You are here:
- Home
- Shopping
- Consumer Advocacy/Information
- Food Safety Issues
Food Safety Issues/Questions Answered by Expert Lynn Schottke
| Subject | Date Asked |
| thawing meat | 9/11/2007 |
| Q: My GF, purposely, left 2.5 lbs of frozen ground meat on the counter over night ( 8.5 hrs. ) and said ... A: Jerry, Never thaw meat on the counter. You may use refrigerator, cold running water,or microwave if ... | |
| Tomato Fly | 9/6/2007 |
| Q: In the supermarket, flies are always on the tomatoes. This must be full of germs and bacteria. Even ... A: Flies are gross!!!!!!! I would not use anti-bacterial soap though. Warm water and plain white ... | |
| refigerated Pork Butt | 8/31/2007 |
| Q: Lynn, I purchased a Pork Butt from the store on sunday, the exp date was Tuesday. It is now Friday ... A: Angela, The good news is the dates on the packages are usually sell by dates. You have 7 days to use ... | |
| Microbes | 8/25/2007 |
| Q: I've heard that raw foods are better because of enzymes. Obviously salmonella, trichinosis, E. ... A: Ben, While it is true most foods have microorganisms occuring naturally, it does not make them all ... | |
| Home canning | 8/11/2007 |
| Q: I actually have two questions. 1) Do you HAVE to use special salt in canning? I forgot and used ... A: Charla, I am not an expert in canning butI can myself from time to time. You should use canning ... | |
| Canning Salsa | 8/11/2007 |
| Q: I am starting my own salsa business and I would like to know to the correct way to can my product, i ... A: yes, but, also check with your local health department and make sure they don't have any regulations ... | |
| Canning Salsa | 8/8/2007 |
| Q: I am starting my own salsa business and I would like to know to the correct way to can my product, i ... A: Melissa, I love fresh salsa. There is no way to "can" it without cooking it. Can't you sell it fresh ... | |
| safety of thawed meat | 7/31/2007 |
| Q: My kids accidently left our freezer which unfortunately is located in our grage cracked open last ... A: Those kids! mine have done the same. If the meat felt warm, definately throw it out. Any time a food ... | |
| Spaghetti sauce out at night | 7/31/2007 |
| Q: I made a homemade spaghetti sauce with meat in it in my slow cooker the other day. At around 10 pm ... A: Jason, proper cooling technique is as follows: You have 4 hours to get from your cooked temp down ... | |
| cooking ready meals | 7/26/2007 |
| Q: i mistakenly cooked my chicken ready meal for 7 minutes instead of 12 will i get food poisoning A: The reason 12 minutes is reccommended is to ensure proper temp of 180 is reached. In actuality the ... | |
| Pork baby back ribs past use by date | 7/19/2007 |
| Q: We just discovered in our refrigerator a forgotten package of raw pork baby back ribs. The meat is ... A: You are ok...The suppliers put the date on to "cya" . It's good you put in the freezer another day ... | |
| Defrosted Mince | 7/16/2007 |
| Q: I took some frozen mince out of my freezer late thursday 12th night and defrosted it in the fridge ... A: My mother is scottish so I am going to assume mince is what we call ground beef. Your answer is yes, ... | |
| bad fish? | 7/9/2007 |
| Q: I baked some fish the other day and as I was eating it I noticed something strange. I saw what ... A: Sounds like your fish had a parasite....GROSS!!!!! Emeril is my hero :) He is correct, fish should ... | |
| bad fish? | 7/7/2007 |
| Q: I baked some fish the other day and as I was eating it I noticed something strange. I saw what ... A: Are you sure it was a worm and not a bone? Sometimes, when you bake fish, some of the fat will leach ... | |
| hummus left on counter | 7/2/2007 |
| Q: I recently left store bought hummus out over night. I put it in the fridge when I woke up, but I'm ... A: I'm sorry but pitch it. You actually could get botulism because of the moisture content. Food should ... | |
| Packaged turkey and cheese left unrefrigerated | 6/24/2007 |
| Q: I bought big packages of Jarlsberg cheese and Foster Farms sliced turkey breast at Costco 3 days ... A: Jan, Throw it away please. The temperature danger zone 41-135 degrees. In this time zone you only ... | |
| Opening a snack shop | 6/22/2007 |
| Q: I would like to open a snack shop out of our home. Our home is located in a small town of 200 people ... A: Your first step is to call your county health inspector and have them come and inspect the property ... | |
| fake crab meat | 6/20/2007 |
| Q: I bought some fake crab salad and it smells good looks good and tastes great but I think it is like ... A: Oh Sarah, I beg you throw it away, I'm sure you've done enough throwing up (being pregnant). I hope ... | |
| chicken and hamberger | 6/13/2007 |
| Q: I left chicken breasts and hamburger out in the trunk on a hot evening for 4 hours, then I put them ... A: Julie, I'm going to say no, especially the chicken. If you really feel they were cool to the touch ... | |
| ingesting mold | 6/12/2007 |
| Q: i found mold in my daughter's sippy cup. can she get sick? do we need to watch for any symptoms? A: Mold can sometimes cause illness. Mold is considered a toxin which will cause intestinal illness ... | |
| Cooking & Storing Brats | 6/11/2007 |
| Q: I purchased some brats,they were frozen and I came home and put them in the freezer. I thawed them ... A: The brats... are they raw? If so cook to an internal temp of 165 degrees, then cool to 70 degrees ... | |
| frozen meat w/ dry ice | 6/10/2007 |
| Q: We are going to Norfolk Virginia and wanted to bring some meat that we could not find there, like ... A: I am going to yes but.... Try to deep freeze first and then wrap in news paper (several layers) to ... | |
| lava rocks | 6/10/2007 |
| Q: Just bought a new propane bbq-small basic model. Are lava rocks necessary? A: The grill will work with out rocks but.... The rocks are there to help catch drippings so they do ... | |
| Garlic oils | 6/9/2007 |
| Q: When bottling an oil infused with garlic, what is the safe shelf life. I have heard that garlic ... A: Garlic and oil who would have thought? It can be dangerous.The garlic and oil need to reach a temp ... | |
| Frozen Steak | 6/4/2007 |
| Q: Last week I took a steak out of the freezer to deforst it in the fridge and I still haven't cooked ... A: By last week, you mean how many days?, If you are with in 7, you should be ok. But, there are so ... | |
| refridgerated meat | 5/29/2007 |
| Q: bought fresh chicken burgers sausages for bar-b-q on friday and put in fridge did not use half of ... A: If the chicken,burgers, and sausages were raw, go ahead and freeze, You are within time frame. If ... | |
| leftover fish stock | 5/28/2007 |
| Q: I made a seafood boil and the fish stock from the pot was left out. May I boil it to make it safe ... A: It depends...How long was it left out? If more than 4 hours no way. If less than 4 hours did you ... | |
| Freezing Gilled Steak | 5/20/2007 |
| Q: Greetings: I made two marinated grilled flank steaks. There were some leftovers. I am wondering ... A: Yes, you can freeze the steak. Wrap it up very well. If you have a deep freeze you can keep it for ... | |
| Cheesecake | 5/17/2007 |
| Q: I am having an outdoor wedding with cheesecake wedding cakes. How long can they stay ... A: Kathleen, If you ice them, you will have the best results. They will last to about four hours. After ... | |
| cheeses to avoid during pregnancy and if following a candida-cleanse diet | 5/12/2007 |
| Q: I recently heard not to eat semisoft cheeses while pregnant. I also heard you can eat unaged ... A: Cheese, Love it! Unfortunatley there is no cheese that is unaged and semi soft. Aging is part of the ... | |
Food Safety Issues
Answers by Expert:
Lynn Schottke
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer most questions about food safety and sanitation. I can answer some questions reguarding nutrition. I can help you out with recipes and proper cooking methods. I can even help out with event planning.
Experience
I am a professional managing cook with over 4 years of experience. I currently cook for the elderly. Food safety is most important as they are a very highly succeptable population.
Publications
Our company news letter.
Education/Credentials
I am a certified Person In Charge and certified by the State of Ohio Board of Health in food safety and sanitation (Serv-Safe)
Past/Present Clients
I have 56 residents with Alzheimers.
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.