When ground beef turns brown

[dug777]

It's called 'mince'.

At least, in the rest of the civilised world.

 

[Captante]

Originally posted by: Eli
It always amazes me how incredible stupid some of the food-related "rules" people have.

Three days? Christ. Is your refrigerator set to 65º? :roll:

My fridge is set to 34º and uncooked meat stays fresh for up to two weeks. Three days is ridiculous.

I just had some two week old fried chicken. Cooked, obviously, but it was still fine.. just a little dry.

If it is bad, you will know it the moment you bring your nose to it. Don't go by the smell you get when you open the package, there will be a lot of foul-smelling gasses that are released at the same time. Smell the meat.

How long you can keep food in storage is directly related to the tempeture you store it at ... the colder the temps the longer it lasts & at anything above 40f
shelf life will be greatly reduced, but although "3 days & its spoiled" is an exaggeration, eating none-processed meat thats been un-frozen for two weeks in the fridge just isn't a good idea ... processed meat products like hot dogs or lunch meat however are good up to 2 weeks if unopened.

Accurate gude to food shelf-life

Color by itself isn't an indication of spoilage, at least in red meat but rather a sign of oxygen deprivation ... for example hamburger will often look brown or gray while wrapped in plastic, but will turn bright red after a few minutes exposed to air. Smell is a much better indicater & the best rule is (as has already been said) "when in doubt, throw it out!"

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Captante

Originally posted by: Eli
It always amazes me how incredible stupid some of the food-related "rules" people have.

Three days? Christ. Is your refrigerator set to 65º? :roll:

My fridge is set to 34º and uncooked meat stays fresh for up to two weeks. Three days is ridiculous.

I just had some two week old fried chicken. Cooked, obviously, but it was still fine.. just a little dry.

If it is bad, you will know it the moment you bring your nose to it. Don't go by the smell you get when you open the package, there will be a lot of foul-smelling gasses that are released at the same time. Smell the meat.

How long you can keep food in storage is directly related to the tempeture you store it at ... the colder the temps the longer it lasts & at anything above 40f
shelf life will be greatly reduced, but although "3 days & its spoiled" is an exaggeration, eating none-processed meat thats been un-frozen for two weeks in the fridge just isn't a good idea ... processed meat products like hot dogs or lunch meat however are good up to 2 weeks if unopened.

Accurate gude to food shelf-life

Color by itself isn't an indication of spoilage, at least in red meat but rather a sign of oxygen deprivation ... for example hamburger will often look brown or gray while wrapped in plastic, but will turn bright red after a few minutes exposed to air. Smell is a much better indicater & the best rule is (as has already been said) "when in doubt, throw it out!"

That chart is crazy. I'd never abide by it.

I dunno. Two weeks may be an exaggeration, but I'm certain that one week is not.. Maybe a week and a half is the limit.

All I know is that I tried to save money on electricity by turning my fridge up to 45º once, and it did not save me money at all. I was shocked at how fast meats went bad at that temperature.

That experiment is the only time I've ever experienced meat spoilage. To my knowledge, I've never had food poisoning. I'm sure I've had mild cases, but nothing that I could attribute to a certain food.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: Eli
It always amazes me how incredible stupid some of the food-related "rules" people have.

Three days? Christ. Is your refrigerator set to 65º? :roll:

My fridge is set to 34º and uncooked meat stays fresh for up to two weeks. Three days is ridiculous.

I just had some two week old fried chicken. Cooked, obviously, but it was still fine.. just a little dry.

If it is bad, you will know it the moment you bring your nose to it. Don't go by the smell you get when you open the package, there will be a lot of foul-smelling gasses that are released at the same time. Smell the meat.

Ummm...that's not a fridge, it's a warm freezer

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Originally posted by: Eli
It always amazes me how incredible stupid some of the food-related "rules" people have.

Three days? Christ. Is your refrigerator set to 65º? :roll:

My fridge is set to 34º and uncooked meat stays fresh for up to two weeks. Three days is ridiculous.

I just had some two week old fried chicken. Cooked, obviously, but it was still fine.. just a little dry.

If it is bad, you will know it the moment you bring your nose to it. Don't go by the smell you get when you open the package, there will be a lot of foul-smelling gasses that are released at the same time. Smell the meat.

You're a fool. There's a HUGE difference between "uncooked meat" and ground beef. Ground beef has a life span of 3 days, maybe 4 tops no matter what temp you set your fridge. It's either frozen or it isn't and at 34* it isn't. It's not going to last anywhere close to 2 weeks anywhere outside of your fantasy world.

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: Eli

Originally posted by: Captante

Originally posted by: Eli
It always amazes me how incredible stupid some of the food-related "rules" people have.

Three days? Christ. Is your refrigerator set to 65º? :roll:

My fridge is set to 34º and uncooked meat stays fresh for up to two weeks. Three days is ridiculous.

I just had some two week old fried chicken. Cooked, obviously, but it was still fine.. just a little dry.

If it is bad, you will know it the moment you bring your nose to it. Don't go by the smell you get when you open the package, there will be a lot of foul-smelling gasses that are released at the same time. Smell the meat.

How long you can keep food in storage is directly related to the tempeture you store it at ... the colder the temps the longer it lasts & at anything above 40f
shelf life will be greatly reduced, but although "3 days & its spoiled" is an exaggeration, eating none-processed meat thats been un-frozen for two weeks in the fridge just isn't a good idea ... processed meat products like hot dogs or lunch meat however are good up to 2 weeks if unopened.

Accurate gude to food shelf-life

Color by itself isn't an indication of spoilage, at least in red meat but rather a sign of oxygen deprivation ... for example hamburger will often look brown or gray while wrapped in plastic, but will turn bright red after a few minutes exposed to air. Smell is a much better indicater & the best rule is (as has already been said) "when in doubt, throw it out!"

That chart is crazy. I'd never abide by it.

I dunno. Two weeks may be an exaggeration, but I'm certain that one week is not.. Maybe a week and a half is the limit.

All I know is that I tried to save money on electricity by turning my fridge up to 45º once, and it did not save me money at all. I was shocked at how fast meats went bad at that temperature.

That experiment is the only time I've ever experienced meat spoilage. To my knowledge, I've never had food poisoning. I'm sure I've had mild cases, but nothing that I could attribute to a certain food.

You flip out about preservatives but you toss any food sanitation rules right out the window, huh?

 

[Praxis1452]

I've eaten food left out for two days. course it was cooked but nonetheless I've never had food poisoning... heh

how many times do people get food poisoning say yearly? I don't remember when I've ever had it.

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: Praxis1452
I've eaten food left out for two days. course it was cooked but nonetheless I've never had food poisoning... heh

how many times do people get food poisoning say yearly? I don't remember when I've ever had it.

I've had it 3 or 4 times.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: BrunoPuntzJones
It's red because it's dyed that way, not naturally red.

bwah hah hah hahhhh!!!
It *is* naturally red. It's just that with oxidation, it starts to take on a brown color (i.e. as the OP pointed out.) A lot of customers think that it's bad as soon as there's some brown color to it (including a few in this thread.) Since the shelf life at a certain temperature is known, a few places dye it so that it *won't* turn to a brown color. Thus, ground beef that's perfectly fine, but has a very small area of oxidation, won't just sit on the shelf.

But still, it's naturally red when it's very fresh. Clue: when you go out to a farm or someplace where the people raise their own food (and food for others) and tell them it's not naturally red, they're going to smile at you. When you walk away, they're going to say to each other, "what a citiot!" (city + idiot) and laugh at you.

 

[alien42]

Originally posted by: dug777
It's called 'mince'.

At least, in the rest of the civilised world.

dont you have a game of cricket to watch or something

 

[feralkid]

Originally posted by: BrunoPuntzJones
It's red because it's dyed that way, not naturally red.

Correct. Also, it's called "ground" beef because it's from cows that walk on the ground, rather than flying cows.

 

[Superself]

Originally posted by: Accipiter22

Originally posted by: Eli
It always amazes me how incredible stupid some of the food-related "rules" people have.

Three days? Christ. Is your refrigerator set to 65º? :roll:

My fridge is set to 34º and uncooked meat stays fresh for up to two weeks. Three days is ridiculous.

I just had some two week old fried chicken. Cooked, obviously, but it was still fine.. just a little dry.

If it is bad, you will know it the moment you bring your nose to it. Don't go by the smell you get when you open the package, there will be a lot of foul-smelling gasses that are released at the same time. Smell the meat.

Exactly....my mom used to be ridiculous with this stuff. She took waaay too many food safety courses that try to scare the ****** out of you. So in the name of protecting us from various microbes, she'd cook steak until the inside was white. not purple. not pink. white. Completely juiceless. Chicken & pork tasted like cardboard. It's too bad because she was a great great great cook until she started doing it professionally. Ironically I would get food poisoning at least once per year eating her food somehow. In the few years I've lived on my own, I haven't had a severe bout once.

Are you serious?? I never got food poisoning from my mom's cooking, once a year would have me wondering if moms is trying to take me out!!

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: feralkid

Originally posted by: BrunoPuntzJones
It's red because it's dyed that way, not naturally red.

Correct. Also, it's called "ground" beef because it's from cows that walk on the ground, rather than flying cows.

Incorrect. Ground beef comes from under the ground, hence the name 'Ground Beef'. Wiki Subterranean Cows if you want more info.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: feralkid

Originally posted by: BrunoPuntzJones
It's red because it's dyed that way, not naturally red.

Correct. Also, it's called "ground" beef because it's from cows that walk on the ground, rather than flying cows.

Correct?! LOLOLOL

 

[Q]

Thought I should post this:
Today when I was working, I thought of ATOT. I work in a grocery store (Only 18 and not in college yet) a guy returned ground beef that was GRAY. It was so gross I almost gagged...he said he left it out to thaw and it turned like that. (probably didn't put it in the fridge to thaw like you're suppose to)

 

[icelazer]

Usually a week to week and a half is max for me. Once it goes solid brownish/gray, it's pretty well done for. If it's a close call, get it out of the package and start the preparation. If it's a little sticky, it's too far gone.

 

[imported_Baloo]

The brown you see on meat storede in the fridge is oxidation. To avoid it, pack in small sealed containers. It will not hurt you. Fresh meat will not last two weeks in the fridge as some here seem to suggest. Cooked meat can, but not fresh.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: Eli
It always amazes me how incredible stupid some of the food-related "rules" people have.

Three days? Christ. Is your refrigerator set to 65º? :roll:

My fridge is set to 34º and uncooked meat stays fresh for up to two weeks. Three days is ridiculous.

I just had some two week old fried chicken. Cooked, obviously, but it was still fine.. just a little dry.

If it is bad, you will know it the moment you bring your nose to it. Don't go by the smell you get when you open the package, there will be a lot of foul-smelling gasses that are released at the same time. Smell the meat.

You're a fool. There's a HUGE difference between "uncooked meat" and ground beef. Ground beef has a life span of 3 days, maybe 4 tops no matter what temp you set your fridge. It's either frozen or it isn't and at 34* it isn't. It's not going to last anywhere close to 2 weeks anywhere outside of your fantasy world.

Uh.....

That must be why all ground beef has an expiration date of 3 days beyond the date you buy it in the store.

Oh wait, it doesn't! :roll:

I bought a pound of ground beef on May 23rd. The expiration date on the package is June 1st.

I just opened it, and I am going to use it to grill tonight. The meat is fine.

It has been 11 days.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: Baloo
The brown you see on meat storede in the fridge is oxidation. To avoid it, pack in small sealed containers. It will not hurt you. Fresh meat will not last two weeks in the fridge as some here seem to suggest. Cooked meat can, but not fresh.

Really? (looks up aged meat) That's odd, wet aged beef is often aged for 14 days at about 35 degrees. You better tell the people who are aging the beef that what they're doing is wrong. And, if you're old enough to have grandparents who lived through the depression, you've undoubtedly heard stories about how they used to just cut the mold off the meat before eating it. (Not unlike what they do with dry-aged beef... ) The mold won't hurt you, just cut it off. Ditto for mold on cheese.