I bought some ground beef and chicken breasts on Tuesday (afternoon) with the intention of freezing them, but due to various events and forgetfulness I did not get around to actually freezing them until yesterday morning. At the time I notice that the beef seemed a little off but I wasn’t sure if it was just light exposure and for whatever reason I froze it (and the chicken) anyway. Now it occurs to me that that was a long time for it to sit in the fridge, and it may not be safe to eat any longer, even if I cook it until it is well-done. No need to worry as I haven’t eaten any of it yet, but should I throw it away? Is it unsafe for human consumption? Any difference between the two?
By ‘two’ I mean the beef vs. the chicken, sorry if that was unclear.
I’m gonna take a line from my pal De Niro in Ronin. “Whenever there is doubt, there is no doubt.” If it’s bothering you, toss the meat. It’s better to be out a few $$$ worth of meat then be sick and have to go to the hospital, am I right? Or maybe that’s your idea of fun. Just kidding.
That meat’s been out for 5 days. Chuck the lot.
Read the OP. She said it was in the fridge. Uncooked meat keeps fairly well in the refrigerator, and since it’s been less than a week, the meat should be just fine. Just follow safe cooking guidelines and you’ll be fine.
Well, I’m adding “toss the meat” to my vocabulary of euphemisms.
My experience is that once you have asked the question and thought “that looks funny” nothing will get rid of your worries. You will think it smells weird when you cook it and when you serve it up. You will taste 2 mouthfuls and then toss it anyway. Feed it to someones pets.
I’d give it the smell test myself, but I seem to be somewat immune to (or at least have a high tolerance to noticable symptoms of) mild food poisoning. I have also drank out of streams and been OK while my friends drank the same water and came down with giardia. If you are worried, I think you should toss it.
On an unrelated note, sometimes I find that “tossing the meat” helps me fall asleep.
I’ll go with the “toss it” crowd. Like don’t ask say’s, you won’t truly enjoy it now, so go get some that’s nice and fresh.
I wouldn’t neccessarily feed it to the pets, though.
Peace,
mangeorge
As long as you cook it properly you shouldn’t have to worry about bacteria and the like, but like don’t ask said, the taste might not be too pleasant.
Check the best-before or expiry date. That will tell you how long it was safe with ordinary refrigeration.
If there is no “best before” date, then put it, unlabelled, in the back of your freezer. Like most everybody else you’ll forget all about it in a few months. Then you’ll eat it. If you don’t get sick, everything’s fine. If you do get sick, you’ll think it’s a stomach flu. Or you’ll die. Whatever. Let us know which of these happens.
Well, the “Best Before” date went out with the rest of the trash this morning, so no luck there. Since no one has appeared with dire warnings of my impending death if I eat the meat, I will probably toss the shady ground beef but keep the chicken breasts (since they seemed normal to me).
Since my health is involved, if anyone thinks that still spells impending food poisoning, please let me know.
I’ll take the ground beef off your hands. It might brown a bit on the surface in the fridge and take on a “funny” odor, but it’s perfectly safe to eat. I’ve kept ground beef in the refirigerator for as long as two weeks with no ill effects. As long as it’s thoroughly cooked, there’s no concern about food poisoning. If you’re concerned about the taste, make it into a nice meatloaf or have a taco night or something. Hamburger Helper is good too.
According to this site poultry and mince should only be refrigerated for 1-2 days.
The site don’t ask posted says those numbers are just a rough guide, mainly concerned with the quality of the meat rather than its safety.