Tempeh

I will occasionally cook with tempeh, but am by no means an expert. Often, I see many pieces that have grey spots on it. I always put these ones back. The thing is, they aren't expired. Are these moldy or is this just a natural process? Is it safe to use?

skittle
  • Posted by: skittle
  • September 25, 2011
  • 3094 views
  • 2 Comments

2 Comments

skittle
skittle September 27, 2011
I can't tell you how helpful that is! There's been so many times that I've either thrown it out or returned it to the store because I thought it was rancid!
 
robin.asbell
robin.asbell September 25, 2011
Tempeh is made by culturing soybeans (and sometimes add-ins like wild rice, veggies, etc) and then keeping it warm so that a mycelium of beneficial mold grows around the beans, creating the cake. When the tempeh sits in the store for a while, some of that good, cultured mold (think cheese, not leftovers) blooms a little. As long as its not all black, or spotted with reds and pinks, its just fine. You should always steam it or cook it well to deactivate any living microorganisms, just to be on the safe side. The up side of this process is that the action of the molds makes lots of good things in the beans more digestible and absorbable.
 
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