Would You Eat This: Ground Beef

[goldberry]

I always cook ground beef a day or two at most after buying.  I bought 2 lbs of ground beef on Sunday, 8/14.  It says "packed on 8/13, sell by 8/14".  I did not get to cook it Monday or Tuesday.  Is it good to cook today?

 

It has been refrigerated.

[wapiti]

It might be fine.  Or might not.  It was only packed 4 days ago, so my guess is that it's probably good.  I would go by the smell, both now and while you are cooking it.  Are you planning to make burgers or brown it in a pan?  Sometimes it doesn't smell off to me until I'm in the middle of cooking it.

 

How long ground beef stays good for me seems to depend in part on where it was on the grocery shelf - the packages are not always as cold as I'd like.  I take one from underneath when I can.  The vacuum-packed ones (like the prepackaged ones I get at Costco) last much, much longer than the saran-wrapped regular ones from the grocery.  I like to put them in the coldest part of my fridge.

[goldberry]

It is saran wrapped.  All the info online seems to say 2 days.  But ugh, 2 lbs!  I'm afraid to trust myself with smell.

[Eagle]

Having survived ecoli, I can tell you that it isn't worth it. Throw it out.

[prairiewindmomma]

I'd give it a good whiff, cook it to a high temperature, and then use it.  Two days? Not a big deal if it still smells good...

[Baseball mom]

I'd give it a good whiff, cook it to a high temperature, and then use it.  Two days? Not a big deal if it still smells good...

 

:iagree:  This

 

Cook it all and put what you don't want to use right now put in freezer.  Will make a quick meal later.

[Guest]

I'm super leery on supermarket ground beef. Ground beef from a large distributor is, from what I was taught, one of highest risk meats for contamination in general. I wouldn't risk it myself- I know the dates are arbitrary, but ground beef seems to bite the dust far sooner than whole cuts iykwim?  

Edited August 17, 2016 by texasmom33

[LucyStoner]

Having survived ecoli, I can tell you that it isn't worth it. Throw it out.

Ecoli is either in the beef or not because it's contaminated or it's not. It didn't grow in her fridge. The best way to avoid ecoli from beef is to cook the heck out of any beef. Doesn't matter if it is from the store an hour ago or 5 days ago.

Edited August 17, 2016 by LucyStoner

[LucyStoner]

If I had it, I would use it. It says sell by because beef lasts a while at home.

 

Sell by is NOT a use by date. Hamburger usually goes from red to brownish gray *before* it goes bad. Going by color and smell, I'd bet ground beef two days past its sell by is still fine.

Edited August 17, 2016 by LucyStoner

[Annie Elle]

What color is it? I don't trust it if it is turning brown. But if it is still pink, and passes the smell test, I would cook it. Just make sure you cook it well done. :-)

[LucyStoner]

I'm super leery on supermarket ground beef. Ground beef from a large distributor is, from what I was taught, one of highest risk meats for contamination in general. I wouldn't risk it myself- I know the dates are arbitrary, but ground beef seems to bite the dust far sooner than whole cuts iykwim?

That distinction, as I understand it, actually belongs to ground turkey.

[goldberry]

I always cook well done, and it will all be used in a casserole that will be eaten immediately.

[goldberry]

Okay, I think I'm going to cook it and watch for smells.

[Eagle]

Ecoli is either in the beef or not because it's contaminated or it's not. It didn't grow in her fridge. The best way to avoid ecoli from beef is to cook the heck out of any beef. Doesn't matter if it is from the store an hour ago or 5 days ago.

I didn't mean to imply her beef would contain ecoli. Just that having had a severe foodborne illness, I just don't take chances with food. If the food safety site says 1-2 days, then I go by that. If the meat has spoiled, a major gastrointestinal issue is not worth it to me -- others may disagree.

[prairiewindmomma]

Warning, not for the faint of heart:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC34306/

 

The above research article posts recent studies on prevalence of e.coli and shiga etc. in beef cattle presented for slaughter.  Note that you are at a higher risk during summer months. My point is this: commercial industry has a high prevalence of bacteria. And, depending on the stock from which you purchase and how your slaughterhouse handles things, probably private too. There's a reason that we cook meat. 

 

Lucy's point above is spot on....either it had bacteria at point of purchase or it didn't.  Good refrigeration technique should've suspended further colonization. Color change occurs when the myoglobin is exposed to oxygen. What you want to look out for is smell (which suggests colonization is widespread) or texture changes (slimy, tacky, etc.).

 

Regardless, and the odor would be obvious, she should still be cooking her meat at high heat to deal with whatever original or cross contamination should've occurred.

[Katy]

Is the beef ground locally, in your store or town butcher?  In that case it should be fine for probably 3 days past the sell-by date.

 

If it came from Walmart or another large chain (and I doubt it because their labels are different), then I might eat it, if it smelled okay and wasn't gray.

 

If it's gray or at all smells bad I wouldn't risk it.

[LucyStoner]

I didn't mean to imply her beef would contain ecoli. Just that having had a severe foodborne illness, I just don't take chances with food. If the food safety site says 1-2 days, then I go by that. If the meat has spoiled, a major gastrointestinal issue is not worth it to me -- others may disagree.

But it's not past use by date.

 

It's a little past sell buy date. That does not mean that it has expired and is unsafe to eat.

 

In the US alone, consumer food waste tallies up to the 100s of millions of dollars. While people here and around the world face serious hunger. Much of this waste comes from misleading or misunderstood package dates. "Use or freeze by" means something different than "best by" or "sell by". Until people get this, we will continue to toss totally edible food. The risk of food borne illness is real but it must be weighed against the financial and ethical costs of rampant waste of edible food.

 

I'm cautious about food borne illness too but not to the point where I recommend wasting food that is perfectly edible.

 

Hands down the easiest way to reduce one's risk of food borne illness is to eat at home and prepare ones own food after learning about how to safely select, store, prep and cook food. Throwing away useable food doesn't keep anyone safe.

Edited August 17, 2016 by LucyStoner

[Heatherwith4]

I would eat it.

[Guest]

I'd brown it up real good and make tacos. Lol

[melbotoast]

I'd go by color. If it is still pink and doesn't smell, then eat it.

[rose]

I regularly take cold meat out of the dumpsters behind the store and have never gotten sick from it so I'll have to say that it's fine provided it doesn't stink.