mayonnaise question

after not having mayo in the house for about a year, I decided to get one as I had extra eggs nearing expiration that I was going to make into egg salad sandwich.

I bought Hellman's squeeze type. It had this plastic heat-shrink wrap thing where I peeled off the top part to get at the lid. There was no seal or anything under the lid and it was just there, ready to be squeezed. Here I'm thinking there's no air tight storing in place, and it was sitting on the shelf at the store. How do I know this is safe? I had a bit last night and I'm still alive, but I'm really leary of eating the eggs today for lunch.

The seal isn't for airtightness (the plastic containers aren't airtight), it's a security seal that all the manufacturers put in from an abundance of caution after the Tylenol scandal of the '70s.

If it's inside the expiration date and there wasn't anything about the package that looked tampered with, I wouldn't worry about it.

(But if I had extra eggs, I would've used one of them to make the mayo rather than buy a whole container...)

are you sure the seal wasn't IN the lid?

no seal inside aside from the heat-shrink plastic thing on the outside. It's obvious that it's not been tampered.

I'm still not sure how it's ok like that on the shelf and my opening that little plastic thing would now necessitate refrigeration.

That does seem odd. I feel like any time I've bought squeeze-bottle condiments in the past, there has been an airtight seal inside the lid. I might call Hellman's and inquire.

If it's a screw-top nozzle that can't be unscrewed with the shrink-wrap seal in place, then the screw "plug" is probably as airtight (not very) as the plastic itself.

If it were unscrewed, then I might worry.

nope, flip top. I've decided to throw the egg salad out, it's just not worth the chance or worry. I found a "contact us" page for Hellmann's in Canada, but it's asking for a UPC code. I'll go home and send them an inquiry email.

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Originally Posted by badger

nope, flip top. I've decided to throw the egg salad out, it's just not worth the chance or worry. I found a "contact us" page for Hellmann's in Canada, but it's asking for a UPC code. I'll go home and send them an inquiry email.

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Good call.
I always go by the saying.."when in doubt, throw it out!"

I buy Hellmans in a jar, which comes with a plastic lid. There is no plastic shrink wrap over the lid and no plastic or foil seal inside it. I buy it when it's on sale so it sits in my pantry until I need it, at which point I open the lid (breaking the seal between the part that comes off and the thin ring that stays around the neck of the jar). After that I refrigerate it. I've been doing this for years and have never had a problem -- smells fine, tastes fine, does not make me sick. I just make sure to open it before the sell-by date on the label.

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Originally Posted by ny biker

I buy Hellmans in a jar, which comes with a plastic lid. There is no plastic shrink wrap over the lid and no plastic or foil seal inside it. I buy it when it's on sale so it sits in my pantry until I need it, at which point I open the lid (breaking the seal between the part that comes off and the thin ring that stays around the neck of the jar). After that I refrigerate it. I've been doing this for years and have never had a problem -- smells fine, tastes fine, does not make me sick. I just make sure to open it before the sell-by date on the label.

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I know!! I recall that from my previous jars when I was pondering about this particular one. How does it stay "fresh" when it's not air-tight??

Just like cheese in plastic wrap or spices in plastic bottles (including glass bottles with plastic caps) - it's vacuum packed and stays fresh for a limited period of time, until airborne contaminants and/or moisture reach a certain level.

Or a natural example, eggs or nuts in their shells, for that matter.

And the reason to refrigerate after opening is that the cool temperatures keep the cooties from reproducing as quickly. You'll still get a few cooties, but not so many as to make you sick (usually).

There are some mayonaises that dont even say they need to be refrigerated after opening. They would have these out on the tables at my college cafeteria. I was weirded out by it too. I just figured it was probably preserved enough to be fine. I only made a couple of sandwiches and no food poisoning. Also.... I think it was hellmans... or dukes... in a squeeze, upside down bottle.

Mayo isn't as 'dangerous' as some people seem to think. That reputation comes from homemade mayo and the raw egg in it. Commercial mayo has pasteurized egg in it and then the oil/water composition and pH of the commercial mayo actually do not support microbial growth very well. Not that you still shouldn't refrigerate after opening or anything. I just notice that mayo seems to get singled out as the worrisome product and commercial mayo really isn't. I seem to have this conversation with my brother every family picnic. :)

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...9/ai_66881140/

I once read that the real problem is when you add protein to it -- eggs, chicken, etc. That is when it is most important to keep it refrigerated.