PLEASE help w/ cooking question.. pot is already simmering on the stove!

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yellowbird

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Two days ago I was in Trader Joe’s and I sampled their Southern Greens & Black Eyed pea soup. It was delicous so I purchased everything to make it at home. I’ve added everything… it’s simmering on the stove and the final step is to add the package of precooked black eyed peas. I grab them out of my cupboard and I notice that it clearly says: PERISHABLE… Keep Refrigerated. on the package. Shoot! They’ve been in my cupboard for two days… would you still eat them? They were in one of those plastic, no air container type things… like a square brick of peas.

What do you think??? Yea or neigh?? Let me add that I’m posting this from Chicago and it’s been, like everywhere else, freakishly cold. All the jars/cans in my cupboard are COLD to the touch… not refrigerator cold though.

What’s a cook to do?
 
I’d not chance it. while your cabinets feel cool, I assume you have heat in the house.

24 hours in the winter, I’d do it - but two days, now it is dog food.
 
Did they smell weird when you opened them?

IF it were me, I’d eat them. If they’d smelled funky, youd have noticed. Spoiled food, particularly of the plant variety, carries an odor. Plus it takes a LONG time-- like days and days-- for veggies to spoil.

My husband used to be a produce clerk and he said its probably fine unless they smelled funky to you.

I hope it tastes good!
 
yellowdaisy said:
Did they smell weird when you opened them?

IF it were me, I’d eat them. If they’d smelled funky, youd have noticed. Spoiled food, particularly of the plant variety, carries an odor. Plus it takes a LONG time-- like days and days-- for veggies to spoil.

My husband used to be a produce clerk and he said its probably fine unless they smelled funky to you.

I hope it tastes good!
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Nope, no smell. I tasted them and they tasted just fine. I called the company to ask their opinion and all they could say is they reccomend refrigeration. Of course they were in Southern CA and cannot fathom how cold it is in Chicago…

I’m wondering… even if they were a little bad - wouldn’t all the bacteria or whatever cook off in my soup? They’ll boil in there for 15 minutes… ?
 
that_name said:
I’d not chance it. while your cabinets feel cool, I assume you have heat in the house.

24 hours in the winter, I’d do it - but two days, now it is dog food.
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LOL! My dog wouldn’t touch the stuff. He’s a carnivore, through and through.

I do have heat in the house, but it’s a 100 year old house - VERY poorly insulated. The cabinets are on an outside wall… I have to heat my dishes under hot water before I can serve anything on them because they are that cold.
 
um, yellowbird, perhaps you need to invest in a kitchen spaceheater? 🙂 That is COLD sister!
 
yellowdaisy said:
um, yellowbird, perhaps you need to invest in a kitchen spaceheater? 🙂 That is COLD sister!
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Tell me about it! My house gives new meaning to the words “cold and drafty” This morning the furnace could not keep up and my kids had to eat breakfast with their winter coats on!

My husband said it was 59 degrees in our kitchen this AM. :winter:

As I type that I’m thinking more than ever that my peas are fine.
 
You should know, 2 to 24 hours after eating them if they WERE fine 🙂
 
I’m interested also in the answer to this. If they were in a vacuum packed package bacteria can’t get in or survive without oxygen, I’d think.

Vegetables can last longer than protein food. If your house is that chilly, it might be okay.

Let us know!
 
that_name said:
You should know, 2 to 24 hours after eating them if they WERE fine 🙂
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haha… yep! I’m eating them as we speak. If I never post again you’ll know why and you can be the first to say, “I warned her not to eat them!”

This is something I’ve always wondered… ya know how you said I should give them to my dog? Why can dogs eat spoiled food and not get sick? My inlaws keep a bucket on their kitchen floor and they just keep filling it with scraps for the dogs… what’s up with that? Do dogs have stomachs of steel?
 
yellowbird said:
haha… yep! I’m eating them as we speak. If I never post again you’ll know why and you can be the first to say, “I warned her not to eat them!”

This is something I’ve always wondered… ya know how you said I should give them to my dog? Why can dogs eat spoiled food and not get sick? My inlaws keep a bucket on their kitchen floor and they fill it with the scraps for the dogs… what’s up with that? Do dogs have stomachs of steel?
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They have different kinds of digestive processes, so things that can kill us won’t harm them - and vice versa - things like chocolate and processed cheese can kill your dog, even though to you, they taste pretty good.
 
Liberanosamalo said:
I’m interested also in the answer to this. If they were in a vacuum packed package bacteria can’t get in or survive without oxygen, I’d think.

Vegetables can last longer than protein food. If your house is that chilly, it might be okay.

Let us know!
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I was really liking your answer until you got to the part where I might be ok.

We’ll see… if I get sick I promise to post all the gory details…

Disclaimer: I knew my kids wouldn’t eat the soup … not with all that floating green stuff in it. I would’ve never risked them getting sick. I warned my husband but he decided to roll the dice along with me. Great, if we both keel over our children will be orphans… :rolleyes:

I’m going back for my second bowl. It IS really good!
 
Ham & Black Eyed Pea Soup

8 cups chicken broth
8oz. Southern Greens, chopped
2 cups of black eyed peas - cooked
1 Cup of chopped Ham
2 T each Olive Oil & Butter
1 small onion chopped
1/2 green pepper chopped
1/2 red pepper chopped
1 cup carrots diced
handfull of fresh mushrooms sliced
1 T each Dried Oregano & Chopped Garlic
1/4 t Salt & Pepper
1/8 t Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Heat oil & butter in stock pot. Add onions, peppers, carrots, ham, herbs & spices. Saute for a few minutes then add the greens. Cook for 5 minutes then add chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes. Add black eyed peas. Cook for 10 more minutes. Enjoy!

I had a large ham bone I boiled in the soup for flavor.
 
yellowbird said:
I was really liking your answer until you got to the part where I might be ok.

We’ll see… if I get sick I promise to post all the gory details…

Disclaimer: I knew my kids wouldn’t eat the soup … not with all that floating green stuff in it. I would’ve never risked them getting sick. I warned my husband but he decided to roll the dice along with me. Great, if we both keel over our children will be orphans… :rolleyes:
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Actually, the most likely outcome, even if they’re bad (which I think is unlikely, especially after they’ve been boiled, and since they didn’t smell funny) is that you and your husband might experience a bit of a tummy ache.
 
jmcrae said:
They’re probably fine. Anything that might kill you will be boiled off in the soup. 🙂
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Bacteria will be killed by cooking, but the toxic byproducts of bacteria growth will not (which is why you can’t make rancid meat edible again by cooking it).
Liberanosamalo said:
I’m interested also in the answer to this. If they were in a vacuum packed package bacteria can’t get in or survive without oxygen, I’d think.

Vegetables can last longer than protein food. If your house is that chilly, it might be okay.

Let us know!
Click to expand...
Because they are vegetables, I would use them without a second thought. Vegetables take a long time to spoil. However, I wouldn’t carry this reasoning to all foods – I have some meats which are in vacuum packed packages, but there’s no way that I would store them without refrigeration.
 
well i was going to say use them but rinse and nuke them first. too late!
 
Y’all are from northern California, right? I mean, look again at the title to your post. 😃
 
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