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I just made a batch of soy based marinade, I then used a spoon to pour said marinade over some chicken, swirled it about, and mistakenly double dipped (put it back in the marinade). The marinade was going to be kept in the fridge.

Can I feasibly keep the marinade for future use or is this unsafe?

Cascabel
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matthewjewell
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  • Cross contamination is a huge culprit in foodborne illness, so that marinade is definitely suspect and shouldn't be used on any ready-to-eat food. Depending on what you're saving it for, you could probably bring it to a boil and re-chill it, but I'd always err on the side of safety. – SourDoh Aug 28 '13 at 21:09

2 Answers2

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Not completely clear on what you've done. If you used the spoon just to pour over the chicken, from a few inches or more above, then the spoon wasn't actually contaminated (provided you didn't get splashes of chicken juice on it). If you used it to stir the chicken in the marinade, or to rub the marinade on the chicken, or it otherwise came into contact, then yes its considered contaminated.

Assuming it is contaminated, it is safe provided you treat it as you would chicken: store it in the fridge, not for more than a day or two; cook it thoroughly before consuming; don't let come into contact with other food (or that food will be potentially contaminated as well), etc.

You could also go ahead and cook it now; you can then store it like you would leftovers.

If you need to store it longer, freezing it will keep it safe. Most marinades will handle freezing fine, though you may need to re-mix it upon thawing.

I suggest labeling it—especially if you freeze it—so you don't forget that its potentially contaminated.

derobert
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  • I deliberately left the original phrasing in when I edited, but I believe "swirled it about" refers to stirring the meat and marinade together in some way. – Cascabel Aug 28 '13 at 22:06
  • @Jefromi I'm guessing so, but I figure its worth the extra two sentences to be clear. – derobert Aug 28 '13 at 22:22
  • I assumed the spoon was used to spread the marinade over the meat. So the spoon briefly touched the surface of the meat and then went back into the marinade. – Sobachatina Aug 28 '13 at 22:28
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You should now treat the marinade as if it is carrying pathogens; use it only in a context where it will be fully cooked before being eaten and any food it is used on will also be full cooked before being eaten. Hold it (refrigerated) no more than 2 or 3 days. In essence, you are now treating it as you would chicken or another potentially hazardous food.

SAJ14SAJ
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