Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with foodpoisoning

What to do?

janelikes — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 08:06:45 -0800

to dinner party or not to dinner party? My partner and i have been planning for MONTHS to have our parents meet. We also invited our siblings and their partners and grandma. There are 11 of us all together. I have been menu planning and getting ready forever and we are super excited. Especially because my family is a bit noncommital and weird so it is kind of a big deal that they are making the 2 hour drive out here.

So wonderful boyfriend brought me a burger yesterday from Red Robin and it was the only thing I ate all day after spending the previous night up all night working on PhD applications. About 4 hours after I ate it became clear that I had food poisoning. I had already only had 2 hours sleep and spent all of last night in the bathroom- I'm a bit of a basketcase but finally feel better.

Should we cancel the party? First of all I don't want to gross people out that I'm cooking for them after being sick but I feel confident that it was not the stomach flu and was in fact food poisoning. I do however, want to be honest with them because I'm probably not looking all that great and... I don't know. I'm probably not going to eat much.(Side question- do I not tell them?)

It has been such a big deal to get everyone on board for this dinner and we're pumped and also concerned of how long it may take to reschedule the gig. My partner has been awesome and not only helped me out all night but said that it is up to me whether or not we cancel.

If we go ahead with the dinner I am making the big stuff and I delegated out side dishes and other food to others so I am not planning on cooking everything. Also if it matters I still had symptoms as early as 9 this morning. I think I'm on 5 hours of sleep over the course of 2 days.

Have the food poisoning gods smiled on me?

castlebravo — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:35:34 -0800

ShouldIEatIt Filter: We both ate the same thing. He threw up, I'm fine. Is it OK to eat the leftovers? Last night my boyfriend and I had pulled beef sandwiches. The beef was cooked for 10 hours in a slow cooker, and was used before the "Use Or Freeze By" date on the package. It smelled fine when raw, no gray spots or anything.

I had one sandwich, my boyfriend ate two and a half (a normal amount for him). No snacks before bed. He woke up around 3 AM and puked intermittently for about two hours. He's feeling better now, if a bit weak. I'm totally fine and haven't been nauseous.

It's possible it was something he ate for lunch, but it seems weird that the effects would be so delayed, yet brief. I always thought the "slow-acting food poisoning" that takes 12+ hours to set in, is the kind that really floors you for days. He was very hungry when he got home and didn't feel sick at all.

It was a LOT of beef, about 3 pounds, and we have a ton of leftovers. Of course he can't stand to even look at it, but is it safe for me to eat, or was I just lucky?

Spicy Science Experiment

vilthuril — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:12:50 -0800

CanIEatItFilter: How long will this spicy stir fry sauce keep? I have a stir fry type sauce made from sugar syrup, fish sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, and hot pepper flakes. It has been sitting in a cup in my fridge for a couple of weeks. Can I still eat it? How long does something like this last? Assume that it will be brought to a boil when cooked and has no obvious mold/sludginess.

How long till an unrefrigerated deli sandwich should not be eaten?

zorro astor — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 19:07:09 -0800

I bought a sandwich from a deli 14 hours ago (ham salami cheese and mayo) and left it out unrefrigerated. Can I still eat it and not get sick?

How do I make a formal complaint without being an ass?

sunshinesky — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 21:05:26 -0800

Food poisoning: How do I deal with the merchant? I ordered some thai/viet food for delivery tonight, from a restaurant I've never been to (I just moved to this city).

As soon as I opened my fresh rice wraps (w/ peanut sauce) I was struck by the 'off' small. I ate a wrap anyway, with the sauce, and quickly lost my previously roaring appetite. It didn't taste bad, but my stomach just stopped wanting more.

I picked at the other food items I got, and within an hour of eating, I ran to the bathroom for a small... explosion. It was nothing horrendous, or painful, but it was quite obvious that I had expelled my dinner, given the.. erm... 'contents'.

Now, I gave that peanut sauce another whiff, and damn, I really think it was the culprit.

Is this the sort of thing I should approach the restaurant about? I'm not really sure what I want done, but I was pretty upset with wasting 30$ in food ordered in for only myself. Naturally, as confident as I am that the peanut sauce is to blame, I am not too keen on 'testing' the other foods, given that I'm not sure. I ended up ordering a pizza to fill the void (yay, another 20$!).

If I do talk to the manager/whatever what do I say? How do I avoid coming off as one of those customers that is always looking to get something for free? I too work in food service, so naturally I would like to approach this tactfully and politely, while still expressing my dissatisfaction properly.

MeFi, help!

What makes raw eggs dangerous?

lord_yo — Thu, 15 May 2008 10:20:15 -0800

What is the relationship between the age of a consumed raw egg and the risk of food poisoning, and what factors influence it - in general, but also specifically to salmonella? While I understand that the longer you wait to consume a raw egg, the higher the risk of food poisoning, I have trouble understanding some details about it - specifically:

- Are the dangerous organisms typically inside the egg, or is it contamination from other sources that introduce them?

- What is more important - the quality of the egg, or the waiting time before consumation?

- Is the risk of getting salmonella via raw eggs a stochastic one (i.e. there either are salmonella in the egg, and then you will surely get it, or there isn't, and you will not get it), or is it a risk that's getting bigger over time (i.e. if there are salmonella in the egg, the chances of you getting food poisoning depends on the time you wait before eating it).

Tiiigggeeeerrrrrrrr.

The Monkey — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 03:22:18 -0800

I feel like I might have food poisoning, but haven't started throwing up yet. Can I do anything to ameliorate the awfulness that might be on the horizon? I managed to give myself food poisoning a year or so ago, I'm starting to feel the same shaky, clammy feeling I got then... And it was completely awful. (But over very quickly).

This time it's from store bought fried chicken, last time it was from a bacon sandwich. And maybe I'm wrong... But it feels familiar.

Is there anything in an average pantry that could help? Quickly?

If no, what aside from drinking plenty of fluids will help me feel better most quickly? (Last time I was weak and felt quite delicate, but got over it pretty quickly.)

Shelf life of scrambled eggs

rolypolyman — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 17:37:09 -0800

How long will scrambled eggs keep? About 2 days ago I pre-prepared an omelette with ham and some veggies, and put it in the fridge. How long will this keep before I start risking food poisoning? Also bear in mind that it came out very slightly runny, so I wouldn't call this 100% cooked.

My Google-fu only shows shelf life of eggs in the shell, and other ask.mefi questions only discuss shelf life of hardboiled eggs.

Food poisoning prophylactic

calhound — Thu, 31 May 2007 10:39:37 -0800

I think I had some rotten meat in an egg roll at a Chinese restaurant. What can I do? This was 20 minutes ago. How can I keep from this degenerating into food poisoning? I already made myself vomit just to be sure. I considered putting myself on some antibiotics (I have a store of them), though I know this won't help much if it's the toxins. I'd consider charcoal but I don't happen to have anything like that.

Anyone with some experience?

Safe to eat leftovers left out for a while?

criticman — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 08:52:07 -0800

XMAS DINNER: Is it safe to eat these leftovers? I had dinner with my parents yesterday, around 5PM. After dinner, my mom packed several containers of food for me and put it in the fridge. I left for home around 7:30PM. I got home around 8PM and set the food on the counter, went about bringing in luggage, put a load of laundry on, etc. Long story short, at 10:30PM I saw that I had left out the food (it was no longer cool to touch, room temp - house was 68 degrees F). I immediately put it in the fridge.

So, is it still safe to eat? Everything was sealed (each item separately) very well. The items are as follows:
-turkey (1/2 breast, one big chunk)
-mashed potatoes
-dressing/stuffing (made and cooked outside of the bird)
-gravy
-cooked, sliced carrots

Now, I know almost everyone will have an opinion on this, but I am looking for facts...evidence to support your opinions. I will reheat every item before eating (if deemed safe to eat) and if a reference suggests a particular heating method, temp, time, I will follow.

Please let me know, so I can either enjoy the leftovers without food poisoning...or sadly, throw them out.

Paranoia!!!!!

angelmouse3003 — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 10:51:57 -0800

help me with my paranoia! as its making me terribly unhappy. ok i know you'll all think im paraoid but i already know that.. anyway. my boyfriend had what he thinks was food poisoning starting in the early hours of yesterday morning. quick onset of diarhea and vomiting with stomach pains, and was feeling well again by late evening. i have a severed phobia about being sick and have found myself pancking over the prospect that it may have been a stomach bug and i will catch it.. which do u think is more likely and would i be likely to have come down with a stomach bug by now if it were in fact one?

Can food poisoning cause laryngitis?

litlnemo — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 18:25:03 -0800

Is it a coincidence that I have gotten laryngitis along with a mild case of food poisoning? I went to a an outdoor event with a potluck dinner on Saturday. The event started before noon, and the dinner was at 5pm. So everyone who brought food had to keep it cold, if necessary, for several hours. (I brought smoked salmon, which I kept unopened in the package in a cooler. The cooler did seem cool enough when I got the salmon out later in the day.)

The food was tasty. About 8 or 9 hours later the symptoms of intestinal distress began to kick in, with some lightheadedness. (No vomiting, at least... I hate vomiting!) I spent the next day feeling verrrrry uncomfortable, if you know what I mean. Seems pretty likely that someone might not have been following all the rules of food safety. But I started to feel better in the evening and today the worst is over, though I still feel under the weather, understandably. Probably no need to bother a doctor over it, unless it takes a U-turn for the worse.

But. While the first food poisoning symptoms were kicking in, I noticed that I was a bit hoarse. By yesterday evening my voice was almost gone. Today... well, it's gone. My throat isn't particularly sore... unless I try to talk, but that's obviously not a good idea. My understanding is that this is just laryngitis, and I should treat it at home unless it lasts more than a few days. That's fine, I guess.

But what I am wondering is if this is likely to be coincidental, or if there is any reason why I would have developed this simultaneously with the food poisoning? Is this something that indicates I should actually see a doctor more urgently than otherwise? Because with either acute laryngitis or mild food poisoning I wouldn't normally see a doctor unless it lasted a while or caused severe pain, etc. (Obviously if it is an infection rather than food poisoning I guess there could be throat issues. But I've never had anything like this -- if I had an upper respiratory infection, I feel like I'd know it because as an asthmatic, I'm pretty darn familiar with those. This feels different. Not the usual sore throat that you get with the respiratory infection.)

I do not typically get laryngitis (I can't remember the last time I had it), but I have had strep throat within the last year (much different -- more painful and felt more like flu), and I frequently have some hoarseness (but much milder -- just a bit of a roughness in the voice, nothing at all like the feeling of this laryngitis) as a side effect of the Advair I am taking.

Could this actually be an allergic reaction of some sort, perhaps? I don't have any outright "food allergies" that I have had confirmed, but I do seem to have some issues with lavender, rosemary, and roses as possible asthma triggers; this particular potluck was one at which it's possible some of those ingredients might have been around, but I don't know for sure.

Any thoughts?

(Disclaimer: I know you're not my doctors and if either the food poisoning or the laryngitis changes for the worse I will see a real local doctor ASAP.)

Wow. That was fast.

contessa — Fri, 12 May 2006 13:32:19 -0800

My curiosity has gotten the better of me. Somewhat gross bodily function question inside. How is it possible that after eating something that isn't...quite right...its' rush toward the back-door exit is almost immediate?

Last night I went out to eat at an otherwise reputable chain-ish sit down restaurant. I had a chicken dish. The food was alright - tasted propery cooked, anyhow - and I didn't feel sick while eating it, but within minutes of getting into my car to head home I definitely felt it was not going to turn out well, and soon. Mad, rumbling stomach cramps. Up until that point I had been feeling 100% perfectly fine and healthy all day. Luckily it was a short drive.

What's been boggling me since then is:

(1) If the food made me sick, oughtn't I to have puked it up? It should have still been in my stomach, not in my intestines, right?

(2) How is it possible for the food to have gotten from Point A to Point B so quickly? My knowledge of human digestion is admittedly limited, but it seemed like this happened fast. The time elapsed from when the last bite was consumed to when my meal...reappeared...was, at most, about 30 minutes.

I must know, am I some kind of freak of human digestion?

Honey, this clam dip is to die for!

tula — Sat, 25 Mar 2006 12:55:58 -0800

Were the food laws in the old testament rational for the time or somewhat superstitious? I've always assumed that, in general, biblical food laws were written to keep ancient jews from killing themselves, just like the sex laws were written to keep them having lots of healthy babies. Sure pork could carry trichinosis, but was lobster really more dangerous to the old testament Jews than trout? Does cud chewing make animals less likely to carry disease? I'm not asking for clarification of Jewish law, I want to know which laws were medically sound for the time and which may have been based on a bad wedding banquet or a mistrust of bunnies.

Help me get over food poisoning

kensanway — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 15:44:14 -0800

Help me get over food poisoning. I had the worst food poisoning ever on a red-eye flight from NY and ended up throwing up about ten times at 2-6 in the morning, depending on how you're counting. (In case it helps, I had a glass of red wine about an hour before my flight, then some chamomile tea and two melatonin pills to go to sleep; earlier that evening I had a bunch of Chinese food, which my family shared--I haven't checked to see if they're sick.) Anyways, I took the day off yesterday and this morning I felt better. I'm at work right now but I feel pretty awful--weak, nauseous, vaguely headachey. I haven't been eating very much and have been drinking gatorade, but I don't like having to feel non-functional and useless. Is there anything I can do to speed this up?

Where can I learn more about the dangers of harmful bacteria in poultry?

rorycberger — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 16:13:14 -0800

Where can I learn more about the dangers of harmful bacteria in all kinds of poultry? In preparation for this, I've been trying to learn all that I can about the food safety risks involved in cooking a wide variety of poultry. Unfortunately, everything I've found thus far has been very chicken-centric and really only told me a few things:
1. Don't cross contaminate
2. Cook to an internal temperature of X degrees (varies by source)
3. Avoid the "danger zone" of Y - Z degrees (also varies by source)

The main thing I'm looking for is much more detailed info about Salmonella: e.g. At what temperatures (precise range) does it thrive? What exactly does it mean for it to "thrive"? How long (really) can it stay in "the danger zone" and still be safe? Why does "the danger zone" even matter if I cook it to a safe temperature? If my meat is contaminated, how likely are people to get sick? What symptoms will they experience? Anything (other than thorough cooking) that kills it or slows it down?

Beyond that I am curious about a number of other factors, such as:
-Bird choice: Which birds are most likely to be contaminated? Which are least likely? Are there certain birds that are especially dangerous? Is an organic bird safer? A wild bird? Are different birds safe at different temperatures?
-Beyond Salmonella: What else should I be worried about (esp. in the game birds), and what are the properties of these other bacteria?
-Other precautions: Anything else I can do to minimize the risks? Does brining help/hurt? Rinsing? Drying? Wrapping tightly in plastic wrap? Leaving unwrapped in the fridge? Bringing to room temp before cooking? Sticking it in the freezer for a little while before cooking?

While I would certainly appreciate answers to my specific questions here, I'm mostly looking for suggestions of primary sources (books, reputable websites, etc.) to do further research. Thanks in advance for any help!

Delicious Meal or Bacteria Party?

catfood — Mon, 26 Sep 2005 13:14:15 -0800

Will I get sick from eating this? In an attempt to eat healthier, I broke out the crock pot last night and filled it with raw vegetables and raw chicken, in preparation for a day of slow cooking all day today. However, today I learned that you're very much not supposed to store raw veg & raw chicken together in the fridge overnight, and now I know better than to do it again.

But I've had chicken and vegetables cooking in Cream of Chicken soup all day, and after 10 hours of cooking it should all be at a safe temperature. My apartment smells heavenly and we're hungry. Are we asking for a world of hurt if we eat this?

I'm annoyed at myself because I never plan ahead. The one time I do, I do it all wrong. Grr!

tips for recovery from food poisoning

Stynxno — Wed, 10 Nov 2004 08:50:50 -0800

What are some tricks and tips to get over food poisoning ? (disgusting details inside) It looks like the pizza I ate last night gave me food poisoning. I feel awful, have no energy, my stomach is 3 times its normal size and i'm either on the toilet or lying in bed feeling like i need to throw up.

what can i do gain back some energy, feel better, and get over this as quicky as possible? I work from home so anything that can get me the energy to do some PHP coding from home would be great.

Should I Eat This: Velveeta and colby cheeses

namespan — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 00:14:33 -0800

Food Poisoning Group Barometer: Do I eat the cheese? [more inside] Case #1: velveeta. I cracked it open at work, brought it home, left it in a sack for three days unrefrigerated.
Case #2: colby. My Dad brought it over, and put it away with the crackers, instead of the fridge. Never opened. Estimated unrefrigerated time: 12-16 hours.

Likely outcomes if I consume it? Potential dire consequences?

And while we're at it, is Velveeta dairy or petroleum based?

Expired Chicken?

Peter H — Fri, 20 Aug 2004 19:27:02 -0800

POULTRY FILTER: I bought a pound and a half of chicken last weekend. The sell-by date on the package was August 18. I usually cook all the chicken I buy before the sell-by date, but screwed up and haven't cooked one of the pieces. It's now two days past that date. Do I freeze this piece or throw it away? How do you know if chicken has gone bad? If its any help in this diagnosis: It looks and smells fine ... thank you, ask metafilter, as always, for your time and wisdom on these pressing concerns of mine! I for one would hate to throw away perfectly good chicken.