Safety question about green olives

Jesse Skeens said:

I had a jar of green pimento olives that I opened but left
unrefrigerated for about a day or so. Is there any chance
of getting sick from this? I know about botulism and olive
oil but not sure if this counts since its mainly salty
water and contains preservatives like latic acid.

Since they're in a brine and not an oil infusion you're
safe. In theory olives in brine don't have to be
refrigerated at all.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot)
com

On 10 Jun 2004 21:16:07 -0700, [email hidden] (Jesse

Skeens) said:

I had a jar of green pimento olives that I opened but left
unrefrigerated for about a day or so. Is there any chance
of getting sick from this? I know about botulism and olive
oil but not sure if this counts since its mainly salty
water and contains preservatives like latic acid.

Unrefidgerated brined olives are just fine. Served at bars
like that all the time.

-sw

In rec.food.cooking said:

Hi,

Quoted message said:

I had a jar of green pimento olives that I opened but left
unrefrigerated for about a day or so. Is there any chance
of getting sick from this?

Throw them away immediately, and mark the container
"Biohazard".

--
...I'm an air-conditioned gypsy...

- The Who

Reg <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Jesse Skeens said:

I had a jar of green pimento olives that I opened but
left unrefrigerated for about a day or so. Is there any
chance of getting sick from this? I know about botulism
and olive oil but not sure if this counts since its
mainly salty water and contains preservatives like
latic acid.

Since they're in a brine and not an oil infusion you're
safe. In theory olives in brine don't have to be
refrigerated at all.

So the "Keep refrigerated" on the side of the jar is just
for extra safety?

What exactly consitutes an "oil infusion"? Also I had a
plastic contained of store bought garlic in butter for
spreading. Took me a little while to use it all up, maybe a
couple of months. Is something like this at risk as well?

Then again I saw some actual figures on botulism. About 110
cases reported per year. 25 of them adults and only 5-10%
death rate which comes out to about 1-3 people. So maybe
botulism isn't as much of a danger as it seems.

Jesse

Jesse Skeens said:

So the "Keep refrigerated" on the side of the jar is just
for extra safety?

Pretty much. Some of it also has to with with what you may
introduce back into the container with a dirty knife.

Quoted message said:

What exactly consitutes an "oil infusion"?

It's a mixture of oil and one or more other ingredients
that flavor
it. Basil oil, chive oil, etc.

Quoted message said:

Also I had a plastic contained of store bought garlic in
butter for spreading. Took me a little while to use it all
up, maybe a couple of months. Is something like this at
risk as well?

Garlic in butter is not a botulism risk, only garlic in oil.

Quoted message said:

Then again I saw some actual figures on botulism. About
110 cases reported per year. 25 of them adults and only
5-10% death rate which comes out to about 1-3 people. So
maybe botulism isn't as much of a danger as it seems.

Quantifying helps put it in perspective, doesn't it?
Botulism is extremely rare, including the dreaded garlic in
oil problem.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot)
com

Reg said:

Pretty much. Some of it also has to with with what you may
introduce back into the container with a dirty knife.

Oh, I hate seeing people use dirty utensils in jars! A
classic is the one where people use a knife to butter their
bread and then stick it into the jam jar - aaarrrgghh!
Horrifying...

[email hidden] wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

In rec.food.cooking, Jesse Skeens

Quoted message said:

Hi,

Quoted message said:

I had a jar of green pimento olives that I opened but
left unrefrigerated for about a day or so. Is there any
chance of getting sick from this?

Throw them away immediately, and mark the container
"Biohazard".

LOL!

Too late but I did add some vinegar just to be safe, before
I had read these posts.

[email hidden] (Jesse Skeens) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

In rec.food.cooking, Jesse Skeens

Quoted message said:

Hi,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I had a jar of green pimento olives that I opened but
left unrefrigerated for about a day or so. Is there
any chance of getting sick from this?

Throw them away immediately, and mark the container
"Biohazard".

LOL!

Too late but I did add some vinegar just to be safe,
before I had read these posts.

Brine is a preservative. Think colonial settlers, etc.

Archon said:

Reg said:

Pretty much. Some of it also has to with with what you
may introduce back into the container with a dirty knife.

Oh, I hate seeing people use dirty utensils in jars! A
classic is the one where people use a knife to butter
their bread and then stick it into the jam jar -
aaarrrgghh! Horrifying...

add to that hate ( I have it too ): dirty bottles of
cleaning fluid ( when there's grunge on the outer bottle ),
and people who don't wipe sauce ( ketchup ) bottles before
squishing the cap back on, thus creating sauce-scum
🙁( erk !

--
16-20-26

In article <[email hidden]>, "leebee" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Archon said:

Reg said:

Pretty much. Some of it also has to with with what you
may introduce back into the container with a dirty
knife.

Oh, I hate seeing people use dirty utensils in jars! A
classic is the one where people use a knife to butter
their bread and then stick it into the jam jar -
aaarrrgghh! Horrifying...

add to that hate ( I have it too ): dirty bottles of
cleaning fluid ( when there's grunge on the outer bottle
), and people who don't wipe sauce ( ketchup ) bottles
before squishing the cap back on, thus creating sauce-scum
🙁( erk !

Do you have any idea how many people have died from things
like those?

Isaac

leebee said:

add to that hate ( I have it too ): dirty bottles of
cleaning fluid ( when there's grunge on the outer
bottle ),

That is disgusting. But I'm picky about such things - Thre
are many things people nomrally eat withthe hands, but I use
knife and fork because I don't like being dirty, and when I
do the dishes I wipe off my hands before dipping them in the
water again, because I don't like the feeling of the soap
water on my hands 🙂

Quoted message said:

and people who don't wipe sauce ( ketchup ) bottles
before squishing the cap back on, thus creating sauce-
scum
🙁( erk !

I don't mind that as much as alien material inside.

Isaac Wingfield said:

leebee said:

Archon said:

Oh, I hate seeing people use dirty utensils in jars! A
classic is the one where people use a knife to butter
their bread and then stick it into the jam jar -
aaarrrgghh! Horrifying...

add to that hate ( I have it too ): dirty bottles of
cleaning fluid ( when there's grunge on the outer bottle
), and people who don't wipe sauce ( ketchup ) bottles
before squishing the cap back on, thus creating sauce-
scum 🙁( erk !

Do you have any idea how many people have died from things
like those?

um, no.

do you ?

In article <[email hidden]>,

Ms Leebee said:

Isaac Wingfield said:

leebee said:

Archon wrote:
>
> Oh, I hate seeing people use dirty utensils in jars! A
> classic is the one where people use a knife to butter
> their bread and then stick it into the jam jar -
> aaarrrgghh! Horrifying...

add to that hate ( I have it too ): dirty bottles of
cleaning fluid ( when there's grunge on the outer
bottle ), and people who don't wipe sauce ( ketchup )
bottles before squishing the cap back on, thus creating
sauce-scum 🙁( erk !

Do you have any idea how many people have died from
things like those?

um, no.

do you ?

No, but I could make an educated guess; so could you.

Hint: how often do you see newspaper articles about it?
"Woman dies from eating dried gunk off catsup bottle!"

My conclusion: no risk.

Isaac

Isaac Wingfield said:

Ms Leebee said:

Isaac Wingfield said:

"leebee" wrote:
> Archon wrote:
>>
>> Oh, I hate seeing people use dirty utensils in jars! A
>> classic is the one where people use a knife to butter
>> their bread and then stick it into the jam jar -
>> aaarrrgghh! Horrifying...
>
> add to that hate ( I have it too ): dirty bottles of
> cleaning fluid ( when there's grunge on the outer
> bottle ), and people who don't wipe sauce ( ketchup )
> bottles before squishing the cap back on, thus creating
> sauce-scum 🙁( erk !

Do you have any idea how many people have died from
things like those?

um, no. do you ?

No, but I could make an educated guess; so could you.

yes, I suppose I could.

Quoted message said:

Hint: how often do you see newspaper articles about it?
"Woman dies from eating dried gunk off catsup bottle!"

why would she eat it ? gross.

Quoted message said:

My conclusion: no risk.

thanks, but I was replying to the previous poster over an
icky hate of his/hers 😉 My apologies if it was found to be
OT from the original header 🙂