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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Using out of date minced beef

86 replies

Monty27 · 28/08/2019 00:22

So the sell by date was 24 August. It was tbf slightly discoloured. It smelled fine.
I cooked it Bolognese style for yonks. A couple of hours probably, adding ingredients and stirring as I went along.
It tastes lovely but my picky 23 yo DS refused to eat it as he knew it was ood.
Would you?
Tia

OP posts:
DramaAlpaca · 28/08/2019 00:27

Well, I'd have eaten it if it smelled OK. Cooked for ages like you did I'm sure it would be absolutely fine. Three days over would be my limit though. My 22 year old DS would've agreed with yours & refused to eat it.

MyDcAreMarvel · 28/08/2019 00:31

I would not have eaten it.

ParkheadParadise · 28/08/2019 00:36

No I wouldn't have ate it.

Pintsizedblondie197 · 28/08/2019 00:42

I'd have eaten it but then I hate wasting stuff and am renowned for eating out of date food. I must have a really strong stomach is all I can say 😂

Bambamber · 28/08/2019 00:44

If it smelt fine and didn't look awful before cooking I would eat it

Lockshunkugel · 28/08/2019 00:44

I wouldn’t have risked it as I won’t eat anything past it’s use by date.

Original poster
Monty27 · 28/08/2019 00:47

It was looking off colour on the outside but fairly, and I say fairly red in the middle
I hate food waste and my wasted labour 😭

OP posts:
IAmALazyArse · 28/08/2019 00:52

Dates are guides. It's predominantly so you can't sue them if there really is something wrong. Discoloration can happen for number of reasons but as long as it's not sticky or has a whiff of off meat, I would have no problem to eat it especially because it was cooked for so long.

Idiot1 · 28/08/2019 00:55

I'd have eaten it as long as it smelt ok

PawPawNoodle · 28/08/2019 00:56

It sounds like the meat oxidized which is perfectly normal. Tell your son that he is wasteful and should look up regarding how to tell that food is actually off, rather than going by a use-by date (which is a relatively new thing in comparison to the thousands of years of human evolution to identify safe to eat foods!)

Fleetheart · 28/08/2019 00:57

Of course. Your daughter is crazy; as is mine. She won’t even use olive oil if it’s past it’s use by date. It drives me crazy. There is so much food wasted in this countryS these are dates to save the supermarkets being sued and to make them more money.

ElizaPancakes · 28/08/2019 00:57

I almost always do this. Beef lasts ages. So long as it smells ok and is cooked well. It’s fine.

Myshitisreal · 28/08/2019 01:02

I know someone who throws food out the DAY it goes out of date. She won't cook anything the day on the pack.

Cooking for a veggie, I wouldn't have left the mince out of date because its so rare for me to buy it here. However, I would go on the products appearance, and definitely check if the package had gone boast (ie popped up).

Original poster
Monty27 · 28/08/2019 01:03

I've just had some and it's lovely 😊
I shall freeze it and do a lasagne with it another day.
DS is wasteful and it drives me nuts.
He can have what he likes. rubbish

OP posts:
QuestionableMouse · 28/08/2019 01:05

Nope. Mince can be chancy when it's in date and you can't always smell when it's gone off.

HeadintheiClouds · 28/08/2019 01:07

How did people cope when all meat was bought from butchers and use by dates had yet to be invented? Most of them appear to have survived just fine.

Seren85 · 28/08/2019 01:12

I buy all my meat from the butchers and work off common sense. It it smells, then no. Oxidised and red on the inside is fine.

gilliansgardenbench · 28/08/2019 01:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

alwayscrashinginthesamecar1 · 28/08/2019 01:14

Beef is fine if it smells ok. I wouldn't risk chicken though,

Tojigornot · 28/08/2019 01:31

How did people cope when all meat was bought from butchers and use by dates had yet to be invented? Most of them appear to have survived just fine.

In those days people tended to buy it and use it pretty much straight away. Fridges were tiny in comparison to now and the concept of a weekly (or longer) shop didn’t really exist. Folk bought stuff in local shops as and when they needed it.

OhMsBeliever · 28/08/2019 01:39

We had chilli tonight (well, yesterday evening now) and it was also dated the 24th. I didn't even think about, it was still pink and didn't smell, so was fine to use. I trust my eyes and nose more than the date on the packaging. And I'm still alive, yay!

tryingtobebetterallthetime · 28/08/2019 03:28

I would eat it, for sure, as it smelled fine and was cooked a long time. What is it that people think you could catch from meat that has been cooked for so long?

Poppins2016 · 28/08/2019 03:35

I have cooked and eaten similar. I don't like food waste and things only get thrown away if they've actually gone off!

almostautumn · 28/08/2019 03:46

I hate to throw food away and am fairly relaxed about expiry dates, but I would be cautious with mince. I’d say a couple of days past the use-by date would be my absolute limit.

Having said that, I defrosted some mince recently for a spag bol and while I was browning it, I noticed a distinct vinegary smell coming from the pan.

We ate the meal but I later found out via google that a vinegar smell means the meat is off. Thankfully DH and I were absolutely fine!

MustardScreams · 28/08/2019 03:56

I dry age my beef WAY beyond the use by date to make it more intense and delicious. I’d have no qualms using ood mince if it didn’t smell rotten.