Post Punk Kitchen Forum

I would totally eat it.
tofu in the freezer? if it hasn't defrosted? why not.

Yes. Things don't really "go bad" in the freezer as long as the temp is maintained - they may be freezer burned or lose quality, but they won't make you sick.

Sure. l eat things dug up from the archaeological layers of our freezer all the time (at least I try to, because I want to empty it and I hate wasting food). Just make sure to heat it well if you're worried.

AFR Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad that had sat out in the sun for 5 hours.

I wanted to eat it, but my husband had thrown it out. A huge waste of delicious veggies. How do I explain to him that vegan food doesn't go bad like omni food does or is he right?

I would have eaten that! Sorry, Tofulish.

There's nothing magical about vegan food. It grows bacteria too, it just doesn't have the same undercooking/contamination concerns as meat and eggs. Otherwise it's pretty much subject to the same rules, 2 hrs without refrigeration max. Warm in the sun would be even more dangerous.

I bought a spaghetti squash in the fall and it's been sitting in my fruit bowl through the fall, winter, and now it's almost summer. I had planned to use it but didn't realize my boyfriend hates squash and so I got lazy about preparing it as a meal for one. I was going to just open it and see one day soon but I saw the creepy spaghetti squash in the gross food porn thread and now the thought sort of frightens me. Should it still be good? I mean, they ARE supposed to keep through the winter, right?

It will be fine. The worst that can happen is that it will be a bit shrivelled and fibrous. Roast that sucker, and enjoy.

You can easily tell if it's not good anymore just by looking at it. If it really had some damage on the outside you would already see that without opening - otherwise it should be alright.

I would imagine its probably pretty dried out by now. You can't always tell on the outside, but you should be able to kinda judge by how heavy it seems. If there are any discolored spots,
particularly dark or greenish ones, I would just toss it.

I was in a minor car accident and my Daiya wedge was thrown to the back of my trunk. It was sitting in there for about 2.5 hours. It's about 70F outside. Okay to eat?

That'll be fine, unless it's gone sweaty and smells rank.

Daiya has a questionable shelf life for me. If you decide to eat it, I would keep it in the freezer, not the fridge, as I would expect it to get moldy faster than usual.

I think it'll be fine. When Daiya goes off you know it. If I didn't hate Daiya I'd totally eat it, but soon.

I'll make a few sandwiches or something this weekend then!

This. I'd rather waste a bit of food than spend two miserable days sick.

Yes--Daiya is obvious. I've had to throw out a few bags before the expiry. They were refrigerated, but it got slimy, and the smell was truly horrific. I since keep it in the freezer and haven't had an issue.

Eating food that has to potential to make you ill doesn't help people who are without food. Adding a few items (even if you can only afford a couple cans or bags of cheap beans) to the food pantry donation cart each time you go grocery shopping is a better idea.

Mori-nu that expired on the 17th (5 days ago). I have like 5. Should I get busy with the cheesecake makin or just toss it?

This is the shelf stable aseptic pack, right? That is a "best used by" date so it should definitely still be safe, and probably still tastes fine as well.

I've eaten mori-nu months after the best-before date! It was fine. They're designed to last for ages.

Tofu is one of those things like soy milk, you and your neighbors will know when it's bad.

He's right. In the sun for 5 hours == delicious bacterial nightmare stew.

Good news everone! I took some homemade baked seitan sausages on a trip last Friday and never got around to refrigerating the uneaten ones in between, and they were still good on Sunday afternoon. So basically, you won't kill yourself if you take some tinfoil-wrapped sausages on a weekend-long trip.

I'm glad you didn't get sick, but I'm not sure why you would want to recommend this to others. 48 hours at room temp is definitely way beyond any food safety standards. You just got lucky.

Well, you can keep bread at that temperature for 48 hours right, and baked seitan is not really that different from bread, so...? I've done the same with chickpea cutlets, without running into trouble. I guess it does depend on what climate you are in.

Why is it, do you think, that people here in Thailand (including expats I know, not just Thais) can regularly eat food that breaks all of these rules and not seem to suffer too dire of consequences? For example, tuna with mayo, or even ham or other meat sandwiches, often with egg bits, sit out all day at stalls and in shops and are never refrigerated, to my knowledge. Sometimes in the hot sun, sometimes in an un-air conditioned place... Coming from the US, all I can think is SALMONELLA BOMB! - DO NOT TOUCH in flashing red lights... but friends just think I am nuts and go on buying and eating them. Is it possible that we are too concerned with food safety in the US? I am not asking to be controversial, I sincerely wonder how it is that everyone here seems to get along fine health-wise while blatantly breaking all the rules.