ground beef or meat in general......

[momma4]

how old is too old? I have 4lbs of beef that has started to discolor but still has plenty of red middle. I can't afford to waste food I just need to know when to know I have to throw meat out. thanks in advance

[PrincessPerky]

It'll stink. but I don't know a day number. If you were pregnant you would know . (or you might not be able to stand raw beef period)

I aim for withing 2 or 3 days, and it usually loses some pink (the pink is often dye anyway)

[34saving]

I'm with PrincessPerky. If it goes bad you'll know! Just make sure you cook it throughly (Gee, I bet you never thought of that ) BTW, sometimes with large quantities of ground beef I fry it all and put it in 1 or 2 pound bags in the freezer. Makes it easier when the time to use it comes and I never have to worry about freshness.

[momma4]

Originally Posted by 34saving

I'm with PrincessPerky. If it goes bad you'll know! Just make sure you cook it throughly (Gee, I bet you never thought of that ) BTW, sometimes with large quantities of ground beef I fry it all and put it in 1 or 2 pound bags in the freezer. Makes it easier when the time to use it comes and I never have to worry about freshness.

That sounds like a good idea I think I might try that then there will be very little worry if it goes bad as much. The beef I had that I was questioning turned out pretty well I just scrapped off all til I got down to the pink and just made meat loaf with it and added veggitian beans, mushrooms for filling with extra bread crumbs. The kids liked it but my dh and his friend didn't.

[BillsGirl]

princess perky has it right, usually by the odor, meat will change color and it's ok but once it smells wretched it's time to chuck it, if it's been in the freezer it should be ok too but don;'t keep freezing and un freezing thats bad for the meat and prmotoes bacteria growth!

[momma4]

Originally Posted by BillsGirl

princess perky has it right, usually by the odor, meat will change color and it's ok but once it smells wretched it's time to chuck it, if it's been in the freezer it should be ok too but don;'t keep freezing and un freezing thats bad for the meat and prmotoes bacteria growth!

I was told that meat can be frozen up to 3 months past its sell by date?!

[PrincessPerky]

I have no idea how long it can go, but the main trouble is with thawing, and then freezing. If you thaw it (even partially) cook it (or recook it) before you refreeze it.

[momma4]

Originally Posted by PrincessPerky

I have no idea how long it can go, but the main trouble is with thawing, and then freezing. If you thaw it (even partially) cook it (or recook it) before you refreeze it.

that makes sense. so if I do the cook and freeze it will have to be the day I buy it for less of a chance of the bacteria growth. I was considering starting making meals then freezing them then having them ready for reheating ahead of time that way I make sure food is actually used for meals like I intending them to be. I have way too many munchers here who think the kitchen is open 24/7

[amomof4]

So long as it doesn't smell bad, it's ok. In ancient days, spoiled beef was used all the time. They just used spices to cover it up.

[BillsGirl]

I had a friend who is a chef cook a meal for me and he didn't tell me what it was until I had finished it, It was good but it molded beef (steak) and appreantly it helps build immunities in the body??? I can tell you that I did NOT get sick from eating that but I probably wouldn't eat it again because the thought is pretty bad!!

[PrincessPerky]

Gross!!!!!

[momma4]

Originally Posted by BillsGirl

I had a friend who is a chef cook a meal for me and he didn't tell me what it was until I had finished it, It was good but it molded beef (steak) and appreantly it helps build immunities in the body??? I can tell you that I did NOT get sick from eating that but I probably wouldn't eat it again because the thought is pretty bad!!

OMG lol how mean not tellng you but then again you would not have eatten it either. I have eatten bad chicken meat before and so have my kids in the past but only like a few bites til I said go get some cereal. I did not know it was bad til we bit into it. I just don't want to get to that point again that is why I started this thread. I had about 2lbs of beef that was questionable but it all turned out good I am just going to be crockpoting for this week pinching every dimes and penny.

[BillsGirl]

Thats, good, I am glad it turned out ok!
The meat didn't taste bad it was just the thought of it that killed me!!

[cicy33]

So you can fully cook hamburger and then freeze it? For how long?

[momma4]

Originally Posted by cicy33

So you can fully cook hamburger and then freeze it? For how long?

I was told you can cook it and freeze it and just like raw meat it can be up there for 3 months I hope I am right LOL

[zacsmum]

Maybe i can help, i work in a meat department. For starters, i don't know what the policy is in America but in Austalia we do NOT put dye of any kind in mince, it's against health regulations. Our mince is made with 100 % beef, lamb,pork, veal or chicken (depending on what mince you are buying). We do not add ANY additives at all, this is also against health regulations. Our hamburger mince is made from ground boneless shin beef or chuck steak, our middle grade mince (choice) is made from blade or round with a medium level of fat and our extra lean mince is made from blade, round or topside which has been trimmed of almost all fat. It's our policy that any food sold to the public has to have an ingredients list and nutritional panel if it has any additives in it.

Mince should be either eaten or frozen within two days of it being made. You can defrost mince, cook it and refreeze but you shouldn't freeze it, defrost and refreeze any kind of meat without cooking it first. Mince, either raw or cooked, can be frozen for up to three months.

Hope this helps

[cicy33]

They put dye in everything in this country! Did you know that they dye the apples? It is supposed to be harmless but they do it to make us think it is better than it is. I prefer a REAL apple personally.

[zacsmum]

They DYE the apples? That's terrible! Some of the apples we get in the supermarkets are polished to make them shiny but i've never heard of dying them before!

[PrincessPerky]

They are waxed too least some of them.

[cicy33]

Since real apples are not perfect in color they dye them to make them redder. If you have ever bit into an apple and there appears to be a "smearing" of red on the inside of the peel. That is the dye. I am not sure about the hamburger but it would stand to reason that the red is not real on hit either!