Should he have eaten it?

January 19, 2013 1:12 AM

My husband ate a small jar of opened caviar that has been in the fridge an undetermined amount of time (longer than several months). Internet seems to indicate caviar should be eaten with 2-4 days of opening the jar (vacuum sealed, not from a refrigerated section) but doesn't indicate if this is for flavor alone or safety. Expecting food poisoning? Should we be heading to the ER tonight? Clinic tomorrow? Wait and see?

For what it's worth, I told him to ask metafilter before he ate it. He insisted because it was preserved (pickled?) that it would be fine.

posted by HMSSM to food & drink (15 answers total)

My husband would like to add: "Hey I didn't eat no whole jar! I ate literally like a quarter teaspoon. Just to get texture and flavor"
posted by HMSSM at 1:19 AM on January 19

A quarter of a teaspoon? I'd wait and see. It's very possible absolutely nothing will happen.
posted by DarlingBri at 1:24 AM on January 19 [1 favorite]

You can take Pepto Bismol prophylactically in such cases.
posted by professor plum with a rope at 1:54 AM on January 19

Caviar is salted... but the amount varies based on the type and the producer.

If it has been in the refrigerator the entire time, I probably would just wait and see.
posted by nolnacs at 1:58 AM on January 19

After the deed? I always just wait and see. If you get some kind of yuck from it, you'll know in a couple of days...it's not like it's going to lurk in your system waiting to kill you silently a year from now.
posted by anaelith at 2:38 AM on January 19

Caviar tends to be fairly heavily salted. He should be fine.

If he does get sick, certainly head to a clinic. But it's not as if there's much to be done at this point.
posted by valkyryn at 3:15 AM on January 19

You do realize that if he doesn't get sick, he's probably going to go back and eat the whole jar. IME with salted and pickled foods, he'll be fine.
posted by checkitnice at 5:17 AM on January 19 [2 favorites]

As a reality check point, a canned/jarred meat or fish product that had gone dangerously bad would probably smell and taste like a dumpster. Perhaps not 100% certainty on this, but still - as has been said, the salt would most likely have preserved it. Before refrigeration, salt (in higher levels) kept meat from spoiling for quite some time.
posted by randomkeystrike at 5:34 AM on January 19

He'll be fine. Otherwise, he'll throw up and he'll be fine.
posted by uncannyslacks at 7:19 AM on January 19 [9 favorites]

You're considering going to the ER and telling them that you have no symptoms, but you're worried something MIGHT happen at some point?

No.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 7:28 AM on January 19 [8 favorites]

I should add, even the clinic is going to be pretty baffled if you try to make an appointment about "possible future food poisoning".
posted by treehorn+bunny at 7:30 AM on January 19 [2 favorites]

I was worried this would be like a "OMG get his stomach pumped right now" type deal. Thanks for the reasurrance!
posted by HMSSM at 9:06 AM on January 19

My basic rule for the ER in the winter is to ask myself if whatever happens/is happening will be worse than the flu I will pickup at the ER.
posted by srboisvert at 9:48 AM on January 19 [7 favorites]

Wait and see. if he develop vomiting, abdominal pain, and/or diarrhea, he must drink some hot beverages and go to Clinic tomorrow.
posted by Ahmed_Nabil at 10:12 AM on January 19

While you wait for potential tummy troubles to erupt please toss that jar.

Probably fine. If not, probably some GI evacuations in one direction or the other.
posted by 26.2 at 3:59 PM on January 19