4 foods it's OK to eat moldy, and 6 it's definitely not (2024)

FAQs

What food can still be eaten even if it contains mold? ›

Not all moldy foods can be eaten ( moldy baked goods are especially high-risk). However, there are a few food items (i.e. dry-cured ham, hard salami, hard cheese, firm fruits and vegetables) that are safe for consumption even when moldy. Just make sure to trim off the molds.

Cut off at least 1 inch around and below the mold spot (keep the knife out of the mold itself so it will not cross-contaminate other parts of the produce). Small mold spots can be cut off FIRM fruits and vegetables with low moisture content. It's difficult for mold to penetrate dense foods.

Research shows that foods with preservatives in them are less prone to mold growth. These foods also have a lower likelihood of bacterial growth. Fresh food that has a high water content is more susceptible to mold growth.

Christine Lee, a gastroenterologist at the Cleveland Clinic. "As long as the immune system and the gut system is healthy and intact, and you're not immunocompromised, for that vast majority of people, if they accidentally consume a little bit of mold, really not much happens," she said.

It is okay to cut mold off of hard cheeses and hard fruits or vegetables like apples, potatoes, onions or cauliflower. Just be sure to cut away at least 1 inch as surface mold is more than what you see. It actually has hyphae or roots which can penetrate deeper into the food.

Cucumbers and Peaches: Discard

If mold is found on soft fruit like strawberries, peaches, cucumbers, and tomatoes the food should be discarded. Because these fruits and vegetables are high in moisture, the mold can exist deep into it.

The Bottom Line. You shouldn't eat mold on bread or from a loaf with visible spots. The mold roots can quickly spread through bread, though you can't see them. Eating moldy bread could make you sick, and inhaling spores may trigger breathing problems if you have a mold allergy.

Consuming moldy food can cause allergic reactions, as well as respiratory problems. When you find a few moldy pieces of fruit inside a container, throw out the moldy fruit and any pieces of fruit that are directly touching them.

“It's not actually on the fruit, so that doesn't seem to be very harmful because you're not eating the mold,” says Dr. Craggs-Dino. Of course, if bananas don't smell right or there is mold on the stem (which could more easily penetrate the fruit), it's best to throw them away.

Can you boil mold away? ›

The easiest way to do this is to boil water and pour it over the moldy area on the pan. Boiling water will kill the exposed mold spores and cause them to go away, so that they do not spread. You can also kill mold with heat. By heating your pans enough, it can kill the mold on them.

Whether the loaf of bread has one spot of visible mold or multiple ones, the bread is unsafe to eat. According to the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, when you see molds growing on bread, it is likely that the root of the mold has infiltrated much of the loaf, no matter if the loaf is whole or sliced.

However, while boiling can eliminate microscopic fungi, the mycotoxins they produce might still be present. It's always advisable to discard foods, especially perishable foods, that have visible mold growth to ensure safety.

Suslow and Patricio both warn that any nicks or cuts in the rind or any mold on the rind or at the blossom end can be a pathway that pathogens can use to get into the flesh of the melon. Once you've brought the melon home, don't wash it until you're ready to eat it, Suslow said.

As soon as you realize the cheese is moldy, throw it out. If you notice mold on a block of hard or semisoft cheese, it is safe to cut it off, along with a one-inch radius around it. While rare, possible symptoms of eating mold may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, shortness of breath and allergic reactions.

Yes, you can kill mold by cooking, or, preferably, autoclaving it which uses high pressure as well as temperature to kill microorganisms. Mold produces toxins however, called aflatoxins, that are somewhat heat resistant.

"Mold has difficulty spreading through more dense surfaces, so you can be fairly confident that you are not consuming mold spores in this situation," Poon points out. In these cases, you can usually cut off the moldy part and enjoy the rest of the food. "If you're in doubt, throw it out," Poon advises.

Should I throw away moldy dishes? You should throw away moldy dishes if there's mold in the openings, cracks, or grooves of your dishware.