Mold on Duck Rillettes
I bought a slice (from a terrine) of duck rillettes from Whole Foods about a week ago; they put it into a plastic container which I stored in my fridge. I opened it today and on the "rind" of the terrine is a lush carpet of white mold. The inner, exposed sliced part is free of mold. Should I play it safe and dump it, or slice off the rind and eat the mold-free inside? What can I do to prevent this in future?
I assume the mold spores must have landed on the rind while in the deli case at Whole Foods (stored next to the salami etc), and germinated while in the plastic container during the week. The sell-by date is today, btw.
Thanks!
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4 Comments:
Let's not forget about stilltasty.com, a site that has been mentioned on here at least once.
Throw it away! Regardless of the sell by date, I wouldn't eat prepared food (particularly meat) beyond three or four days from the date of purchase. I'm not offering up my GI tract like a sacrificial lamb to something that can be easily purchased at Whole Foods.
Honestly, I do not understand the "moldy ____" posts on here. If it's moldy throw it out. Did your grandmother bake you that cake and then suddenly die? No. Will your family starve if you toss it? No.
eeels at 10:34AM on 10/12/09
It's moldy...THROW IT OUT.
dmcavanagh at 1:50PM on 10/12/09
This is not an answer to your question but rather another question. I have no firsthand familiarity with rillettes, as I try to avoid foods so fatty for health reasons, but it's my understanding that rillettes is basically duck meat preserved in fat--similar to confit. My confusion here is in "preserved." I mean, isn't the whole genesis of rillettes a method of food preservation? If some mold grows on an outer layer of fat that's otherwise serving the function of preserving what's inside, could the mold not simply be scraped off? Some molds have an objectionable taste, but most are not dangerous.
Adding to my confusion may be your statement that you bought a "slice" from a terrine pan. To me, that sounds like what I have long understood to be a pate or terrine, not rillettes. Doesn't rillettes come from a container with a layer of fat over it--a "potted" meat as it's sometimes referred to in English?
Again, I am not suggesting you eat the stuff. Just curious about rillettes, preservation in fat, and what exactly it is that you have.
Lorenzo at 2:15PM on 10/12/09
I agree with @eeels unless you live in a box under the highway overpass you throw out any food that's moldy. If mold is growing there (harmless or otherwise) so could something else be growing there.
tapioca at 3:07PM on 10/12/09