I says sell by Oct 3. Its been in fridge not opened, have not done anything to it.

10/6/2014 11:30:48 PM

Cook it. Eat it, or give it to me.

[Edited on October 6, 2014 at 11:59 PM. Reason : .]

10/6/2014 11:58:58 PM

Sell by dates are guestimations. Open it up and take a whiff, if it smells off throw it out. Most food is very good at telling you when its past go with smell.

If you are worried, don't use it for hamburgers or any dish where pink meat is acceptable. Make something that will thoroughly cook the meat all the way through. Brown the shit out of it and do a taco night. You can also use it for a recipe that would require it to cook twice like shepherd's (technically a cottage) pie, or frozen meatballs &/or lasagna.

If its past its freshness, I would steer away from anything where the primary taste is the meat itself like hamburgers. Once its lost that fresh meat appeal, stick with recipes like chili where it plays a much less significant role in the flavor. You could overcook the shit out of it and kill any problem bacteria then dump it in a crock pot, cover it with beans and cumin and still have a good meal.

10/7/2014 1:20:24 AM

^
now that's a quality post.

10/7/2014 1:29:43 AM

would not eat.

10/7/2014 9:01:19 AM

Quote :

"Open it up and take a whiff, if it smells off throw it out."

10/7/2014 9:03:32 AM

same applies for women.

10/7/2014 9:26:26 AM

Quote :

"Open it up and take a whiff, if it smells off throw it out. Make something that will thoroughly cook the meat all the way through. Brown the shit out of it and do a taco night."

10/7/2014 9:34:50 AM

Quote :

"cook twice like shepherd's (technically a cottage) pie"

Thank you for specifying the difference! Everyone I know assumes that meat + mashed potato on the top = shepherd's pie. I hate that something so trivial annoys me but I can't stand it. Shepherd's pie only has lamb meat in it!

10/7/2014 10:23:08 AM

^TIL this

10/7/2014 10:35:16 AM

It bothers me too. Shepherd's pie requires lamb, its in the damn name. Shepherd's herd sheep, not cattle, so why would you put beef in it.

However, I've resigned myself to calling it Shepherd's pie regardless since no one knows what I'm saying when I call it cottage pie.

It is also a ridiculously easy meal to make in bulk, freeze and reheat. The last time I made it I ground an entire bottom round and mashed like 7 lbs of potatoes. I ended up with 5 full size pies from it.

10/7/2014 1:19:49 PM

I had one of these for lunch:



I am going to complain to Trader Joe's now because it had beef and not lamb.

10/7/2014 1:48:18 PM

Quote :

"Most food is very good at telling you when its past go with smell."

this

drives me crazy when i hear of someone tossing out food just because the "best by" or supposed expiration date has passed

[Edited on October 8, 2014 at 7:47 AM. Reason : facepalm!]

10/8/2014 7:47:03 AM

Yeah that drives me nuts too. Some people are ridiculously wasteful (and also fearful I guess?)

10/8/2014 12:33:24 PM

Married to one of those people. She is super paranoid about the doneness of cooked meat too. Not worth fighting over.

10/8/2014 12:40:59 PM

If it's from Harris Teeter, it'll be 2-3 days before the date on the package.

10/8/2014 4:13:11 PM

This thread reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Frank Costanza is a cook in the Korean War and has to salvage some rancid meat for his platoon.

10/8/2014 7:50:00 PM

i know cooking the meat in theory kills the bacteria, but i just can't stand the taste (and thought) of old hamburger meat. If it's approaching the sell by date, i usually cook it and make some sort of ground beef meal like chili or "chili light" (beans, ground beef, green salsa, jalapenos, onions, cheese).

I usually only buy ground meat within a day or two of when i'm planning on using it.

10/9/2014 7:35:38 AM

Buy a grinder, make your own.

We got one that attaches to our kitchen aid mixer that does a really good job.

10/9/2014 7:59:36 AM

^^that's how i am with most raw meat. If I buy it, it's because I plan on cooking it in the next couple of days. Or sometimes, I'll freeze it if I get too much or whatever.

10/9/2014 8:21:54 AM

I used to have a hand cranked grinder but it was a pain to use.

10/9/2014 11:10:52 AM

If you have never tried grinding bacon into your hamburgers, I highly advise it. And you're welcome.

10/9/2014 11:36:00 AM

Quote :

"Married to one of those people. She is super paranoid about the doneness of cooked meat too. Not worth fighting over."

Aye, my wife is like that. Made some chili last night and it sat out in the crock pot (with the lid closed/sealed) all night and she refuses to eat any of it left over because it wasn't immediately transferred to the fridge in an airtight container. I'm the complete opposite though, unless something has mold growing on it or smells nasty, I'll eat it.

10/9/2014 5:18:31 PM

Is it really worth risking getting sick over the loss of 4 dollars though? You can get food borne illness from meat that doesn't really smell off.

10/9/2014 9:37:45 PM

Sure it is, because I don't plan on spending my life in a bubble. I also take time to understand proper food safety and common food born illnesses and put don't put all my trust in a smudged ink spot.

Things I've never gotten sick from....meat. Things I have gotten sick from....fresh raw veggies.

10/9/2014 10:19:09 PM

Isn't grace period a girl's name?

10/9/2014 10:59:00 PM

after Grace's period, the meat is no longer bloody.

10/11/2014 11:34:56 AM