Under what circumstances is relying on taste for food assessment sometimes mentioned?

Answer

For ambiguous home-canned goods where other signs are not definitive, though it is still advised against.

Taste is positioned as the absolute last resort when attempting to ascertain food quality, primarily because it carries the highest risk of causing illness if dangerous pathogens are present. Even a minimal taste of contaminated food can lead to sickness if pathogens are present, regardless of whether the flavor seems slightly off. There are niche scenarios, such as assessing home-canned goods where visual and textural cues are unclear, where relying on taste might be mentioned contextually. However, this mention always comes with a strong warning that the inherent risk associated with ingesting potential contaminants far outweighs the minimal benefit of confirming safety through taste.

Under what circumstances is relying on taste for food assessment sometimes mentioned?
foodtestSafetyspoilagedetection