Old meat and food poisoning

Guy I work with recently had food poisoning. Took him 5 days before he got over it and return to work. I suppose he didn't die. If we don't hear from you at least we'll know what happened.

Do you want us to nominate you for the Darwin Awards if your successful??

I can't remember the exact terminology but food poisoning can either be the live bacteria/funky growth that will make you sick, or it can be the waste or toxins produced by the live bacteria/funky growth (or both). Either the bacteria or the toxins can make you sick, depending on the strain and the individuals ability to deal with it.

Cooking the meat to the appropriate temperature for the right amount of time will kill the bacteria, it might not taste very good but it might be safe to eat. But if you happen to have a particular bacteria on the meat that produces toxins that make us sick, cooking will kill the bacteria but will not affect the toxins it produced before you killed it.

Unfortunately only a laboratory can tell the difference. If in doubt just don't eat it or feed it to the dog. Give it to the cat instead.

Have no knowledge on this subject, but will wait for the results with interest....

So if Harrow lives, does that mean we should now all ignore used by dates and just scrape off the furry green stuff and stick it in the cooker??

Talk to a butcher , old is good ! Its gotta be a fine line

Ptomaine poisoning is an outdated term for food poisoning. It arises from the concept that ptomaines, small broken-down proteins in food, were the culprits behind people getting sick from food. We now know that this condition is actually poisoning by foods that have become infected with several types of bacteria. Food left out, for example chicken salad, can readily develop bacteria.

There are several main bacteria indicated in ptomaine poisoning, when the term is used interchangeably with food poisoning. Examples of bacteria and germs responsible for food poisoning are E. Coli, salmonella, and listeria. Symptoms, treatment and risk depend upon the poisoning agent ingested.

E. Coli is probably the most dangerous bacterium, usually caused by eating improperly cooked ground beef. Even a little bit of pink in a hamburger can mean possible exposure to E. Coli. E. Coli tends to cause watery diarrhea with no fever. In about five percent of cases, significant kidney failure can develop. The risk is higher in children under age five. When this kidney failure develops, it can cause death. Those who recover may require kidney transplantation or regular dialysis while waiting for a transplant. This very serious complication, though rare, is reason enough to use caution when cooking, preparing or serving ground beef.

Can't wait to see how you get on (or off as the case may be)

Toxins - didn't think of those! At least everyone enjoyed the meal.

Also, forgot to add.....

One daughter boarding a tourist coach at 10:30pm tonight to drive 6 hours to the snow.

Another daughter has HSC trial exams tomorrow morning.

And for me, it is first day on a new job tomorrow morning.

Possibly not the most brilliant choice of time to conduct a group experiment within my family's digestive tract.

How the farrk did we survive before fridges and freezers?! SALT!!!

I am on a bus now with some young chick who just spewed 3x

Usually I'd think I am in, but she might have food poisoning.

Advice?

"When in doubt throw it out." Is that meat so expensive or needed for sustenance that it can't be thrown out? Slimey meat is probably just decomposition but as stated above toxins cannot be "cooked out" so why risk it?

Ha, ha, yes all still alive and kicking. I think I may have possibly conditioned my family over the years to become immune to most food poisoning agents, especially since the pressure cooker has only recently been receiving regular use. Previously I used to put my faith in the liberal use of garlic, ginger and curry powder.