Bad or Misunderstood?

Saucyman – I made this pomegranate reduction…Months later I found the leftovers in the back of my fridge. Though it looked ok, I just couldn't believe that it would still be tasty. So I cried inside and threw it away! Do you think that I could have frozen this thick syrupy goodness for use at another time? - Festering

Sorry for your loss, Fester. Yes, your reduction could have been put in the freezer, with fun results: the concentrated natural sugar along with the reduced water content, would create a very thick, slow moving, not completely frozen confection. Even out of the freezer, odds are your reduction was probably fine in the refrigerator - Syrup has a long shelf life, 6 to 8 months at room temperature and can make it up to a year in the fridge.

In our litigious society finding a source who recommends long storage times for food is nearly impossible. Finding counsel who encourages you to go ahead, eat that suspect food item, see what happens - well that advice don’t exist. Saucyman is going to play lawyer-ball too and strongly advise you to err on the side of caution and toss stuff away if there is even a question of safety, spoilage or concern. So, put the warm mayonnaise down and go ahead and throw out the ranch dressing in the fridge door, the one you have packed and changed apartments with twice.

Bacteria are the culprits in spoilage, these organisms aren’t that different from you and me - they are looking for food and water, and are more active when their environment is warm but not too hot. There are friendly bacteria –the theory behind probiotics - Cheese and yogurt remind us that some bacteria are, if not good, then at least their powers can be harnessed for good things.


Most bacteria are going to degrade food to the point where you wouldn’t want to eat it but eating it won't make you sick. These bacteria warn us off by changing the look, smell and texture of your food – visible mold, soft spots, off smells – again we strongly recommend avoiding these foods and want to point out throwing things in the freezer at this point doesn’t save food – freezing slows down the decomposition process, it does not stop it, nor does the freeze/thaw cycle revive foods – if the food is bad, toss it out.

It is the pathogenic bacteria, the frightening strains of E.coli, Campylobacter and Salmonella, can do serious damage to health and mortality. These organisms do not come from spoiled food, but from contaminated food infected by the not so pleasantly named the fecal-oral route. They are odorless and tasteless and once ingested, they colonize in the new host, wrecking havoc upon the lower gastrointestinal track - best left undetailed on these pages.

Homemade pomegranate glaze stands little chance of harboring any of the nasty organisms, it is possible that improper storage can contaminate your food. Store food in a clean, sanitized container (by boiling, dipping in a bleach solution or running through a properly functioning dishwasher), make sure to cool the food rapidly from hot to under 40º and avoid cross contamination - contact with other possibly infected foods. No on is going to rub raw chicken over lettuce but accidental exposure to pathogens is possible - always be careful to wash surfaces, clean knives and store raw meat on the bottom shelf of the fridge, on a clean plate, lest they drip onto food that remains uncooked.

If you will excuse me there is nothing like reading about food borne contaminations for an hour that makes a person get all Howard Hughes about stuff: I need to wash my hands raw and dip the dogs in a sanitizing solution.