Perpetual Stew, Or Why It's Safe To Eat A 79-Year-Old Soup (2024)

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Perpetual Stew, Or Why It's Safe To Eat A 79-Year-Old Soup? ›

As long as no ingredients detrimental to human health are added, and the soup is constantly boiled to temperatures that will kill off harmful bacteria, the soup can be added to and eaten for a long, long time. Maybe one day you'll get a chance to eat a soup that's older than you.

The pot is never or rarely emptied all the way, and ingredients and liquid are replenished as necessary. Such foods can continue cooking for decades or longer if properly maintained.

And yes, because it's always kept at boiling temperature (there was a close call on June 14 when Shayne briefly blew a fuse making toast), and the ingredients are cycled out at a fast pace, it should be safe to eat. Perpetual stews have been around for a while and “have simmered for years on end!” she notes.

According to HowStuffWorks, as long as it is maintained at 200 degrees F (93 degrees C), which is the temperature required for a steady simmer, nothing bad can grow.

It all comes down to temperature. The danger zone is from 40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. or 4.4 to 60 degrees Celsius.

In Japan, the restaurant Otaf*cku in the Asakusa district of Tokyo serves a stew called oden, which has been replenished constantly since 1945. The only reason it doesn't date back until 1916, when the restaurant opened, is said to be because that soup was lost in a World War II air raid.

the soup, it's completely safe to eat. And over the 45 years, the broth has gotten better and better. I guess. I'll let you know how my stomach's doing in a few days.

“While bone broth can be a nutritious addition to the diet and is generally considered safe to consume, there are some concerns that should be noted,” Wohlford says. These include the risk of consuming too many heavy metals, which can seep into the broth from the animal bones during the cooking process.

Look for mold: If you see any mold growing on the surface of the soup, it's definitely time to throw it out. Check the texture: If the soup has become slimy or has a strange texture, it's a sign that it's gone bad. Taste a small amount: If you're still not sure, you can taste a small amount of the soup.

To be completely safe, you'll have to boil the soup vigorously for 10 minutes. Doing this will not only kill off any active bacteria, it will also inactivate -- but not destroy -- botulinum spores.

What happens if you have expired soup? ›

Manufactured canned goods are still safe to eat after that time. There is a catch, however. Baker says, "The further you get from the expiration date, the more the quality of the product may be lost." So although you can still eat that can of soup, the color, taste, and texture might be affected.

At the time of writing, the stew's been brewing for more than 40 days and counting. (However, a soup joint over in Bangkok has her beat by a solid 4 decades, with their version of a perpetual stew that has been simmering for over 45 years.)

While this stew requires extended cooking time (and the tricky logistics of keeping a simmer going even when you may be away), some recipes also encourage freezing some of the mixture, allowing it to further develop a spicy-sourness.

The food danger zone is that place between 40 and 140 °F where pathogens grow most quickly. It can take a long time to get through the danger zone when cooling a large batch of chili, soup or stew. The soup must cool from 140 to 70 °F in 2 hours and from 70 to 40 °F in no more than 4 hours.

USDA recommends using cooked leftovers within 3 to 4 days. There are two different families of bacteria: pathogenic bacteria, the kind that cause foodborne illness, and spoilage bacteria, the kind of bacteria that cause foods to deteriorate and develop unpleasant odors, tastes, and textures.

Low-acid canned goods, such as meat, poultry, fish, gravy, stew, soups, beans, carrots, corn, pasta, peas, potatoes and spinach) can be stored three to four days.

Place cooked and cooled stew in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To Reheat. Gently reheat leftovers in a Dutch oven or similar large pot/skillet on the stovetop over medium-low heat, adding splashes of broth as needed.