Can a few bad (dead) mussels harm a larger batch?
I realize there are numerous related questions on freshness of mussels:
I couldn't find exactly what I'm looking for. So feel free to argue if you think this is a duplicate and I've just missed my answer.
I've bought this: http://canadiancove.com/products/high_oxygen_tray_packs here in Canada numerous times (Costco if anyone is curious, half the price of everywhere else, which is awesome for a landlocked province). The product is usually very good; no bad smell, very clean, responds well when rinsed/tapped lightly etc... I always check to make sure the vacuum seal is good and their "best before" date is as far out as possible. This time, I noticed a higher count of mussels that appear to be dead; at least a third were questionable. There was a noticeable smell that usually isn't there when I opened the pack. The ones that were clearly dead, smelled off, no movement when rinsed/tapped, no spring, etc... Assuming I've done a good job of sorting the dead from the alive, can the dead ones giving off smell, pollute the rest of the batch that I should probably avoid the whole thing?
I tried cooking the ones that were clearly alive and they tasted off anyway so I ended up discarding them. I decided it wasn't worth the risk. Just curious for next time.
Best Answer
If a third of a batch of anything is dead, I would expect the other 2/3 to be near death and taste accordingly.
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Is it OK to cook dead mussels?
Even if a few of your mussels die before you cook them, the meat should be heated enough in the cooking process to kill any bacteria and render them safe to eat. When mussels are cooked, the heat disintegrates their abductor muscles, which keep the shells closed, making them easy to open and eat.What happens if you eat a dead muscle?
Mussels that do not open during cooking or that have chips or cracks on the shell may be dead. The meat of dead mussels deteriorates, increasing your risk of microorganism contamination, food poisoning, infectious disease and other health problems.How do you tell if mussels are spoiled?
Press together the shells of any that are open. If the shell doesn't close, the mussel is dead and should be discarded (also toss any with broken shells).How do you tell if mussels are bad after cooking?
The way to check if mussels are wrong is by checking them before you cook them. A mussel that doesn't close properly, does not open properly or floats to the surface during cooking should be discarded.BoJack Horseman Serving Serious Home Truths
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