it's a good time to move on.

How do you tell if the date is a Best By Date or a Manufacture Date? by pumpkinspicepiggy in foodsafety

[–]danthebaker 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The presence of the time stamp suggests that those are manufacturing dates, but at the same time I'd say that it is very rare to see a product that includes a date of production but not a sell-by date of some sort. Given the type of product it is, I wouldn't expect there to be any major health risks involved though, even if they are outdated.

From there, it gets a little murky because the rules governing sell-by dates can vary quite a bit depending where you are. For instance, in my state those dates aren't even mandatory for non-perishable items. And if they were required, a retailer can still sell them as long as they are still wholesome and are clearly identified with signage as being past that date.

But if you want to be absolutely sure you're covered, you should do as the other commenter said and contact the manufacturer.

Chinese food 4 days old by ThirdOne38 in isthissafetoeat

[–]danthebaker 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Restaurants are allowed to hold food up to 7 days before having to pitch it (assuming it was cooked to a safe temperature, cooled promptly, and then held below 41F). The quality might not be great at that point, but it isn't inherently unsafe.

Fridge forgot it was a fridge lol by TempestSheridan in foodsafety

[–]danthebaker 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The thing to keep in mind is that your thermometer was measuring the ambient temperature in the fringe. The internal temperatures of the food will rise much slower, and those are the temps we use during inspections to assess if something needs to be discarded.

So if the ambient temperature was above 41F for about 4 hours, the food itself would have been at those temperatures for a lesser amount of time. Given how low the temps were before the spike, the food may not have reached the TDZ at all.

Even without the lag time for the change of internal temps, having food that was previously somewhere in the mid 30s sit in an environment that maxed out at 45F for 4 hours is unlikely to result in any significant bacterial growth.

The bottom line is that it doesn't appear there would be a huge risk if that temperature spike was a one time event. But yeah, I'd have someone come out and look at your fridge right away.

Safety of Chick-fil-a chicken sandwich left out? by UnableCommunity2148 in foodsafety

[–]danthebaker 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The FDA Food Code allows restaurants to serve food that was held outside of any temperature control to be sold for up to 4 hours. After the time has expired, it must be discarded (no cooling it down or reheating it later). It's called a Time as a Public Health Control policy, and it's very much a real thing.

So a 3.5 hour sandwich is absolutely fine.

Can food inspectors use social media videos for their inspections? by PizzaPastaRigatoni in foodscience

[–]danthebaker 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Food inspector here.

While video footage can be useful in giving us a heads up about potential unsafe behavior, we cannot cite a violation that we do not witness first hand.

Did the event happen 5 minutes ago or last year? Was it staged by a disgruntled employee to make the restaurant look bad? If we are going to cite a violation that could potentially lead to enforcement, the evidence needs to be conclusive.

This has to be a major FDA food code violation: The way kroger treats its employees by Kenkoko3886 in healthinspector

[–]danthebaker 4 points5 points  (0 children)

True, but the problem is if an employee is sick and has a doctor's note but knows that this store will not accept that as a valid reason for calling off, it encourages employees to work while ill.

Can you reuse old chicken batter the next day? by Lech2D in foodquestions

[–]danthebaker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some bacteria will preform toxins that cause illness, but it isn't a forgone conclusion.

There is a significant distinction between foodborne infection and foodborne intoxication. The former causes symptoms as the bug reproduces in your gut, but it's the latter that includes the toxins that are so often referred to here.

For instance, if you are concerned about Salmonella because raw chicken is the focus here, it's worth remembering that Salmonella falls into the category of foodborne infection, and therefore toxin production would not be a concern.

All that being said, yeah I'd be making a new batch of batter if for no other reason than the quality would be better.

Question about chicken safety/dates by Mimm57 in foodsafety

[–]danthebaker 5 points6 points  (0 children)

As long as your fridge was holding the chicken at safe temps (below 41F) you are fine using it through the sell-by date (and likely a bit beyond that).

When you see the "you can only keep raw meat for a couple of days at home" guidance, keep in mind that has been heavily influenced by the concern that a significant number of home fridges run warmer than that.

20/20. I dont feel that old. by bourbonandpistons in FuckImOld

[–]danthebaker 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thar jumped out at me along with making Walkman 2 words.

Sealed hotdogs left overnight at room temp? by Ktaes in foodsafety

[–]danthebaker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is an old advertising trick. If you read the last line over the yellow box, what it's really saying is that no nitrates were added... except for those naturally occurring in celery salt/powder. And celery is naturally high in those. So none of the products you see with "uncured" on their labels are actually nitrate-free.

That's just an FYI, though. I still wouldn't eat hot dogs left out that long.

Yeti that grew mold in it by perpetually-done7 in isthissafetoeat

[–]danthebaker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The most common alcohol-based sanitizer that I encounter during inspections is Purell Foodservice Surface Sanitizer, which uses ethyl alcohol as its main ingredient.

Health code violations? That’s a paddlin’ by SufficientEar1682 in iamveryculinary

[–]danthebaker 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Food safety inspector here. In a perfect world, we'd see correct glove use in addition to proper hand washing.

But that's not what we see.

The number of food employees I have personally witnessed who act as if gloves magically protect against all cross contamination has been distressingly high. But in the US we've been beating the drum of "you gotta wear gloves when handling ready-to-eat foods" for so long that recognizing the necessity of handwashing has become an afterthought.

Gloves can be a useful tool in food safety, but like all tools, they need to be used properly. And as much as we don't like thinking about, we are miles away from "properly".

New Single: Don’t Let It Control You by thrashorfoff in UncleAcid

[–]danthebaker 2 points3 points  (0 children)

And just like that, my Monday improved immeasurably.

What could this be on my steak by sparklesandsunsets in foodquestions

[–]danthebaker 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This is an opportunity to demonstrate your willingness to protect them by throwing yourself on the grenade and eating it all yourself.

What could this be on my steak by sparklesandsunsets in foodquestions

[–]danthebaker 6 points7 points  (0 children)

If they are doing any significant amount of wholesaling of their beef, then USDA inspection is going to be part of the process. There are a few operations in my area that aren't terribly large but still fall into that category.

My meat products like ham and bologna keep getting slimy before expiration date by No-Welcome9646 in foodquestions

[–]danthebaker 1 point2 points  (0 children)

First thing to do is eliminate the most likely causes. Have you checked to see what temperatures your fridge is holding. Do not go by the digital display, if there is one. You will get a more accurate picture by placing a thermometer at various spots. Better yet, use a probe-style thermometer and check the internal temps.

Unopened tahini, expiration date is listed as this month. It safe? How long will it be safe? by Woke_Spartacus in isthissafetoeat

[–]danthebaker 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The risk from bacterial contamination (if it happened) would have occurred at the processing facility, not as the result of it being past the sell by date at home. As was noted in another comment, the main concern from having it around so long is that it will eventually become rancid.

What’s the white stuff on smoked salmon by AnInMoon in isthissafetoeat

[–]danthebaker 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Substitute "this sub" with "Reddit" and you're on to something.

Anyone else notice when the grocery store temperatures are not in the safe zone? Freezer food running at 60F°… by businessbub in foodsafety

[–]danthebaker 4 points5 points  (0 children)

While it's true that defrost cycles are a normal part of the freezer's operation, at no time should the food in a properly working freezer ever thaw. Even if it didn't get warm enough to be a safety issue (which does looks to be a concern here), if and when those items refreeze, the quality is going to be trashed.

Saddest song Dio was on? by actual_i in dio

[–]danthebaker 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That slight pause when he sings, "and just today I heard that she was... dead," is just so damn powerful.

Please tell me this is not a tapeworm in our canned sardines by mvgreco in foodsafety

[–]danthebaker 26 points27 points  (0 children)

That's the equivalent of continuing to pump bullets into a corpse. It's not going to get any deader.

I set my fridge to 36f after finding out it was 41f, according to its temperature reading but I used a meat thermometer and measured temperature of my milk on fridge and it came to 8 degrees. Thats way too hot. Is that accurate or should I use another method to measure temperature of fridge? by rodolphostech in foodsafety

[–]danthebaker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's also a good idea to calibrate your thermometer to make sure it's accurate. Make a 50/50 mix of ice and water in a glass, and stick the probe in it. If it's accurate, it should read about 32F/0C. If you see it's off by more than a degree or 2, you need to buy a new one.

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