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fiamma
May 11th, 2006, 08:55 PM
I've been wanting to ask... when your veg goes a bit mouldy, do you cut the mouldy bit off and eat the rest, or chuck the whole lot? I've always been for the first option (I hate wasting food), but I have read various things lately that seem to concur with the second. Any thoughts?

DancingWillow
May 11th, 2006, 09:10 PM
I usually go with the first option too, then taste a piece from the "good" part and if it tastes fine, I eat it. If not, I toss it.

rantipole
May 11th, 2006, 09:11 PM
I read somewhere that the visible part of the mold is only about 10% of the mold that is present. The rest can be spread microscopically through the food. So, I toss it.

Cheers,
rant

Risker
May 11th, 2006, 09:24 PM
Obviously it would depend on the severity of the mould and the size of the fruit/veg but generally I'd just cut off the mouldy bit and use the rest.

Bit of mould does you good :)

Cherry
May 11th, 2006, 09:38 PM
It depends how mouldy it is :D Also what it is.

The threads run through the food as Rant says, so if it's bread or something soft then I immediately bin it, but if it's something like a carrot with a teeny bit of mould at one end then I might be tempted to cut off the mouldy bit.

aubergine
May 11th, 2006, 10:20 PM
A lot of very poisonous pathogens can be completely invisible. If food is past it's best, it goes straight on the compost.

From someone who had chronic food poisoning for nine months, it aint worth the risk.

speedylemons
May 11th, 2006, 10:25 PM
yikes! i usually just cut off the mould and eat whatever it is.. and if it's bread i usually just inspect the loaf and discard the bad slices. I think i will be a bit more careful with certain items, but otherwise i can't really afford to waste food.. but then again i eat it all quick enough where i don't need to worry about mould. :o :D ;)

Pob
May 11th, 2006, 10:53 PM
Mostly I chuck it - if it's fruit/veg then it's not going to be very nutritious anyway if it is so old it is mouldy. I usually throw out mouldy bread, too, but once I didn't notice when I packed it for lunch. I picked off the mould and toasted it to go with my soup - it was that or soup with no bread.

abrennan
May 11th, 2006, 11:13 PM
It depends on what it is. I don't recall having much mould on anything except bread and berries, I must eat everything too quickly.

I think it depends on how hungry I am too. Not that I would eat the mould but I might cut it off.

:eek:

Rantipole do you remember where you read about the 10 percent thing. Sounds like an iceberg. I wouldn't be surprised if it were true, especially with soft things that mould could grow roots in.:)

fiamma
May 12th, 2006, 01:25 PM
Thanks everyone for all your replies - I really appreciate it. I think I will be more careful in future.

Pob
May 12th, 2006, 01:51 PM
Rantipole do you remember where you read about the 10 percent thing. Sounds like an iceberg. I wouldn't be surprised if it were true, especially with soft things that mould could grow roots in.:)Here's some info:

http://www.faqfarm.com/Q/How_dangerous_is_eating_moldy_bread

It also says that mould on grain foods is the worst kind to eat:rolleyes:

aubergine
May 12th, 2006, 01:53 PM
Good tip on putting the bread in the fridge. This is essential in my house.

rantipole
May 12th, 2006, 02:30 PM
Rantipole do you remember where you read about the 10 percent thing. Sounds like an iceberg. I wouldn't be surprised if it were true, especially with soft things that mould could grow roots in.:)

I don't, unfortunately. That link in the post above may be helpful. I'll have to check it out.

Cheers,
rant

foxytina_69
May 12th, 2006, 03:46 PM
i dont eat bread, but i always leave steevs bread in the freezer and use it straight from there. it defrosts very quickly and comes right back to life. it never goes bad this way.

with vegetables, i usually cut off the moldy bits and use the rest.

Tray
May 12th, 2006, 04:28 PM
I cut the mouldy part off and I eat it anyway. Because i think that excessive hygienism feebles our immunitary system

Pob
May 12th, 2006, 04:33 PM
The problem isn't a hygeine one - the mould may be a species that produces toxic chemicals.

Mouldy veg really isn't worth the risk as if it has got to that state then it has probably lost a lot of nutrients.

Jane M
May 12th, 2006, 04:37 PM
I've had food poisoning twice. My philosophy on food is this ... when in any kind of doubt throw it out!

Tray
May 12th, 2006, 04:39 PM
Rob I didn't read the link you posted, probably you're right but I still see it as a waste..
Probably the best thing is not to buy too much food so you won't risk to have mould on it ;)

aubergine
May 12th, 2006, 04:45 PM
If you put in a compost bin you're still getting use out of it :)

Jane M
May 12th, 2006, 04:53 PM
If you put in a compost bin you're still getting use out of it :)

Right! It has a whole new purpose!

herbwormwood
May 12th, 2006, 05:59 PM
if the veg have been around long enough to go mouldy it probably has very little nutrition in it so I would be likely to throw it out.
It is better to buy in small amounts so you can use it before it goes mouldy. If you have a glut of something its better to cook it straight away and freeze it. Or share it with friends and neighbours. Or prepare it and freeze it raw.
It comes in very handy when you don't want to cook or prepare and you can just get it out the freezer.
It is also worth learning about the different requirements for storing veg. Most like to be in cook dark places, some store better in plastic, some store better left to breathe. Most like to be stored in the dark. And I think they all store best uncut.
Yes, compost bins are good for mouldy veg but city dwellers don't always have gardens to put them in.

Risker
May 12th, 2006, 07:19 PM
I cut the mouldy part off and I eat it anyway. Because i think that excessive hygienism feebles our immunitary system

I agree.


Thanks everyone for all your replies - I really appreciate it. I think I will be more careful in future.

I get the feeling you'd already decided when you started the thread ;)

I read a couple of websites about mold/mould and they are very convincing when they give the reasons not to eat mouldy food.

Still, I choose to ignore those websites and use my own judgements, humans have done without that scientific information for millions of years so I have some faith in myself to spot wether a mouldy food is still edible or not.

Also, Tray said, 'excessive hygienism feebles our immunitary system' and I firmly believe that. :)

DancingWillow
May 12th, 2006, 07:50 PM
i
It is also worth learning about the different requirements for storing veg. Most like to be in cook dark places, some store better in plastic, some store better left to breathe. Most like to be stored in the dark. And I think they all store best uncut.

Do you by any chance have that info in handy? I'd like to know how to best store different fruits and veggies:)

foxytina_69
May 13th, 2006, 03:20 AM
i dont use vegetables for their nutrition mainly. i use them for something to fill my stomach lol. i cant afford to just toss a veggie because it may not be as nutritionally adequate as others.

Haniska
May 13th, 2006, 05:09 AM
I cut it off and eat the rest most everytime, depending on the food to mold ratio. Also depending if the rest of the food smells or feels off. I'm not scared of any old bacteria.:D
I used to pick food off of the ground if I dropped it (in my younger years) pop it in my mouth and declare "Vitamin B-12!"

Good times.