Emergency need to eat

October 31, 2008 11:03 AM

Emergency should-I-Eat-This! Burger King Apple Fries showing discoloration. I know apples are supposed to turn brown, but these are looking yellow-ish, with somewhat transparent/brown-ish bruise-looking spots. Also, the plastic bag was completely inflated when I went to open it. I took a sample taste and it didn't taste too bad. Final note: I'm really hungry but not hungry enough to not care about food poisoning and I tend to be really bad about being able to judge food-rot.

Secondary question: I often get the apple whatevers at Burger King and McDonalds (like the Fruit and Walnut Salad at McD's) Is it meaningful if the packaging is swollen when I get them?

posted by amethysts to food & drink (23 comments total)

IIRC, often the bags will be filled with nitrogen to retard further oxidation (browning) of the apple's flesh. But if you have any doubts, just toss it.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 11:10 AM on October 31, 2008

Don't eat them. If you're suspicious, toss them. Go out and buy more food.
posted by Stynxno at 11:11 AM on October 31, 2008

What Stynxno said. Burger King is open right now, and will you pick me up a large black coffee while you're there, please?
posted by box at 11:21 AM on October 31, 2008

Yeah: if in doubt, throw it out. Buy an apple at the corner store.
posted by trip and a half at 11:22 AM on October 31, 2008

NO
posted by micawber at 11:24 AM on October 31, 2008

You had me at Burger King. No.
posted by odinsdream at 11:36 AM on October 31, 2008 [6 favorites has favorites]

I say eat it. Worst case is that it fermented a little. You won't get botulism from apples.
posted by electroboy at 11:36 AM on October 31, 2008

Toss them and go buy an apple on the corner.
The inflation could be a sign of gases created from spoiling or it could be purposefully inserted gases to keep the fruit fresher.
Either way, apples cost like 50 cents and you should just go get a new one.
posted by rmless at 11:37 AM on October 31, 2008

Oh man I had the worst, worst food poisoning of my life at a Burger King once. I got a Whopper from the drive though on a long drive at night and the next day UGH. Disturbingly, I never even saw the burger. I still sometimes wonder what I might have seen.

Also, the bag should not have been inflated, even if it had some inert gas in it. That's almost always bad news.
posted by GuyZero at 11:41 AM on October 31, 2008

Throw it out.

But if you DO eat it, take pics and make a blog post about it.
posted by Imperfect at 11:43 AM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Call me a maverick, but I vote pro-eating.
posted by rocketpup at 11:49 AM on October 31, 2008

There should be a rule on the AskMe posting page about "should I eat this" posts. The answer, if you really have to take enough pause to poll the internet, is always "NO."
posted by allkindsoftime at 11:50 AM on October 31, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Thanks for your help guys. I reluctantly threw them out (but kept the caramel sauce lol). I've been accused of being overly conservative when throwing away food and I was hoping someone wiser than me would say those spots are totally harmless, just like what happened in this "Should I eat it?" I was looking forward to those apples so much that it's a tiny bit sad.
posted by amethysts at 12:10 PM on October 31, 2008

ShouldIEatThis.com
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 12:14 PM on October 31, 2008 [4 favorites has favorites]

When engaging in games of chance, I prefer not to involve my intestinal tract.

So no.
posted by tommasz at 12:23 PM on October 31, 2008

I'm surprised that nobody asked how old they were. Wouldn't "2 hrs" vs. "2 days" make a difference to all the no folks?
posted by onlyconnect at 12:39 PM on October 31, 2008

Emergency should-I-Eat-This!

You keep using that word. I do not think it means &c.
posted by dersins at 12:59 PM on October 31, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Where did you toss them? *I* will come over, dig them out and eat them you wuss.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 1:21 PM on October 31, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means &c."
That's inconceivable.

"Where did you toss them? *I* will come over, dig them out and eat them you wuss."
:( You should have spoken up earlier.
If I can't have them no one can.

"I'm surprised that nobody asked how old they were. Wouldn't "2 hrs" vs. "2 days" make a difference to all the no folks?"
How old they are is up for debate. They were about 2 seconds out of the bag before I realized they weren't right.
posted by amethysts at 1:43 PM on October 31, 2008

It's perfectly safe. Eat it.
posted by BobbyVan at 2:09 PM on October 31, 2008

[Weird snarky quasi-ling derail removed. If your point is "ha ha Burger King isn't food lol", take it elsewhere. If it's something else, please be more explicit so we know you aren't just being a jerk.]
posted by cortex at 8:12 PM on October 31, 2008

How to alleviate guilt over throwing food away: produce -> compost -> garden -> produce!

The really bad food-poisoning bugs prefer high moisture (check), low acidity (nope), and plenty of protein (not especially). Apples are stored at room temperature all the time, which also tells you they're not much of a hazard. They will go unappetizing before they go dangerous.

But, as mentioned, a real apple will cost you less than a buck (and provide a more stimulating eating experience).
posted by eritain at 8:52 PM on October 31, 2008

I would've eaten it. Apples turn brown very quickly after being sliced. As a side note, these AskMe threads about throwing away food show me how it's possible that Americans waste 50 million tons of edible food every year and that the British throw away 1 billion pounds of unexpired food each year.
posted by msbrauer at 8:04 PM on November 1, 2008