What's going on with my Soy-Boy tempeh?

November 13, 2023 12:16 PM

I rarely buy tempeh because I don't really like it! But I thought I'd try to use in a recipe. The package I bought a few weeks ago says it's good until 12/17. Just now I took it out of the fridge, and the package is inflated with air, whereas before it was sort of shrink-wrapped and the plastic adhered to the tempeh. What's going on?
posted by swheatie to Food & Drink (6 answers total)

It might have continued to ferment a bit and produced a bit of carbon dioxide (I think that's the gas created by fermentation?). My tofu packs (esp. the tube kind) get a bit puffed up over time, even well before the expiration date. I happily eat them and they taste normal. My kimchi pouches/jars are very dramatic in their continued fermentation. I have had a few mini explosions.
posted by spamandkimchi at 12:37 PM on November 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

I eat a lot of tempeh and this has never happened to me. If you bought grocery store tempeh, I'd suggest tossing it because it's usually pasteurized and should not still be fermenting. If it's a smaller vendor, you could contact them to see if this is normal for their product.

(Fyi, tofu is not a fermented product and should never show signs of spoilage.)
posted by toastedcheese at 1:01 PM on November 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

This happens with the cut kabocha that I get from Costco if I wait a while to eat it, and I've been fine every time. That's not to say that it's safe. I'm just a rebel who likes to live by his own rules, taking big risks for the big wins. /s

I'd be curious to learn how stupidly risky (or not) that is.
posted by tovarisch at 1:30 PM on November 13, 2023

Response by poster: I did some googling, and some food experts suggest tossing it. I secretly want permission to toss it. I think this is my cue to admit once and for all that I don't like tempeh!
posted by swheatie at 1:54 PM on November 13, 2023 [10 favorites]

Yes, definitely toss it. The swelling of the shrink-wrapped package suggests some kind of nasty bacterial contamination is going on in it.
posted by essexjan at 2:25 PM on November 13, 2023

If you still have the packaging and even if you don’t have the receipt, take it back to the grocery store. Most stores will refund you bc unopened (I know you *just* opened it but it was bad before then) food that went bad before use by is a bad look on them irrespective of how it happened
posted by toodleydoodley at 3:49 PM on November 13, 2023