Minced Beef

Lexus1976

I bought 1lb of beef in Marks and Spencers last week and put it in my freezer.
Took it out yesterday morning to cook it with pasta but only used half.

Is it ok to cook the other half tonight or should I throw it out?
I've been told that meat has to be ate within 10 hours of defrosting?

noby

If it's been in the fridge since yesterday morning then I would say it's probably ok. Use your own judgement, though. Does it look/smell ok?

Lexus1976

Hey thanks for your reply.

Yes it looks fine. What do you think?

Mr Magnolia

Lexus1976 wrote:

I
Is it ok to cook the other half tonight or should I throw it out??

Assuming you put the meat directly into the freezer when you purchased it and you stored the meat in the fridge since yesterday morning, I would say it is fine, it should be ok for 2-3 days but I personally wouldn't it tomorrow.

Enjoy!

I've been told that meat has to be eated within 10 hours of defrosting?

Not true, once it's kept in the fridge.

Aside/ Defrosting meat in the fridge is safe than leaving it on the counter to defrost BTW

Edit/phone went and I was distracted. It's fine, eat away so.

Minder

Lexus1976 wrote:

Is it ok to cook the other half tonight or should I throw it out? I've been told that meat has to be ate within 10 hours of defrosting?

What happens to it at the eleventh hour? As previously suggested, look and smell are your best guide to the condition of defrosted meat. There are too many variables to be able to set an arbitrary time limit to use the product. Type of freezer, how old was the meat before it was frozen, how long has it been in the freezer, how was it wrapped, was it defrosted in the fridge or in a warm room ?

I heard of a neat trick for defrosting meat. If you have a heavy iron griddle, place the frozen package on the griddle at room temperature. Something to do with the good conductivity properties of the iron griddle, in the same way as it heats up quickly when a heat source is applied, it will cool down when a cold source is applied - in this case, the frozen package. Probably has something to do with entrophy and enthalpy, but I am told that it works.

nice1franko

Best thing to do is cook to whole lot of it. Put half of it in a tub and use it when you're cooking later - obviously you don't have to brown it again!


- edit once you cook mince, it'll keep for 2 days in the fridge.

rubadub

Minder wrote:

What happens to it at the eleventh hour?

exactly! I was looking at some tin of food the other day had some date like 12/08/10! As though in 3 years time on the stroke of midnight it will suddenly become toxic. I know a woman who does believe this though, throws lots of stuff out. With meat it is more serious though, best before is different than use by. And the thing about freezing meats being a no-no is a myth, it doesnt cause huge amounts of bacteria like some would say, it does effect taste though, think it ruptures cells in the food.

neuro-praxis

If your beef is gone off, you will know all about it when it hits the heat. The smell of rancid beef getting cooked is so foul I could hardly put words on it. Honestly, you could never miss it. There's no need to be sniffing the pan - if it's off the smell will have you retching in no time!

Back in college me and my friend were cooking up a nice spag bol for our dinner when it became obvious that something was awry. The stench lingered in the kitchen the next day too. I think we ended up having a Chinese that night.

jos28

on the stroke of midnight it will suddenly become toxic. /QUOTE]

I know people like that too. I wish more people would learn to use their noses.Does all the food in your fridge turn rancid at nmidnight. Just because food is within date does not mean that it is edible. I have often bought food that has a few days left but smells disgusting when opened. Often happens with chicken especially in warm weather. We have to learn to trust our judgement.

Minder

rubadub wrote:

With meat it is more serious though, best before is different than use by.

I use a local supermarket to but organic chickens. They are packed in a loose plastic bag. Usually have a use by date that is three or four days. I have learned through experience that these birds will last maybe one day if kept in the bag and possibly two days if removed from the plastic and allowed to breathe.

I brought this up in correspondence with the supermarket and was given some vouchers for my trouble, a shut up & go away gesture. So now if the meat is off before the use by date, I take it back for a replacement.

I have found that most meats will remain fresher for longer if they are removed from the packaging and allowed to breathe - also not sitting in a soggy pillow of it's own juice must help. I keep fresh meat in a pyrex dish with a lid in the fridge.