I bought fresh wild salmon today and when I got it home there was a tiny, live worm clinging to the plastic wrap inside. I overcooked it to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. So that should be enough. My friend said not to eat it as worms are a sign it's bad. It wasn't firm, it was a bit squishy like frozen fish even though it was fresh. The best before date is three days from now and it smelled fine (although I got the raw fish on my lip).  I've read this question but wondering if worms are a sign of fish being bad and if it's bad to eat even if fish is cooked properly and worms are no longer alive.    Edit: My question is 1) seeing worms in fish is it a sign of fish being bad or is it normal? It seems that people say not to eat it when they spot worms but if they are not noticed and frozen (sushi grade) or cooked properly we eat it. 2) Is it just a disgust factor or a real health concern (worms that are dead)? As I'm pretty sure most of us who eat fish end up eating the odd unseen dead worm in fish.
121579
I have recently noticed a rather large amount of small worms in the fresh cod I am buying. I have tried to take them out as much as I can and of course have spoken to my fish supplier about them, but he assures me they are harmless. However, I don't believe my customers would be as assured. Is it okay to serve this fish, taking into account I might miss a worm or two?
30803
I'm thinking of cooking some steak and storing it for later use in a cold salad. If I cook it to medium rare and cut it into strips and store it in the firdge, will it be safe to eat later? I know any bacteria mostly grows on the surface of the meat so that should be killed when cooked, but is there a higher danger of contamination on the now exposed, less cooked surface area?   If I put it in a clean container I'm guessing the pink parts are just as prone to further contamination as the outer surface.   If kept in this condition, how long should I expect this meat to stay good for in the fridge?  What would be different if we were talking about a partially eaten steak stored for later consumption?
55565
My wife cut a head of red cabbage in half and found this yellow and white organic mass inside it. We never saw anything like it before. Can anyone tell me what it is? Would it have been safe to eat? Could we have just cut off this portion of it and used the rest? We ended up playing it safe and throwing the whole head away.
71083
I have found warm water to be a great way to quickly defrost meat and fish as opposed to just letting it sit outside the freezer, which is what my mom does.  But I wonder if there are any negative side effects to the method, as in, for example, compromised taste or compromised food safety.  I do understand that the water shouldn't be too hot as to avoid actually cooking the frozen food.
62427
I've come across this particular recommendation many times in  and cookbooks and probably even given it out myself once or twice.  Poultry is sufficiently cooked when the juices run clear, not red or pink.  In recent months and years, as I've grown more interested in and knowledgeable about the science of cooking, I've learned to be skeptical of such simplistic claims.  This one is repeated everywhere - even the  says it - but I've also run across various .  What I'd like to know is this:  What does it actually mean - chemically or biologically speaking - when poultry juices run clear?  Is it actually a reliable indicator that the food is safe to eat?  P.S. I am quite well aware that the way one is supposed to test for doneness is to use a thermometer and ensure that the internal temperature has reached 165° F / 74° C.  I always do this, but thermometers can break, run out of battery, etc., so I think it is still helpful to know if the juice test is ever a viable alternative.  But most importantly I am interested in understanding what is happening to the meat that causes the juices to change colour, and under what other conditions this can happen.
119092
Or will this make them mushy or otherwise degrade them?  I have recently gotten into making fresh pasta, and I want to prep a lasagne the night before. I have done this before with store-bough dried noodles, but I'm not sure if doing this will have a negative effect on fresh, more delicate pasta.
122357
OK, so I'm trying to complete the following analogy:     John ate the worms.   is to     The worms were eaten.   as     John tried to eat the worms.   is to     The worms were tried to be eaten.   or     The worms were eaten attemptively.   ... ? I feel like such an inarticulate fool sometimes.  Edit: I'm not asking which of the two possibilities is better, but how I might complete the analogy, preferably with "the worms" as the subject. This is so that I can write something like     The worms were stolen, taken to John's house, and [tried to be eaten].   Sorry if my question wasn't clear.
28173
It's becoming more frequent that my 18 month old daughter has started refusing the dinner we give her without trying it. Our best guess at why, is because it contains green things.   We always check the food and it is damn tasty, and she does like it if she tries it, but obviously explaining this to an 18 month old is difficult.  We know she is hungry, because in the past we have given her a replacement of something like toast and she'll gobble that down.  What is the best way to handle this? We don't want her to think that she can always swap her healthy dinner for toast, so the method we have currently been using is, if after 15 minutes she is still not eating, we'll get her down and say something like "You haven't eaten your dinner, you must not be hungry". If, later she decides she does want the food, we'll put here back on her chair and let her eat.  Is this a good way to handle it? Would there be a better method? We don't want her to grow up having "food issues"
110573
I've recently started using a slow cooker and I was thinking about recipes that could be cooked for days.  My main concern is if there are any side effects for leaving food cooking for days that would make this plan unfeasible (dangerous to try).  Since it is at cooking temperature, there wouldn't be any reason to worry about bacteria growing on the food.  Liquid would be lost over time, which could result in burning if left unchecked, but if I add more every morning/night as needed, that too wouldn't be a problem.  All I can see is that most recipes wouldn't end up tasting as well, but undesirable isn't equal to dangerous.  There just seems to be something absurd with the notion of leaving food cooking for 5 days or even 2 weeks without there being any dangers, but I'm having a hard time figuring out what they would be.
112161
I started marinating some almost-thawed chicken and skirt steak in the refrigerator on Monday.  It's Saturday, and I still haven't gotten around to cooking the meat.  Is the meat still safe to cook and eat?  I made several different marinades consisting of lime juice, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and pepper.  I'm not sure if that makes a difference.
19437
If cooking meat kills bacteria, and bacteria are responsible for problems with eating meat which has been left out, then why is it dangerous to eat meat which has been left out at room temperature and then thoroughly cooked?   mentions that "Even if the bacteria is dead, toxins can remain if the food was out too long, causing problems".  However, there's no further detail given.  Are these toxins as dangerous as the bacteria themselves?  How long does meat have to be left out to accumulate a dangerous level of toxins and thus be dangerous even if thoroughly cooked?  Are these toxins the reason for the usual guideline of keeping meat unrefrigerated for a maximum of 2 hours?  update  The revelation, courtesy of Aaronut, that e. coli is actually dangerous because of its toxins — which cannot be denatured at temperatures which will leave meat in an edible state — has pretty much answered this question.  And also given me further incentive to stop eating meat altogether :)  Our discussion (see the comments on hobodave's answer) has progressed into the realm of microbiology.  Some highlights from my ongoing research:  .  These seem to be the reason for the importance of keeping meat at a high temperature for a period of time.  .  This also provides fascinating insight into how bacteria evolved immunity to antibiotics.  Fungi.
22230
I don't remember what actually happends when people eat infected flesh. I have in mind :  Gareth and the cannibals eating bitten Bob's leg in . It seems that the cannibals survive for a while after eating Bob's flesh and they seem OK.  The Saviors eating pigs that ate walkers in . We don't know for how long this process has been on, but  has his routine and looks used to doing that. Can we assume that Saviors are eating infected pig flesh for a while now ?  Does it have negative effect in long term ?
117685
I'm the kind of chef who chops up whatever the local bazaar has that week, adds a random amount of seasonings until the color suits my fancy and then cooks it. Somehow. Most days I don't go hungry.  The other day, fresh garlic was really cheap so I bought a bunch. The housewares shop had some little jugs with corks, so I picked one up. Back at home I chopped up a few heads of garlic, stuffed it the jug, then filled the jug with olive oil. Bread for the next two days had had a great dipping sauce! However dipping bread in oil uses up a lot of oil and not very much garlic, so on the second evening when it was about half empty I topped off the jug with fresh oil. I corked it, wiped off the drips from around the top with a paper towel and left it on the table.  This is what I found in the morning. (click for larger)    I am certain when I corked it the level of oil was below the bottom of the cork because I tipped it to see how the garlic was getting an and remember the air moving around in the jug. I am also certain the top was clean having wiped it off, and of course there was no puddle. Even stranger, as I have left it there today it has continued to drip.  The only clew seems to be garlic mixture seems to be producing periodic bubbles that float up through the oil. This does not explain to me how the oil got out, but it does seem like it must be producing   I see three fields for questioning:   Casual kitchen tinkerer: How should I safely store my garlic and olive oil? Is there danger to storing this in something that seals better than a plastic cork? Is it safe to eat? Amateur chemist: Is there a chemical reaction going on between the garlic and the oil? Would it ever explode? Wannabe physicist: How did the oil get out? This seems like a gravity defying stunt. Note the current oil level is about ½" below the cork.   Somebody please tell me why my day's adventure at the bazaar made this much mess and how to make yummy things with garlic and olive oil safely!
52901
talks about feta cheese in a brine or milk bath lasting up to three months.  What about crumbled feta?  I was looking through the fridge, and found a 1/2 pound open container of crumbled feta.  I have only used about an ounce of it.  There is no sign of mold on it, and it smells like feta cheese.  A small sample tasted okay.  The amazing thing is that I bought it in October or November: 8-10 months ago!  I have a recipe that calls for almost a 1/2 pound of feta, and I will be the only one eating it (so I'm not trying to impress anybody!).  I dislike wasting food, but I dislike being sick even more!  Is it safe to use dry crumbled feta that is so old?
56217
Whenever my cheese gets too old and has a bit of blue/white mold on the side, I'm not sure whether I should throw it completely out or not. Is it safe to eat if I cut off the edge? Should I cut a bit off of all the sides just to be safe?  I'm particularly interested in the answer for cheddar cheese, but answers about other cheese are welcome.
7850
I wonder if it is bad to cook frozen meat (chicken, fish, beef,...) without waiting for it to thaw?  Sometimes, I realize I forget to take meat out of my freezer beforehand, when I am too hungry already.
3432
I am making this  for pulled pork, planning to do 24 hours at 75 deg C. After coming home from work, I discovered I did not suck the air out properly and there is a big bubble in the bag, causing it to float to the top and for the top of the meat to be not submerged properly. I have now put a bowl on top of it to weigh it down for the next 12 hours. Will it still be safe to eat? Will it taste good?