Keeping Times

[alexia]

How long do different foods keep? For example, I saw a TV chef give a recipe for blue cheese dressing in which he specifically said he was using home made mayo and that the dressing would keep about 3 weeks - with homemade mayo?!! How long can you keep homemade mayo? I thought it had a safe refrig life of 3-4 days.

I realize that there is a difference between optimal time for flavor vs dangerous. In general I try to use food at its freshest, but my question here is when things become dangerous to use. Is there some reliable source for this information? A web site?

[cape chef]

Alexia,

I agree with you and can stand by that statment because of my cerifications in applied food service sanitations and HACCP.
weeks for a fresh mayo based anything is asking for big trouble.

These two sites should answer many of your questions.

Remember. You can't always believe what you see on TV (although i'm suprised that that statement got aired)


http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fs-toc.html

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/consedu.htm

[kokopuffs]

I've kept and eaten the same batch of homemade Aioli (with lots of garlique) for around two weeks. It was well refrigerated.

[cape chef]

Koko,

Raw garlic is also a breeder for bactiria, Botchulism (sp)

I don't want to tell you how long to keep your food, but I will say your taking a risk i'm not willing to take, nor would I serve something that old to my customers.

[kokopuffs]

Thanks for the tip, CC. Next time I'll make a much smaller batch to be consumed within a a few days. I know that liability is a concern here, but do you think that four days is okay for aioli? Man, and they call garlic Russian Penicillin.

[alexia]

Thanks cc - those are great resources and I've bookmarked them.

I'll have to spend some time with them: I noticed with some surprise that uncooked eggs will keep any times longer in the fridge than hard cooked. There's always more you can learn!

[cape chef]

Koko,

3/4 days no more. Maybe i'm anil about this stuff but i've read and seen enough to encourage excellent food handling pratices.

Alexia,

I'm happy you found the sites useful.

let us know anything else you find of interest that may shed some light on these types of issues.

[phatch]

Not to discount what CC has wisely said, just some things to consider.

Perhaps he was using a pastuerized or dried egg product to prevent the raw egg issues in the mayo?

As to the aiolli, a botulism comment. Botulism is an anaerobe. It doesn't like oxygen and doesn't produse the toxin in the presence of oxygen. Now garlic oil can grow botulism because the oil precludes air getting in, but with the aiolli, the air whipped into the mix could delay botulism. Of course, the oil in the mayo could already shelter the microbe and it's all bad from there....

Too much to really know. Err on the side of safety.

Phil

[kokopuffs]

CC and Phatch:

Thanks to y'all. In any situation, especially one involving clients, I wouldn't even consider debating aeorbic vs anaerobic bacteria. In times like these, one must err on the side of caution. My experience and education simply cannot rule out over caution.

[marmalady]

Does the same apply to roasted garlic? IE, making a whole batch of roasted garlic to have on hand, rather than just doing it 'a la minute'! Does roasting get rid of whatever it is that makes the botulism beastie grow in raw garlic?

[chefboy2160]

marm , no it does not reduce the chances . The bacteria when in trouble create spores which lay dormant until the time is right for them to come alive again and start reproduction . One of the classic cases of botulism in a local restaurant was a four inch third pan filled with grilled onions and of course pan and grill oil which they were grilled with which was kept on the edge of the grill to just keep it warm . Well the cook did not use that many that day so he just plastic wrapped the pan and left it on the cold grill overnite. when he came in the next day he felt he had more than enough onions but what he had was a pan full of botulism . 3 people almost lost there lives on that one so please remember to err on the side of caution . Your friend in food , Doug.......

[kokopuffs]

Something parallel to the previous post. NEVER NEVER NEVER stuff a bird with stuffing then refrigerate overnight. After placing in the fridge the cavity's internal temperature remains elevated long enough so that the bird's internal environment allows for bacterial proliferation. Too many horror stories have been told about this one.

Stuffing any bird requires that it be cooked immediately after stuffing.