Author Topic: (this) meat - okay to eat????  (Read 3695 times)

scrubbyfish

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(this) meat - okay to eat????
« on: October 26, 2014, 10:11:54 AM »
I was disorganized with some ground beef.
Froze it, then thawed it unwrapped (in the fridge), didn't get around to cooking it til now.

So, today it:

-has been in the freezer then fridge every second
-has been thawing then thawed for a total of one week
-was thawed uncovered, so the outer layer dried out, looked dark red
-no smell whatsoever when I took it out
-when I cooked it, the outer dried layer turned black in the pan

Okay to eat this?? As it's been in the fridge, and has no smell, and is being cooked thoroughly, my only concern is around the part that had dried out pre-cooking.

totoro

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Re: (this) meat - okay to eat????
« Reply #1 on: October 26, 2014, 10:20:29 AM »
No.  This is not okay to eat.  Storage time for ground beef raw is 1-2 days in the fridge.  It would have thawed the first day.  You are risking food poisoning.

jennifers

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Re: (this) meat - okay to eat????
« Reply #2 on: October 26, 2014, 10:24:53 AM »
Food poisoning sucks and it's not worth getting it to save a few dollars. 

Prairie Stash

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Re: (this) meat - okay to eat????
« Reply #3 on: October 26, 2014, 10:31:47 AM »
Thoroughly cooked it's okay. It might taste horrible though. If you can stand the taste and texture I would eat it. However I would understand tossing it out due to the ick factor.

Food poisoning occurs from partially cooked foods. It's from bacteria that are killed under heat, ground beef is more prone to it because some people miss the middle parts and stop cooking too soon.

scrubbyfish

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Re: (this) meat - okay to eat????
« Reply #4 on: October 26, 2014, 10:42:28 AM »
Thanks, everyone!!

We're going to skip it, then. I guess I was coming from that place of having just spent two years training myself to eat scavenged food (exBF), expired food (low-income food store), etc. It was a miracle that I'd managed to progress from "only brand new super fresh foods from Whole Foods" to these, lol, and now it's stuck some. That's good in some things, but this seemed iffy.

My kid and I had norovirus last February (?) -which is famous for being confused in symptoms with food poisoning. There is definitely no way I'm willing for either of us to voluntarily go through anything like that again!

I will just consider it a $5 homeschooling moment: I used the beef to teach my son how to make a curried beef and potato. Next homeschooling lesson, for both mama and child: How long various meats can safely be refrigerated for :)

Mr. Frugalwoods

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Re: (this) meat - okay to eat????
« Reply #5 on: October 26, 2014, 10:43:35 AM »
Honestly, the only thing some randos on the internet are going to be able to tell you is that "it might be fine".  Depends on your personal risk level.

Would I eat it?  Probably.  But I'd cook the shit out of it and add enough hot sauce so that I didn't need to taste it.

tracylayton

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Re: (this) meat - okay to eat????
« Reply #6 on: October 26, 2014, 11:54:24 AM »
No! Some bacteria produce toxins. Even if you destroy the bacteria by cooking it, the toxin will still be there. Not worth taking a chance.

scrubbyfish

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Re: (this) meat - okay to eat????
« Reply #7 on: October 26, 2014, 01:12:04 PM »
Honestly, the only thing some randos on the internet are going to be able to tell you is that "it might be fine".

It's true! And going in with my q, I knew that if by the time I went to eat a half hour later, a chorus was saying, "Oh, it's totally fine, I eat that all the time," I would have eaten it, while if even one person said, "No, there are serious facts and considerations in play," I wouldn't. That reflects my risk tolerance :)   

It's all long down the toilet now!

I really appreciate all the info about refrigeration times (for which I've now found a chart on the 'net, and will consider from now on), toxins beyond bacteria, etc. I prefer making informed decisions vs ones based on my exBF's voice in my head telling me I'm stupid, brainwashed, and wasteful for throwing out $5 in food, and that's what I needed help with this morning, so thanks!