Author Topic: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?  (Read 7172 times)

RapmasterD

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Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« on: February 02, 2015, 03:23:26 PM »
Yes, I did a web search. But you folks are so much more...ummm...trustworthy.

I made a batch of pork ragu last Friday night (tomatoes, olive oil, pork, spices -- no dairy).

My intent is to serve the leftovers tomorrow night -- that is four days in a 41 degree refrigerator. Are we OK on that?

Capsu78

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Re: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2015, 04:07:41 PM »
I would serve it , but no later than tomorrow so long as the pork you used was on its first serve and not repurposed from an earlier meal (most of my meat in sauces is second served). 
FWIW, I have served a lot of homemade food in my life and I have never poisoned anyone...as far as I know :-)

Numbers Man

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Re: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2015, 04:12:15 PM »
I've stored cooked ground beef with sauce and  pasta for over a week with no problem. If in doubt, let the smell test be your guide.

RapmasterD

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Re: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2015, 04:55:24 PM »
Thanks. Pork was first-served and came from frozen (before I thawed it) -- straight from a farm about 25 miles from where I live.

I ate half the sauce just now. Damn it was good.

Thanks again.

ltt

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Re: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2015, 04:57:53 PM »
You might want to consider lowering your fridge a few degrees.

thedayisbrave

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Re: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« Reply #5 on: February 02, 2015, 05:00:01 PM »
I've stored cooked ground beef with sauce and  pasta for over a week with no problem. If in doubt, let the smell test be your guide.
+1

PEIslander

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Re: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« Reply #6 on: February 02, 2015, 05:09:09 PM »
You might want to consider lowering your fridge a few degrees.

And make sure it is heated thoroughly before re-serving. I'd cook it a bit more than usual hoping that will terminate any stubborn bacteria. Then I'd serve it to my family but hold off eating it myself. If they say it seems funky I'd definitely eat something else -you know- so I can look after them when they are sick. That's the least I can do.

Capsu78

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Re: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« Reply #7 on: February 02, 2015, 05:18:35 PM »
Where is there a pork farm 25 miles in any direction of the SF Peninsula?  Or is it free range, highly ironic Hipster pork?  :-)

(I spent 14 years in the East Bay so I am geographically interested in the serious answer.)

dragoncar

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Re: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« Reply #8 on: February 02, 2015, 05:31:49 PM »
You might want to consider lowering your fridge a few degrees.

I've stored cooked ground beef with sauce and  pasta for over a week with no problem. If in doubt, let the smell test be your guide.
+1

+1.  I would eat (not serve) two week old meat sauce but I keep my fridge at 33.  That said, tomato sauce is typically quite acidic and would last longer than other foods.

Mr. Frugalwoods

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Re: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« Reply #9 on: February 02, 2015, 07:49:26 PM »
I've done beef based red sauce in the fridge for over a week.  Don't know if I'd serve it to company after that long...  but it sure didn't make me ill.

m8547

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Re: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« Reply #10 on: February 02, 2015, 09:19:58 PM »
Usually tomato sauce will get moldy before anything else happens. If the meat was fully, thoroughly cooked then bacteria isn't much of a concern. If in doubt, simmer it for a few minutes, making sure it gets hot all the way through. Heat over 160F for a few minutes kills most bacteria that might make you sick, and higher heat will destroy some toxins.

According to the CDC,
Quote
Despite its extreme potency, botulinum toxin is easily destroyed. Heating to an internal temperature of 85°C for at least 5 minutes will decontaminate affected food or drink.
But they still don't recommend ever eating food that is suspected to have botulism, for obvious reasons.

Mycotoxins produced by mold seem to be heat stable, so don't mess with mold. Though I will admit I had some maple syrup get moldy on the surface, so I skimmed it off, boiled it, and consumed the rest without any problems. That stuff is too expensive to waste.

I recently had some milk that lasted two months past the expiration date. A roommate forgot about it, but it didn't smell bad, so I used it anyway. I don't drink mili, but I used it for pancakes and stuff. I tasted some raw to make sure it was OK, and it tasted fine, and I didn't get sick.

Just about anything will last a week in the fridge, and most stuff will last longer. Foods high in acid or low in moisture tend to last longer. Tomatoes are only marginally acidic (and it varies by tomato) so most of the commercial sauces you can buy have extra acid added to improve shelf life. I don't like it.

I don't think I've ever gotten foodbourne illness from anything I've prepared.

RapmasterD

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Re: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« Reply #11 on: February 02, 2015, 09:42:42 PM »
You might want to consider lowering your fridge a few degrees.

And make sure it is heated thoroughly before re-serving. I'd cook it a bit more than usual hoping that will terminate any stubborn bacteria. Then I'd serve it to my family but hold off eating it myself. If they say it seems funky I'd definitely eat something else -you know- so I can look after them when they are sick. That's the least I can do.

NICE!!! And au contraire. My wife is the earner. So who cares if I drop?

RapmasterD

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Re: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« Reply #12 on: February 02, 2015, 09:44:00 PM »
Where is there a pork farm 25 miles in any direction of the SF Peninsula?  Or is it free range, highly ironic Hipster pork?  :-)

(I spent 14 years in the East Bay so I am geographically interested in the serious answer.)

Moon Meadow Farms in Pescadero. They hit a couple of the area farmer's markets. Not a pork farm. Mostly beef, but they do come in with some pig and lamb lovelies every now and then. The bacon. Oh, the bacon...

Not hipster, BTW. Pretty old school.

Isn't it gonna be hilarious when hipster becomes old and cliché?

I love hipsters.

I love hipster music (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw5PVGcDbEA).

But I also love making fun of hipsters. Yay Bud! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siHU_9ec94c
« Last Edit: February 02, 2015, 09:53:16 PM by RapmasterD »

Capsu78

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Re: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« Reply #13 on: February 03, 2015, 04:21:27 PM »
RapMasterD,
I got to thinking about a pork based pasta sauce I made last year from the leftovers of our crown pork Christmas dinner- it turned out fantastic.  I let the bones simmer for a while but I heard a tip on Cooking tv you may want to try... when you begin sautéing the onions or whatever, toss in a couple of anchovy
 fillets- the kind packed in oil.  I also drizzled a little of the oil in too, for good measure.
My totally anti anchovy  household  said the sauce was great and never once found me out.

RapmasterD

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Re: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« Reply #14 on: February 03, 2015, 04:38:01 PM »
RapMasterD,
I got to thinking about a pork based pasta sauce I made last year from the leftovers of our crown pork Christmas dinner- it turned out fantastic.  I let the bones simmer for a while but I heard a tip on Cooking tv you may want to try... when you begin sautéing the onions or whatever, toss in a couple of anchovy
 fillets- the kind packed in oil.  I also drizzled a little of the oil in too, for good measure.
My totally anti anchovy  household  said the sauce was great and never once found me out.

NICE! I'll do that next time. I love anchovies. And I'm the CEO of cooking in our household. Thanks again.

jmusic

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Re: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« Reply #15 on: February 03, 2015, 04:57:45 PM »
But I also love making fun of hipsters. Yay Bud! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siHU_9ec94c

I was a bit miffed about that commercial, and most folks would laugh if I was called a hipster.  Anheuser Busch also happens to own quite a few microbreweries anyway!

wtjbatman

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Re: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« Reply #16 on: February 03, 2015, 05:37:29 PM »
If it goes from red sauce to green sauce, I'd avoid it. Until then, enjoy a plate and an ice cold Bud (or rolling rock...)

RapmasterD

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Re: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« Reply #17 on: February 03, 2015, 09:52:53 PM »
But I also love making fun of hipsters. Yay Bud! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siHU_9ec94c

I was a bit miffed about that commercial, and most folks would laugh if I was called a hipster.  Anheuser Busch also happens to own quite a few microbreweries anyway!

I looked at ABInBEV's annual report today. The people who shit on Bud probably get laughed at quite a bit at their HQ in Belgium, given that they own so many dominant global brands, not to mention their recent microbrew buying spree.

RapmasterD

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Re: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« Reply #18 on: February 03, 2015, 09:54:14 PM »
If it goes from red sauce to green sauce, I'd avoid it. Until then, enjoy a plate and an ice cold Bud (or rolling rock...)

NICE!! It's all gone, and I am still here. I'm here to tell you that in a cold fridge, four days is OK. As a matter of fact, when eating it earlier this

LadyStache

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Re: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« Reply #19 on: February 04, 2015, 08:40:43 AM »
I love using http://www.eatbydate.com/ for questions like this.

wtjbatman

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Re: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« Reply #20 on: February 04, 2015, 08:43:08 AM »
If it goes from red sauce to green sauce, I'd avoid it. Until then, enjoy a plate and an ice cold Bud (or rolling rock...)

NICE!! It's all gone, and I am still here. I'm here to tell you that in a cold fridge, four days is OK. As a matter of fact, when eating it earlier this

Where'd the rest of your post go? Did you die while typing it?

RIP RapmasterD

RapmasterD

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Re: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« Reply #21 on: February 04, 2015, 04:00:57 PM »
If it goes from red sauce to green sauce, I'd avoid it. Until then, enjoy a plate and an ice cold Bud (or rolling rock...)

NICE!! It's all gone, and I am still here. I'm here to tell you that in a cold fridge, four days is OK. As a matter of fact, when eating it earlier this

Where'd the rest of your post go? Did you die while typing it?

RIP RapmasterD

Well...you got the joke!!!

dragoncar

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Re: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« Reply #22 on: February 04, 2015, 05:00:14 PM »
If it goes from red sauce to green sauce, I'd avoid it. Until then, enjoy a plate and an ice cold Bud (or rolling rock...)

NICE!! It's all gone, and I am still here. I'm here to tell you that in a cold fridge, four days is OK. As a matter of fact, when eating it earlier this

Where'd the rest of your post go? Did you die while typing it?

RIP RapmasterD

Well...you got the joke!!!

I usually click "post" after I die

Polaria

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Re: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« Reply #23 on: February 05, 2015, 10:03:26 AM »
From my experience I'd say the sauce should hold 5 days in a fridge kept between 32 and 39 F.
« Last Edit: February 05, 2015, 10:05:13 AM by Polaria »

FarmerPete

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Re: Meat-based tomato sauce: how long in the refrigerator?
« Reply #24 on: February 05, 2015, 02:39:20 PM »
4 days had you worried?  The only way I'd be worried after 4 days is if it was smelly.  That store bought sauce has so many preservatives in it, you'd probably be fine for weeks.  I can't imagine the pork would change the equation that much.  What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger or dead.  Either way, you won't care in a few weeks.

 

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