I have some spaghetti sauce thats been in the fridge about 3 days…I wonder if its still good, does the acidity in the tomato sauce make the hamburger stay good longer?
It’s fine. It keeps longer because it’s cooked.
I think you’ll be fine- as long as you cooked the beef before putting it in the sauce.
It will probably keep longer than a similar amount of cooked ground beef for a number of reasons
- The sauce is mildly acidic. This in itself will help delay bacterial action
- You have brought the sauce to a boil while preparing it, this helped to eliminate any bacteria present in the hamburger.
3)The sauce prevents air from getting to the meat. Although air itself will not cause the meat to spoil, it wiull oxidize the proteins, partially breaking it down and making it more “palatable” to various bacterial beasties.
All this being said, an acidic, abiotic, oxygen starved environment is IDEAL for various anaerobic bacteria such as Salmonella. So, you best advice is to freeze it if you plan on leaving it for more than 3 days.
The following is a great Bachelor trick.
Store your excess sauce in ziploc freezer bags, about 1/3 full. Freeze it. When next the desire for a speedy, yummy pasta dish strikes, throw the bag in with the boiling pasta, positioning it so that the zip lock top stays above the water line.
when your pasta is cooked, your sauce is hot and ready to pour on, right out of the bag. NOTE - Its gonna be HOT!, mind the steam, and be careful!
Regards
FML
3 days is nothing if you’re talking spaghetti sauce. I wouldn’t start getting leary until 7-10 days in a refridgerator, maybe more if your fridge is 33-34 degrees. The meat will still be fine if it was cooked in the sauce beforehand.
If you’re really paranoid, go ahead and heat it up until it’s good and boiling. That’ll kill any bacteria in it. (Not safe to do if it’s already spoiled. Yes, you kill the bacteria, but that bacteria has already produced lots of other toxins you don’t want to eat.)
In my experience, spaghetti sauce is good up until the point you start finding little white mold colonies popping up. Then ya gotta toss it.
I’ve used spaghetti sauce that has been properly refrigerated for 2 weeks with absolutely no adverse affects. Just make sure the burger is thoroughly browned before adding the sauce. Keep it in an air tight container (not necessarily a vacuum container). Reheat it thoroughly before using it.
If you ever see mold, except on cheese, discard it all. Mold on cheese can be cut away and the rest of it is fine. Don’t use that rule on other refrigerated items like spaghetti sauce.