"Nunya Bidnits" > wrote in message
...
> In ,
> RegForte > typed:
>> Jay Smith wrote:
>>
>>> I know this is not a BBQ question but I lurk here and there is so
>>> much food knowledge.
>>>
>>> I grilled some Johnsonville sausages the other night. There were 2
>>> that were not eaten. My daughter wanted to save them but just put
>>> them back in the zip-lock bag they came in (which was not washed or
>>> rinsed in any way).
>>>
>>> So my possibly stupid question is since they are pork would I need to
>>> re-heat them to a certain temperature for them to be safe?
>>
>> Pork is not an issue here. Pork is no more susceptible to bacteria
>> than any other type of meat once it's been cooked.
>>
>> Though most official recommendations for cooked meat shelf life is
>> 2-3 days, I think that's too conservative, and one can't help
>> but think lawyers are involved in coming up with such conservative
>> figures. I have no problem keeping cooked meat for up to 5 days in
>> the fridge.
>>
>> Throwing out meat just because it was cooked a few days ago is
>> just a waste of food.
>>
>> I also feel the need to add... if you do have reason to believe food
>> may be spoiled, reheating doesn't necessarily solve the problem. Even
>> if you kill the bacteria, you won't necessarily destroy the endotoxins
>> that some bacteria leave behind unless you cook it the the point
>> that it's no longer recognizable as food. Recooking is not a
>> magic bullet.
>
> Thank you for posting that. I have tried many times to convince people
> that
> they cannot unspoil food by cooking it. You might kill harmful bacteria
> but
> you can't unchange the chemical byproducts of bacterial activity. You
> wouldn't put a toxic chemical in a hamburger and expect cooking would make
> it safe to eat. If it's not alive, you can't kill it.
>
> I know one fellow who thinks deep frying is the thing to do with food that
> is on the edge of spoiling. He firmly believes that 375 degree oil will
> fix
> anything. I love fried food but I avoid it at his house.
>
> OTOH I agree with you about the fact that the rules on keeping raw and
> cooked food are pretty conservative. But those rules have to take into
> account variations in habits, refrigerators, and intelligence, so I
> understand why the rules are written the way they are written. I tend to
> go
> by nose, by color, by feel, and by common sense, as well as age of the
> food.

Interesting. The last food service management class I took (2008) the
instructor stated that if it smells bad, it probally won't hurt you.
Apparently, the real nasties don't have an appearance / odor signature.
That's what makes then really dangerous. I still wouldn't eat/serve
anything with a funky smell. (Unlike my Father, who lived through the
depression. He would eat sh!t that he KNEW would make him sick. In the name
of not wasting it.)

> For example, if meat has been in a cooler with ice which has melted and
> had
> more added several times while out in the summer heat, and the meat has a
> slimy feel or off odor, then even if the package date said it was stlll
> good
> I would toss it.
>
> MartyB in KC
>