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Food Safety Issues/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Question on food safety | 2/4/2012 | Carl LaFrate |
| Q: I have two questions: 1. I know you have to worry about dents in canned goods but what about ... A: Great questions Jessyca. You don't need to worry about dents in the water gallon or formula ... | ||
| Smoked turkey legs | 2/3/2012 | Carol Schlitt |
| Q: How long can I leave smoked turkey legs out of the refrigrator? A: Since smoked turkey legs are considered a potentially hazardous food -- a food that can easily ... | ||
| dark aluminion foil | 1/28/2012 | Carol Schlitt |
| Q: Can I use aluminum foil spotting dark and opaque? I bought several rolls of foil years ago, like 4 ... A: Aluminum foil can turn grey if it has been subject to moist heat. It's odd that it would occur in a ... | ||
| Okay to eat? | 1/27/2012 | Carol Schlitt |
| Q: Last night I cooked up a bunch of bite sized meatballs with ground beef (@350 for 20 mins) to cook ... A: And you should be apprehensive. Here's why... While any live bacteria that may be present would be ... | ||
| english | 1/26/2012 | Carol Schlitt |
| Q: how may time to sterilize the jar of jam? how many sugar content of mango,pineapple,guava and ... A: Jars when making jams and jellies should be sterilized for 10 minutes. Anytime a food is processed ... | ||
| Chicken | 1/25/2012 | Carol Schlitt |
| Q: I have always been taught that chicken soup, pot pie, or any with chicken should never be closed ... A: Sorry to say but your husband is right... The theory that placing a lid on chicken could cause ... | ||
| Bacteria that grows on cooked meat in a vacum sealed bag | 1/24/2012 | Johane |
| Q: what is the names of different types of bacteria that can grow on cooked meat inside a vacuum sealed ... A: There are a variety of bacteria that can grow on cooked meat inside a vacuum sealed bag. Since we ... | ||
| chicken noodle soup left on porch overnight | 1/23/2012 | Carol Schlitt |
| Q: My hussband left a container of chicken noodle soup on porch overnight the temp got to 48 and there ... A: Unfortunately, the recommendation for potentially hazardous foods (foods that require temperature ... | ||
| selling babyfood/any guidelines | 1/22/2012 | Carol Schlitt |
| Q: I was looking into selling homemade baby food but i wasn't sure if there were any laws or rules that ... A: Manufacturing baby food is a complicated and tedious process that can not be done from your own ... | ||
| freezer food | 1/21/2012 | Carol Schlitt |
| Q: My chest freezer was accidentally unplugged last Sunday. The following Friday (yesterday) it was ... A: The only way to know for sure if the meat was safe to refreeze was to check it when you realized it ... | ||
| Reselling ready to eat foods. | 1/20/2012 | Carol Schlitt |
| Q: I was wondering where i can find literature on why i cannot resell pizza slices at my convenient ... A: I can not find anything "written down" in either the IDPH food code or any Cook County rules which ... | ||
| Bad Bologna | 1/16/2012 | Carl LaFrate |
| Q: So my niece made her self a sandwich using the balogna in my frdge. A few hours later she had ... A: It is not a microorganism associated with food poisoning. It is likely a spoilage organism possibly ... | ||
| Food Safety | 1/16/2012 | Carol Schlitt |
| Q: I made a large pot of seafood gumbo containing crabmeat, crawfish tails and shrimp. I allowed the ... A: Food that has bubbled and making noise is never a good sign. Bubbling is an indicator of the ... | ||
| Measurements Pertaining to Foods | 1/15/2012 | Carol Schlitt |
| Q: I purchased a jar of Kimchi yesterday and the label states one ounce equals one serving. Would that ... A: I just guessed that 2 tablespoons would be a 1 ounce serving based upon a jar of Kimchi that I saw ... | ||
| Cooked Chicken | 1/8/2012 | Carol Schlitt |
| Q: I cooked chicken, boiled with herbs, peppers, onion, lemon slices, salt to a high degree. left on ... A: The recommendation for cooked poultry leftovers is to use them within 7 days of initial preparation. ... | ||
| black pudding storage | 1/4/2012 | Carol Schlitt |
| Q: where in a catering kitchen fridge should you keep COOKED black Pudding? A: Since black pudding is a "meat" product that is cooked and considered ready-to-eat - RTE (could be ... | ||
| Mold in my canned pears | 12/31/2011 | Carl LaFrate |
| Q: I ate some pears and afterwards discovered a large mold growth at bottom of can. I have reported ... A: The leak in the can could have been very small and it may have happened during packaging but this is ... | ||
| Mold in my canned pears | 12/31/2011 | Carl LaFrate |
| Q: I ate some pears and afterwards discovered a large mold growth at bottom of can. I have reported ... A: Because it's a vegetative mold not associated with food poisoning. Sorry but it doesn't point to ... | ||
| food safety issue | 12/30/2011 | Carol Schlitt |
| Q: does a waiter or waitress need to wear a hair restraint(in a pony tail for instance) if their hair ... A: Waiters and waitresses are not required to wear a hair restraint like those individuals who work ... | ||
| Refreeze cooked ham? | 12/27/2011 | Carol Schlitt |
| Q: I have a fully cooked spiral ham that was frozen and thawed overnight in the sink. (I know this not ... A: If you ate the ham and nothing has happened to you, then that is a good indication that even though ... | ||
| Refreeze cooked ham? | 12/27/2011 | Carol Schlitt |
| Q: I have a fully cooked spiral ham that was frozen and thawed overnight in the sink. (I know this not ... A: Your's is a good question which, unfortunately, does not have a definitive answer. When a ... | ||
| Freezing a cheesecake | 12/26/2011 | Johane |
| Q: I cut my frozen cake in half. What type of wrap do I use for the refreezing? Debbie A: You should not refreeze a thawed frozen cheesecake. It will affect the final quality of the cake, as ... | ||
| trail bolagna | 12/25/2011 | Carol Schlitt |
| Q: I received some trail bologna and baby swiss cheese from a relative in Ohio. It was not shipped in a ... A: Unfortunately, trail bologna needs to be shipped cold and refrigerated when received. While it is a ... | ||
| spoiled sausage | 12/25/2011 | Johane |
| Q: after a roll of jimmy dean sausage swelled up like a balloon, it still looked pink and smelled fine ... A: I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. I haven't been online over the last few days. To ... | ||
| raw shrimp | 12/23/2011 | Carl LaFrate |
| Q: I accidently added "raw" frozen shrimp (deveined without shells) to a cheeseball receipe without ... A: Sorry but I wouldn't eat uncooked shrimp because of the risk of microorganisms that could cause food ... | ||
| sauce in the freezer | 12/22/2011 | Carol Schlitt |
| Q: how long is sauce with meat in it good in the freezer A: As long as the sauce is continuously frozen it is safe in the freezer for a long, long time. ... | ||
| cheese | 12/21/2011 | Carl LaFrate |
| Q: I bought some cheese for christmas gifts, it was refridgerated when I bought it, can I wrap it up ... A: Not if it says "keep refrigerated" on the label. It depends on the type of cheese. If it doesn't say ... | ||
| thawed salmon | 12/21/2011 | Carol Schlitt |
| Q: I took a large salmon fillet out of the freezer and put it in the refrigerator to thaw and forgot. ... A: The general rule of thumb for seafood including salmon is that it should be cooked within 1-2 days ... | ||
| reheating food left out overnight | 12/21/2011 | Carol Schlitt |
| Q: We live in Hawaii. Often in our rush to get our daughter to bed we accidentally leave food in a pot ... A: There isn't a "chart" to show which foods can safely be left at room temperature and reheated ... | ||
| Pickle Jar Lid Didn't "Pop" | 12/20/2011 | Carol Schlitt |
| Q: I saw another post about an olive jar lid not popping when opened. I have a Best Maid jar of ... A: Normally, commercially processed pickles give more of a "swish" sound as opposed to a "pop" when ... | ||
| Preg and ? | 12/13/2011 | Carl LaFrate |
| Q: Newly pregnant here and have a question on food safety - I love COLD country ham biscuits - i.e. I ... A: Listeria contamination has occurred in deli meat but the outbreaks are very rare. Listeria is known ... | ||
| quiche refreezing | 12/12/2011 | Carl LaFrate |
| Q: I am thinking about making quiche ahead of time and freezing it so I can quickly grab and use. My ... A: You don't need to cook them first and them freeze them. You could cook the ready to cook mixture ... | ||
| syrup that expired 2 years ago. | 12/11/2011 | Johane |
| Q: Today I had pancakes with syrup and when i was done i had a really bad taste in my mouth. so i ... A: Please note: 1. I am not a doctor or qualified health care provider. My recommendations are made ... | ||
| syrup that expired 2 years ago. | 12/11/2011 | Carl LaFrate |
| Q: Today I had pancakes with syrup and when i was done i had a really bad taste in my mouth. so i ... A: No you will be fine. Maple syrup is not potentially hazardous food. It doesn't get contaminated with ... | ||
| Can I eat my ham? | 12/7/2011 | Carol Schlitt |
| Q: I brought home a ham and set it down on the table and completely forgot to put it in the fridge. It ... A: The general recommendation for all foods that require either refrigeration or heat to keep them safe ... | ||
| Kielbasa | 12/6/2011 | Carl LaFrate |
| Q: Bought a package of vacuum sealed hillshire farms kielbasa that was left in a grocery bag and it ... A: I answered this yesterday but for some reason my answer didn't post. The Kielbasa, unfortunetly ... | ||
| country ham storage | 12/6/2011 | Carl LaFrate |
| Q: I bought a country ham. Had it sliced and put slices into vacum sealed bags using a food saver. ... A: Country ham does not require refrigeration but once it is sliced my family does refrigerate it as ... | ||
| food safety | 12/6/2011 | Carol Schlitt |
| Q: I ate a bite of pita bread but noticed a moment later when I was about to bite into bread again a ... A: Consuming a small amount of mold usually brings no side affects, though some people may experience ... | ||
| Food storage for baby rice porridge | 11/30/2011 | Carol Schlitt |
| Q: I have baby twins now 7 months old. I started them on rice porridge and after cooking their rice ... A: First congratulations on your twins. Since cooked rice is considered a food that can support the ... | ||
| food left out overnight | 11/30/2011 | Johane |
| Q: Today I found a package of marble cheese(Cracker Barrel) and a package of (Natural Selections)all ... A: The cheese is likely ok, place it in the fridge immediately and use it promptly - maybe in a ... | ||
Food Safety Issues
Answers by Expert:
Carol Schlitt
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer questions on home food safety, sanitation, home food preservation and commercial food safety (HACCP).
Experience
I am a former Extension educator, nutrition, wellness and food safety, having retired August 1, 2010. I am a certified HACCP manager, a food safety instructor for the Illinois Department of Public Health and a 3rd party food safety and OSHA auditor of restaurants.
Organizations
International Association for Food Protection, American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (Certified CFCS), National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, St. Louis Culinary Society.
Education/Credentials
BS - University of Illinois
MS - Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
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