Regina3000

I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to get ideas on cooling a boneless pork shoulder quickly. I put one in a crock pot, the other day, and when it was finished, I wanted to chill it before removing the fat and whatever else. I find it easier to do that when the meat is cold. I left the crock out on the cold stove for an hour or two to cool down, but needed it to get much colder before sticking it in the fridge. I was at a loss. I finally ended up lining an Igloo cooler with blue ice blocks and putting the crock in there, with blue ice blocks on the lid, too. It cooled down to room-ish temperature within another hour, and the blue ice was still frozen. I did not measure the internal temperature of the roast. Perhaps I should have. In any case, it's going to be reheated before we eat on it, so I'm not too worried. I probably should have transferred the whole thing to a non-ceramic dish, which would have helped, but other than that, I have no good ideas.

Ok, it's been well over 48 hours (I think), and I'm still feeling as well as I normally do. Regina

Still good, here.

I will. Thanks!

This was cool, and I really liked the way she separated the yolks.

Good to know! I'd also like to know whether you ate it. And how long past the sell-by date was it?

Oh, I understand that, and know that botulism, for instance, doesn't smell or taste "off." But the cheesemaker article indicating that puffed packages can be caused by bacteria starter adjuncts fermenting citric acid made me think (hope) that this was the case, and not botulism. So I took a chance. So far, so good.

Well, this is a 2-pound chunk, which cost considerably more than the Wal-Mart size, but besides that, there are several other things that make me want to know how good it is. One, I was (and remain) unable to go get more, at this point, for various reasons (which are personal to me, but nonetheless insurmountable, for the moment). Two, I am actually curious as to whether the cheese is still good because in the future I might choose to buy more, when circumstances allow, and CHOOSE to keep it for an extended period of time, still wrapped, before opening it. My income is not regular (I work for myself), and I like to buy things when I am able and stock up for leaner times. Three, I waste enough food, as it is (most of us do, I think), but this seemed a good candidate for using what I have, rather than just throwing it out without investigating. I would definitely not drink soured milk or eat anything that had gone moldy, or even consider eating from a can of food that had started to bulge. However, hard cheese appeared to me to be perhaps the safest thing to last a long, long time without being unsafe. I do understand that I don't know what made this package puff up, but based on some research I did, it seemed reasonable enough to me to take a chance. We will see whether that chance was a bad one to take in a few days. I believe many food poisoning microbes take anywhere from 12-48 hours to do their dirty work.

Thanks for that. When I made the grilled cheese sandwich, I also ate a bit that flaked off when I sliced a bit off the hunk. It definitely tasted good. I'm encouraged.

Unfortunately, no. The superpower I'd like to develop, if the puffy-package cheese gods are listening, is the ability to accomplish two things at once, in different locations.

Very cool story. Thanks!

Like I said above, no one here would touch it with a ten-foot pole if I brought it home from the store this morning. The other half of this household likes mild cheese. The milder, the better. So no worries, there. Other than that, I'm still ok!

I've had salmonella poisoning before. While camping. With pit toilets a good long walk away. Talk about not fun. However, after reading the sites I posted above, I took a chance and made a grilled cheese sandwich with a small slice of this and a piece of Havarti. It tasted fine. Lots of tartrate crystals on the surface and inside the cheese, and the cheese is very crumbly. No one else, here, likes sharp cheese, so no one else would touch it with a ten-foot pole even if it wasn't suspect. I will report back on Monday (if I remember) if I'm still not sick. Thanks, everyone! Regina

I mean the packaging (plastic) was not sticking to the sides of the cheese, but was puffed out away from it, as if full of air (or other gas). It's been under constant refrigeration at close to 32 F for the whole time it's been in my possession. It was in the back of the cheese drawer, behind some other cheese that was a bit newer (which was fine), and I had just forgotten I had it. After I posted my question, I found this: "Puffy packages can be the result of gas produced by bacteria added as a starter adjunct, including Leuconostoc sp. and Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis (havarti, gouda). These bacteria are able to ferment citric acid in the cheese." from https://www.cdr.wisc.edu/sites/default/files/pipelines/2004/pipeline_2004_vol16_02.pdf. Not that I know what that means. I also found this: "The cheese package is puffed up like a balloon, is the cheese still good? "This occurs most often with Swiss cheese which, like all cheeses, is alive and never stops ripening. Natural gases will collect and while the aroma is likely to be strong, the cheese is perfectly edible. Taste, not smell, is the best indicator of the quality of cheese." from http://www.swisslandcheese.com/cheesetipsandfacts Regina

Hi, I have a package of extra sharp cheddar in my fridge that has been sitting there a while. It's Cabot Vermont Cheddar, Seriously Sharp. It's got a use-by sell-by date of 12/14. I was under the impression that cheese doesn't really go "bad," but that it can mold. The package is still sealed, and it's translucent. There doesn't appear to be any mold inside. If I open it, and there is no mold, it should be safe to eat, shouldn't it? Thanks! Regina