Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[Leicester_H]

Hi all,

 

I HATE waste of any sort - especially food.

 

I use common sense on best by dates and even, sometimes, use by dates (especially eg. Sainsbury's Deli counter cheese which they claim must be used by the day after purchase!!!).

 

Touch wood, I have never been ill through my food use.

 

Just been reading this web page

http://www.dietoflife.com/attention-never-reheat-these-11-foods-they-can-poison-your-family/

 

Seems to present a strong case but a bit OTT to me - what do others think ?

 

H

[mullethunter]

Tbh I ignore pretty much all best before and use by dates and use smell, feel an (in my opinion) common sense. The only thing I've ever given myself food poisoning from was a pot noodle! I always knew they were bad for you!

[Geoid]

Just been reading this web page

http://www.dietoflife.com/attention-never-reheat-these-11-foods-they-can-poison-your-family/

 

Seems to present a strong case but a bit OTT to me - what do others think ?

 

The web page quotes no sources at all (except for rice and the FSA). I highly doubt the information it contains is true. If food is not left standing at room temperature and is piping hot once reheated, then it is fine to eat in my opinion.

[Olly]

The key is in the 'if it's stored properly' - if you leave anything standing around warm and then don't reheat it fully, you run the risk of food poisoning. I am sceptical about mushrooms, turnips etc. However I do agree about rice - it is very risky to reheat cooked rice, and if you do a food hygiene course it's one of the the things they cover. Here's a quote from the Food Standards Agency

"Uncooked rice can contain spores of bacteria that can cause food poisoning. When the rice is cooked, the spores can survive. Then, if the rice is left standing at room temperature, the spores will multiply and may produce poisons that cause vomiting or diarrhoea. Reheating the rice won't get rid of these poisons."

[patsylabrador]

Based on food safety experts or indeed any experts findings it is a modern day miracle that my family has survived at all.

I've always seemed to do everything wrong from bottle feeding onwards but somehow we've got through it.

[The Dogmother]

I think that a light touch and a good dollop of common sense are necessary; as PL has said, we've all survived thus far.

[merlina]

Utter rubbish

One of my favourite foods is curry with oodles of mushrooms. I make a huge batch and reheat it many times, sometimes throwing in new ingredients, sometimes not. I always make a couple of days' worth of rice too.

In fact I fairly regularly reheat all those except spinach (which I hate) and the lettuce thing cos I have no idea what that is

(spinach appears in almost every ready meal these days it seems, so manufacturers seem to think it's safe!)

As everyone else is saying, it's common sense. Rice can harbour bugs. If you just 'warm it through' on day 2, you're asking for trouble. Ditto everything else.

 

The rubbish about mushrooms giving heart problems?! wow - as an avid reader of all kinds of health/nutrition stuff. that's an entirely new one on me - where's the science (or at least the name of these allegedly deadly compounds). That would make tinned mushroom soup and many other things lethal.

[Saronne]

Yes, I read that article, too, and thought it was nonsense. I have 'broken' all the rules - as have my parents- who both grew old with few health problems. I think it's been put out by some greedy supermarket who is trying to generate sales.

 

With regards to rice; my family has always reheated rice (thoroughly, of course) some of it 3 days old. We have never suffered ill effects.

[chickencam]

The rice thing has always worried me because it isn't bacteria it is a toxin which can't be destroyed by heat. Having said that we have been known to reheat home cooked and takeaway rice with no ill effects, just common sense I suppose.

 

I am worried for this campaign though because if anyone gets food poisoning and the press get hold of it we will end it back at square one. I am a great believer in following my own judgement in terms of food safety but you do have to store and cook it correctly too.

[Leicester_H]

The rice thing has always worried me because it isn't bacteria it is a toxin which can't be destroyed by heat. .

If this is correct, how is it ever safe to eat rice if the toxin can't be destroyed by heat?

 

Isn't a toxin simply the term used for a poisonous substance produced within living cells or organisms ?

 

Having said that we have been known to reheat home cooked and takeaway rice with no ill effects, just common sense I suppose.

[fingers crossed] same here [/fingers crossed]

 

I am a great believer in following my own judgement in terms of food safety but you do have to store and cook it correctly too.

Same here. There are some rules I follow though eg. boil uncooked red beans for 10 mins (to kill toxins) before rest of cooking.

I find it difficult to judge which are 'real' rules and which aren't (like I suspect, the ones in the article I linked to above)

[chickencam]

As far as I understand it there are spores in the rice initially and they are activated during the cooking process. They then can germinate in the cooling rice and release a toxin that then can not be removed by further heating. It seems that if the rice is cooled rapidly it is fine to eat but if reheated more of these spores germinate and the released toxins can then reach a level which can cause food poisoning.

[chickencam]

I have just read a trading standards food safety article for the catering industry and that stated that if you want to cook rice to use in a hot or cold dish later cool it immediately after cooking under cold running water until cold then pack straight into containers and seal. If reheating do so until piping hot in either a frying pan or boiling water. If using in a cold dish keep refrigerated until just before serving.

 

So again common sense food safety.