When bread gets a moldy spot on it, do you discard it? Or do you remove the moldy spot?

Question

Me? I'll discard the entire thing. I've been known to discard an entire loaf of bread just because of one slice that had a moldy spot on it. ( ^ _ ^ ) What if the spores traveled to the other pieces of bread? You can't see the spores! Yeah, so what. I know the whole mold penicillin theory. Whatever! You eat it! I'm not gonna eat anything that's green except for guacamole!
Comments?

Also, the mold penicillin thingy is not a theory it's a fact. Just in case some rocket scientist wanna be starts spouting off! ( ^ _ ^ )

Nick V, While I'll agree with you, here in America we opt not to eat mold for obvious and various reasons! ( ^ _ ^ )

Answer 1

I discard it because the fungus might have already spread throughout the whole bread (even if it is not visible to the naked eye)... I agree with you. It's better to be safe than sorry later.

Answer 2

I'm sure thats fine. but who knows. maybe the mold has spread throughout all of the bread! O: I am a breadaholic and i recently ate about 4 pieces of moldy bread. I was unaware that it was moldy though. I've been extremely sick for 3 days now. This may be a coincidence or the bread. But if you tear the mold off, that may be okay. Just be very carefull. Stay Well. xx

Answer 3

Sorry to Barbara above, but ergot is a raw-grain mold, not the mold found on bread. The mold on bread isn't bad for you, though it doesn't taste particularly good. Think about it: where did that mold come from when it started growing on your bread? It came from the air you breath, in fact, it probably hitched its ride on your own dander. If you are so paranoid (not to mention wasteful), perhaps you should be bleaching down your counters hourly, and spraying lysol almost continuously. OK, that was uncalled for, but I am trying to make a point: the mold isn't going to kill you, it isn't even going to make you ill (although the taste of it may make you gag, but that is just a reflex).

Whether to eat, trim, toss a slice, or toss a loaf I think depends primarily on economics, and here in the USofA we are so rich as to toss loaves without blinking, we can afford to do that. That doesn't mean it is necessary or the right thing to do.

Answer 4

I tend to agree with Nick V. I only dump around the bad slices. Never touch anything bad. I keep my bread in the freezer so this is not an issue though. However, if cheese gets mold, I cut it off and use it anyhow. Same with some vegetables and fruit, but not often.

I figure that, like germs. this is part of life. We wrap ourselves in bubble wrap in North American. We never expose ourselves to anything suspicious. That is one reason for pandemics, no previous exposure to things so our bodies are not ready for the onslaught of the real world.

In Medieval Europe people were often killed from eating moldy bread. Ergot is a disease of cereals that has had considerable historical impact. The fungus produces toxins that cause ergotism in animals, including humans. The worst was rye.

Ergotism may cause either gangrenous or convulsive reactions and has been associated with several great historical events, such as the Salem witch trials, the invasion of France by Norsemen, and the failure of Peter the Great to capture the Dardanelles.

Ergot chemicals are widely used in medicine, for example as a vasoconstricting agent in the treatment of migraine and in childbirth. If I remember correctly it was worst with the rye breads so popular at the time.

Answer 5

It depends on how hungry I am. I hate to throw away an entire loaf if there is only mold on one piece. I have eaten bread from a loaf that had a little mold - have never eaten the moldy piece though! I haven't died yet!

Answer 6

I too, have thrown away an entire loaf of bread....but, on the flip side, if I don't have any other bread in the house and really need a slice, I'll throw away the bad stuff and use the good bread.

Answer 7

It's very good to throw the whoel loaf away for exactly the reason you said - the spores. Unfortunatly I pick off the mold and will eat the bread if it's toasted. I hate to waste!

Answer 8

Depends on how big the spot is. If it is smaller than my finger nail I will just pick it off. My family always told me not to waste food.

Once when i was younger I was at my Grandma's house and I was eating an apple and it was soft and didn't taste the best. So after a few bites I threw it away. My Grandma was appalled and pulled it out of the trash, lectured me for wasting food and then she finished my apple. That's just the way it is in my family.

You gotta understand many people who grew up during or shortly after the depression are less wasteful. They realize that food is not something that just magically appears on shelves in stores. Luckily not many people in America knows what it means to go hungry.

Answer 9

I would throw it away because there
could be some mold spores inside the bread thar you can't see. I think if they use mold for penicillin they procces it , a lot.
So it doesn't bother you. Never take a chance on getting sick, if you can prevent it.

Answer 10

i get rid of the piece with the moldy spot then i look through the rest of the loaf to make sure that there isn't more moldy pieces, if there is then i throw out the whole laof and go to the store and buy a new loaf of bread

Answer 11

Ah you Americans...so cavalier with a loaf of bread with a little green spot that would keep 3 people alive for a day in the poor parts my country....