Yogurt, which is high in acid and pasturized, should not be a risk. - Chuck, looking out for me, sent that link along. But it really is useful. This time of year when the power goes out you can't just stick your food and beer in the snow. So it's good to have some sort of guide.
Of course, we don't feed our kids anything that is questionable. It's only Dad who likes to experiment.
This other link Chuck sent along is less helpful, but definitely amusing: How to tell when your food is spoiled. Example:
For those still bored, here is more worthy reading material:
[UPDATE] - Bob rightly notes in a comment:
Like beer, cheese, and many other foods which have been with us for a long, long time - these traditional foods are made to withstand the storage conditions which were available before refrigeration. In many cases, "good" bacteria are recruited to make the food less inhabitable by pathogens, either by competing for the same sugars or by creating chemicals that inhibit the growth of pathogens (alcohol, in the case of beer). With mayo, it's the acidity factor that appears to cause it to remain relatively safe while unrefrigerated for short periods of time.
My family has made a Lebanese form of yogurt for a long time, and it is often avaialable at the table to be used as a condiment. That stuff sits out warm for marathon sessions and never seems to go bad.
I never really thought I was going to get sick. Just a bit of goofiness. ;-) I have been known to consume really old yogurt that has remained refrigerated.
Of course, we don't feed our kids anything that is questionable. It's only Dad who likes to experiment.
This other link Chuck sent along is less helpful, but definitely amusing: How to tell when your food is spoiled. Example:
DAIRY PRODUCTS -- Milk is spoiled when it starts to look like yogurt.Anyhow...
Yogurt is spoiled when it starts to look like cottage cheese.
Cottage cheese is spoiled when it starts to look like regular cheese.
Regular cheese is nothing but spoiled milk anyway and can't get any more spoiled than it is already.
Cheddar cheese is spoiled when you think it is blue cheese but you realize you've never purchased that kind.
For those still bored, here is more worthy reading material:
[UPDATE] - Bob rightly notes in a comment:
On the yogurt front. Since yogurt is "bad" already (contains bacteria) and is not an environment conducive to bacteria growth (also true of Mayo by the way-contrary to popular belief) it's probably kind of hard to "spoil" to begin with as long as it's sealed so nothing really nasty can get in it should be fine.
Like beer, cheese, and many other foods which have been with us for a long, long time - these traditional foods are made to withstand the storage conditions which were available before refrigeration. In many cases, "good" bacteria are recruited to make the food less inhabitable by pathogens, either by competing for the same sugars or by creating chemicals that inhibit the growth of pathogens (alcohol, in the case of beer). With mayo, it's the acidity factor that appears to cause it to remain relatively safe while unrefrigerated for short periods of time.
My family has made a Lebanese form of yogurt for a long time, and it is often avaialable at the table to be used as a condiment. That stuff sits out warm for marathon sessions and never seems to go bad.
I never really thought I was going to get sick. Just a bit of goofiness. ;-) I have been known to consume really old yogurt that has remained refrigerated.
posted by JP Burke at
5/14/2003 04:40:00 PM
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