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please help resolve my tofu troubles

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:43:59 -0800

Can I eat this expired (but frozen) tofu/tempeh/tofurky? I just moved into a new apartment and my new roommate's old roommate left behind some food in the freezer. At first I was delighted to be inheriting free food, but now that I've checked the best by dates, I'm not so sure. Details:

Tofurky: "enjoy by" 08/23/08
Yves Meatless Deli Ham: "best before" 02/13/08
White Wave Baked Tofu: 09/02/05 (date has no qualifier before it)
Sunergia Soyfoods pesto tofu: 04/22/06 (also no qualifier)
SoyBoy Tempeh: April 26 (says that it can be "sold frozen for 6 months after date" but, the date doesn't have a year after it and considering the other fake meats, I wouldn't bet on it being 2009)

I do not know for how long any of this was frozen, nor can I contact new roommate's old roommate to ask.

So...can I eat any of this? If it were anything else, I'd probably just throw it away, but I do love fancy tofu products (and very rarely buy them myself due to their fancy prices) so this would be a free food grand slam.

Yes, another annoying "Is this safe to eat" question.

anastasiav — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:56:12 -0800

CanIEatThisFilter: Just discovered a couple of pounds of steak that has been sitting in our fridge, in marinade, for about ten days (it was purchased a week ago Saturday). Looks like it never made it on the grill. If I cook it well is it safe to eat?

Can mold grow on food packed in oil?

aws17576 — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 16:35:18 -0800

Can mold grow on food packed in oil? There's some "Can I eat this?" context here, but I've fairly well decided at this point not to eat the food in question (some roasted bell peppers that I attempted to preserve 6 weeks ago in a refrigerated jar of canola oil), since having read elsewhere that oil-packing will not prevent the growth of botulism unless the packed food is properly dried and/or acidulated.

But can the white spots which recently appeared on those peppers really be mold? If so, then one of two principles I had thought to be true must be upset: that mold requires oxygen to grow, and that submerging food in oil creates a seal which is impermeable to oxygen. On the other hand, if these spots aren't mold, what else might they be? (Sorry, I would provide a photo if I had a working digital camera...)

Finally, the next time a peck of peppers tumbles my way, what might I do differently to preserve them safely? Is there any way to do it that isn't tantamount to pickling them (and thus changing their flavor significantly)?

Emergency need to eat

amethysts — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:03:54 -0800

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?

What is this animal?

not_on_display — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 22:57:55 -0800

Help me identify this animal. More details on the link to the flickr page. Thanks!

What are these small yellow fruits?

yoz420 — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 06:12:41 -0800

What are these waxy yellow fruit? I purchased them on a whim, but now they have begun to loom monstrously and weigh upon my consciousness. I thought they would be a tasty sour little fruit, but instead they are waxy and pretty much impossible to stomach. They hang in clusters upon thin yellow vine-like branches.

Please help! What are these fruit!?

Why do rotten onions smell good?

Deathalicious — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 19:34:55 -0800

Why do rotten onions sometimes smell good? Every so often I'll cut open an onion (usually ones I buy at an outdoor market) and the flesh inside will be soft and brown -- clearly rotten. This is usually just the first few inner layers.

But the weird, weird thing is, the rotten part smells very sweet and fragrant. Has anyone else experienced this, and can anyone explain what might be going on, on a biochemistry level, that transforms the smell of onions (which I love, but is nowhere close to being sweet) to something that smells like flowers or candy?

Could what I don't know, kill me?

Framer — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 16:25:56 -0800

Frozen food fiasco filter. My freezer was off for 48 hours. It was not opened during this time. Which items are still safe? Items in question, all store-packaged still: bacon, ground turkey, ground lamb, boneless chicken breasts. Also some home-made lasagne (meat and cheese), frozen after it was cooked. Everything's still cold, but nothing is icy anymore.

I've found information online about some of this, but want to know if anyone here has had personal experience and survived (or made themselves ill). Can I salvage any of my food? How about my pride?