Would you eat this?

December 10, 2018 11:24 AM

Finally, my very own "would you eat this" question. I'm sick and just had some groceries delivered. My box of Kraft mac and cheese had a rip in the side on the seam--doesn't look deliberate and nothing is falling out. I'm just getting over a stomach virus and probably am more gunshy than normal. Would you eat this?
posted by Automocar to Food & Drink (8 answers total)

So if i am reading your question correctly you have a box of pasta which you will boil for several minutes which may have been exposed to the ambient environment in transit or the store, plus the sealed seasoning packet the not-perfectly closed box contains?

Id eat this (but also i understand why you're being extra sensitive, and ultimately its your stomach and your call)
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 11:27 AM on December 10, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Given that the dry pasta contents are going to be immersed in boiling water for ~8 minutes, I would absolutely eat this and I wouldn't spend even a second worried about it. According to the CDC, boiling water for for 1 minute is considered sufficient to destroy "all pathogens", so you should be fine.
posted by EKStickland at 11:28 AM on December 10, 2018 [5 favorites]

Yeah no worries. You are boiling the macaroni and the sauce is in a sealed bag.
posted by DarlingBri at 11:28 AM on December 10, 2018

Best answer: I am literally the only person in today's other Eat Me who said don't eat it. But even I would eat this.
posted by HotToddy at 12:11 PM on December 10, 2018 [12 favorites]

Dried foods that lack moisture are not hospitable to the kinds of bugs that we worry about ingesting. We keep them in boxes for easy transport and to keep out like mice and weevils and such, but they are inherently preserved.
posted by muddgirl at 12:44 PM on December 10, 2018 [1 favorite]

The cardboard box wasn’t ever airtight. I’d eat it in a heartbeat.
posted by Weeping_angel at 1:30 PM on December 10, 2018 [4 favorites]

And, not to be all squicky or anything, but even if the box was filled with mice and weevils, it would be safe to eat after boiling for eight minutes. But I guess I might dump the box into a bowl before I cooked it, just in case.

Hope you feel better soon.
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 7:31 PM on December 10, 2018 [1 favorite]

Yeah I'm the food safety person, this should totally be fine because it is dry. Bacteria need moisture.
posted by freethefeet at 11:13 PM on December 10, 2018