# Prepared foods are sodium bombs!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepared-foods-are-sodium-bombs/1002290>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** food-cooking\
**Created:** [May 30, 2024, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepared-foods-are-sodium-bombs/1002290 "2024-05-30T17:50:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepared-foods-are-sodium-bombs/1002290/61 "2024-06-05T17:53:48Z")

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> [@needscoffee](#):
>
> Soured milk isn’t the same as the spoiled milk in your fridge.

DEpends on your definitions

> [@](#):
>
> Traditionally, soured milk was simply fresh milk that was left to ferment and sour by keeping it in a warm place for a day, often near a stove. Modern commercial soured milk may differ from milk that has become sour naturally

> **[Soured milk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soured_milk)**
>
> Soured milk denotes a range of food products produced by the acidification of milk. Acidification, which gives the milk a tart taste, is achieved either through bacterial fermentation or through the addition of an acid, such as lemon juice or vinegar. The acid causes milk to coagulate and thicken, inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria and improving the product's shelf life. It is not good for making cheese.
> Soured milk that is produced by bacterial fermentation is more specifically called fe...

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**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepared-foods-are-sodium-bombs/1002290/62 "2024-06-05T18:51:15Z")

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The milk in your fridge that goes bad isn’t just “soured”, though - that’s why it smells rotted. It just spoils first. It doesn’t taste or smell _anything_ like milk that is correctly soured with acidification. I defy you to drink the spoiled milk in your fridge or pour it over your cornbread.

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**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepared-foods-are-sodium-bombs/1002290/63 "2024-06-05T23:02:41Z")

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> [@needscoffee](#):
>
> The milk in your fridge that goes bad isn’t just “soured”, though - that’s why it smells rotted. It just spoils first. It doesn’t taste or smell _anything_ like milk that is correctly soured with acidification.

I’m not really familiar with soured milk but this sounds similar to how sour cream is prepared. Commercial sour cream is usually made with heavy cream fermented by lactic acid bacteria, but from what I can see homemade sour cream is generally acidified with lemon juice or vinegar.

Someone once jokingly asked how you can tell that sour cream has gone bad since it’s already sour! The answer of course is that sour cream is a freshly made dairy product, it’s not cream that’s gone bad! It has an expiry date and it’s one of the products where I pay attention to it!

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