How Long Can You Store Ground Beef in Fridge

Yous tin consume meat or chicken across the expiration date if your eyes and olfactory organ tell yous the production is safe.

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At in one case or other you lot will no doubt take rummaged in the refrigerator and found some out-of-date meat at the back you've forgotten virtually. Is the sell-by date on meat something to follow religiously, or can you happily scarf down basis beef four days subsequently the sell-past date and get away with it?

Tip

Yous tin consume meat or chicken across the expiration appointment if your eyes and nose tell you the product is safe. But only practice so if you are very sure it has been safely stored and handled.

It's a dilemma that you don't want to fall on the wrong side of every bit the Centers for Illness Command and Prevention (CDC) says that raw or undercooked meat and poultry are the foods virtually likely to be contaminated with leaner and therefore amidst the prime culprits for causing food poisoning.

Raw poultry often contains Campylobacter and may also contain Salmonella and Clostridium perfringens. Raw meat may contain Salmonella, E. coli, Yersinia and other bacteria.

Fortunately there are some common sense guidelines that will help you to decide whether to throw expired meat away or eat information technology. And the good news is that it's not ever the case that expired meat needs to go straight in the trash.

Understanding Expiration Dates

Except for on infant formula, dates are not an indicator of a food's safety and are not required by federal law. The U.South. Section of Agronomics (USDA) says that there are no uniform or universally accustomed descriptions used on food labels in the U.S., and that the use-by or sell-past date on meat is designed to assistance consumers and retailers decide when it is of best quality, not when to discard it.

Information technology'due south not just a sell-past engagement on meat that you'll come beyond — you may see any or these terms:

• A "best if used by/earlier" appointment: Indicates when a production will be of best flavour or quality (not a safety date).

• A "sell-past" date: A steak sell-by engagement (for instance), isn't meant for the consumer. Instead information technology tells the store how long to display a product for auction for inventory management. Information technology is not a safety engagement.

• A "use-by" date: The final engagement recommended for the use of the production while at top quality. It is not a safety date, except for when used on infant formula.

• A "freeze-by" date: Indicates when a product should exist frozen to maintain top quality (not a safety engagement).

Guess With Your Senses

Rather than using dates as a guide, the USDA says you tin can generally use your nose and eyes to gauge if meat and poultry is notwithstanding safe and wholesome to eat. So, for example, instead of religiously following a steak sell-by engagement, you can check to brand certain the meat has not developed an off smell, season or slimy texture instead.

Nonetheless, information technology's merely condom to use your senses as a guide if yous are confident the meat has been stored and handled safely. The USDA explains that given the right conditions, dangerous leaner that cause nutrient poisoning may develop without the food spoiling.

Meat and poultry that has been unsafely dealt with — for example has been left at room temperature on the counter too long — might look fine and be in date, but could however be dangerous to eat.

Spoilage leaner on the other mitt, develop at the low temperatures in your refrigerator. Ironically though, they cause food to develop off tastes and smells, and yous would not choose to swallow spoiled food, if you did, you probably would not get ill.

Meat Expiration Dates: Raw Meat

For raw meat or poultry yous've purchased that doesn't have any dates the FoodKeeper app available at FoodSafety.gov recommends these storage times (after purchase) for freshness and quality:

• Footing meat (beef, turkey lamb and pork): 1 to two days
• Meat steaks and joints (e.g., lamb leg, beefiness steaks, pork loin chops): iii to five days
• Poultry parts (e.m., craven legs and thighs): ane to two days
• Whole chicken/turkey: one to two days

To epitomize, these are but for peak quality and if the meat or poultry all the same looks and smells good — and, crucially, has been kept cold — it should nonetheless be prophylactic to eat beyond these time frames as long every bit you lot cook it properly.

To ensure that the bacteria on raw meat are killed during cooking, use the correct internal temperature. Apply of a food thermometer is recommended, with the FoodKeeper app advising that chicken and turkey should attain an internal temperature of 165 F and beef, lamb and pork joints and steaks 145 F. Ground meat, including homemade hamburgers should be 160 F in the middle.

I give-and-take of caution: Be leery of raw meat that y'all accidentally left out of the fridge, or you lot know has been kept also warm. The USDA defines a "danger zone" betwixt 40 F to 140 F at which bacteria levels can double in number in as little every bit 20 minutes. If raw meats have been left in the danger zone for too long, leaner may abound and produce heat resistant toxins that are non destroyed, fifty-fifty by proper cooking.

Regardless of the meat expiration date, a steak sell-by date or how the meat or poultry looks or smells, in a situation where you know raw meat hasn't been kept at the correct temperature, exist safe and discard information technology.

Meat Expiration Dates: Cooked Meat

Pre-cooked cafeteria meats and poultry purchased from the grocery store and eaten cold are more risky as there is no cooking step to destroy bacteria. In this case the sell-past date needs to be followed more closely. For pre-cooked meats and leftovers that don't take whatsoever dates on them the USDA FoodKeeper app recommends these keeping times (in the fridge) for safe and quality:

• Pre-packaged ham/luncheon/deli meat: iii to five days (after opening)
• Hard, dry pepperoni sausage, sliced: two to three weeks
• Meat paté: one calendar week
• Bone-in whole ham: one week
• Meat or poultry leftovers: three to 4 days

Once more, how cooked meat or poultry is kept will influence safety regardless of whatever expiration date on the pack. For example the USDA says that if cold chicken salad is taken to a picnic and left out at temperatures higher than forty F for more than two hours (i hour if temperatures are 90 F or college), the product should non be consumed. It always pays to make sure yous practice good hygiene and follow the treatment and preparation instructions on the characterization.

Check Refrigerator and Freezer Temperatures

The USDA says it's essential that your home refrigerator should be kept at forty F or beneath. Store-purchased meat and poultry should be brought domicile and refrigerated as speedily as possible, remembering that raw meat should be thoroughly wrapped and placed at the lesser of the fridge to avoid any cross-contamination with cooked items.

Some refrigerators have built-in thermometers to mensurate their internal temperature, but for those without this characteristic, you should use your own thermometer to monitor.

The USDA recommends that perishable foods — which include raw and cooked meat and poultry — should not be kept in the refrigerator door. This is considering the temperature here fluctuates more than than in the chiffonier. Keep the door closed every bit much equally possible.

Freezing causes bacteria to enter a fallow stage co-ordinate to the USDA. So properly handled meat or poultry stored in a freezer at 0 F will be safety indefinitely.

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Source: https://www.livestrong.com/article/441979-can-you-eat-meat-after-sell-by-date/

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