Is this safe to eat?: Airy meatballs?

YogSosoth · #1 05-01-2012, 07:48 PM

About 2 and a half weeks ago, I bought these beef meatballs from the market. They are sealed, vacuum packed in a plastic bag so all the air's been pulled out from it.

Today, I wanted to use them in a soup but when I took it out of the fridge, the bag has become poofy like a bag of chips! I know its still sealed because I squeezed the bag and no air came out. The air must have come from the meatballs themselves! I couldn't see any mold or weird discoloration on them, but I was still kind of freaked out. Were these things good? I didn't even dare to open the bag up to smell it

Athena · #2 05-01-2012, 07:53 PM

2.5 weeks? For non-cured meat, in the fridge? Heck no, I wouldn't eat it, even without the air.

Isn't there some kind of "use or freeze-by date" on the package?

luv2draw · #3 05-01-2012, 07:58 PM

1. when in doubt, throw it out--and if it's all puffed up, I would.

2. you kept meat in the refrigerator for two and 1/2 weeks????

YogSosoth · #4 05-01-2012, 08:11 PM

In my defense, I forgot about it

SeaDragonTattoo · #5 05-01-2012, 08:19 PM

Raw meat? Cooked meat? What's the expiration date on it? I'd throw them out.

YogSosoth · #6 05-01-2012, 08:28 PM

Cooked, and it was Asian, so I didn't see an expiration date

billfish678 · #7 05-01-2012, 08:46 PM

Dude. SOMETHING created that gas in there. Something rotting or perhaps fermenting. Now maybe you have some cool german sausage beer that would taste great but I doubt it.

Chronos · #8 05-02-2012, 01:45 AM

Yeah, "produced gas in the container" is one of the two absolute rules where you definitely throw it out (the other one being "smells/tastes bad"). I wouldn't even risk opening the bag.

Alpha Twit · #9 05-02-2012, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chronos

I wouldn't even risk opening the bag.

I would. Of course I've never been known for my good sense. I'd take a sniff, maybe a nibble if it seemed less than horrifying.

Chronos · #10 05-02-2012, 03:06 PM

Definitely don't take a nibble. This is one of those cases where a single nibble really could kill you. If you're lucky it might just give you a queasy stomach for a day or so, but death is really not implausible.

The Devil's Grandmother · #11 05-02-2012, 03:19 PM

Don't open, don't eat. Didn't your mom ever tell you not to eat anything from a swollen can? This is the same thing, in plastic.

gwendee · #12 05-02-2012, 04:11 PM

I'm pretty cavalier about stuff like that and I wouldn't eat those meatballs if you paid me.

Toss 'em. Far away. In a trash can with a tight lid so critters can't eat them.

Mtgman · #13 05-02-2012, 04:11 PM

That ain't air. Proceed at your own risk, and the risks are substantial(particular emphasis on the bolded bullet point at the end of the article).

Enjoy,
Steven

NoClueBoy · #14 05-02-2012, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Devil's Grandmother

Don't open, don't eat. Didn't your mom ever tell you not to eat anything from a swollen can? This is the same thing, in plastic.

I read that line as "swollen cat" at first and thought, "Yes, I agree."

I still agree, it just isn't as odd a saying as I first read.

wheresmymind · #15 05-02-2012, 05:00 PM

Don't even think about it.

And thank you for posting an "is this safe to eat" question where the answer is "No!"

Astroboy14 · #16 05-02-2012, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chronos

Definitely don't take a nibble. This is one of those cases where a single nibble really could kill you. If you're lucky it might just give you a queasy stomach for a day or so, but death is really not implausible.

Dude, that sounds like a DARE to me!

I'll hold your beer.

billfish678 · #17 05-02-2012, 05:36 PM

Another thing to consider.

If your food is BAD BAD BAD, like no way in hell you could eat it for any amount of money, do not feed 5 pounds of it to a 10 pound dog (Yes, I've had some dumb roomies, why do you ask?).

Suburban Plankton · #18 05-02-2012, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gwendee

I'm pretty cavalier about stuff like that and I wouldn't eat those meatballs if you paid me.

Toss 'em. Far away. In a trash can with a tight lid so critters can't eat them.

Yeah...my general rule-of-thumb is along the lines of "if it doesn't smell bad, it's probably fine", but not in this case. Throw it straight in the trash. In fact, if you have a neighbor you don't particularly get along with, throw it in their trash just to be safe.

Maiira · #19 05-02-2012, 06:42 PM

This thread reminds me of this blog (Shoggoth the hell goo, a vivarium some dude on the web made).

Also, yes, nuke it from orbit. The meatballs are pretty much doing the same thing we do when WE rot--becoming bacteria food and blowing up like a balloon.