Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this food will be perfectly safe to eat?

86 replies

TheWayItAllWouldGo · 15/01/2023 16:05

Doing some pre cooking for lunches for me and DH to take to work this week.

Monday's lunch is leftovers from today's dinner. On Tuesday we are having pasta bolognese. I already had beef mince that was cooked and in the freezer from another day, so I took it out this morning and it has now defrosted (it's back in the fridge)

When the pasta had completely cooled, I split it into two containers and added the mince and all the other ingredients, and popped them into the fridge for us to grab before work on Tuesday.

DH is claiming that the mince will be unsafe to eat because it was cooked a different day to the rest of the ingredients Confused . He also said its "risky" eating meat 2 days after it has defrosted and it should be eaten either tonight or tomorrow at the latest.

I told him the mince was defrosted and I waited until the pasta was completely cooled before mixing the two, and it will be perfectly fine to eat 2 days later as its been kept in the fridge. He doesn't believe me and says I will give us both food poisoning Confused

Is he lacking in brain cells or have I been using unsafe cooking practices for the last 15 years?

OP posts:
TheChosenTwo · 15/01/2023 16:53

Dh and I would both eat that without a second thought tbh.

StubbleAndSqueak · 15/01/2023 16:57

I'd eat it too

ShillyShallySherbet · 15/01/2023 16:58

I wouldn’t eat that, sorry OP.

Shodan · 15/01/2023 17:00

Blimey I wouldn't have given this a second thought.

I'd definitely eat it.

dottiedodah · 15/01/2023 17:00

I would probably err on the side of caution ⚠️ tbh.may be safe for healthy people. However not dc or pregnant ladies the elderly and so on

Whatevergetsyouthroughthenight · 15/01/2023 17:02

I regularly batch cook, portion into two meals’ worth and freeze. I then defrost and eat half on day 1 and half on day 3 as I don’t want to eat the same meal two days running. Obviously defrosted food lives in the fridge.

Late fifties, still alive, never been ill using this method.

Your DH is BU.

Create10 · 15/01/2023 17:03

dementedpixie · 15/01/2023 16:53

Once defrosted it should be eaten within 24 hours. I would have defrosted the bolognese for the day you are using it not 2 days before.

24 hours? Cooked meat will be fine for three or four days after it's defrosted.

TangledWebOfDeception · 15/01/2023 17:03

It’s absolutely fine. Thawed out meat (raw or cooked) doesn’t have to be used the day it’s taken out of the freezer...otherwise some parts of a turkey (for example) wouldn’t be edible since it can take a few days to thaw out! I’ve got pork cheeks in the fridge that have been thawing for a couple of days. I will cook them tomorrow.

TangledWebOfDeception · 15/01/2023 17:04

And the bit about the meat originally not having been cooked with the rest of the ingredients is just dumb. Does he eat takeaways?

TangledWebOfDeception · 15/01/2023 17:07

@TheWayItAllWouldGo did you know that apparently lots of people don’t know that when you cook meat it re-sets the ‘use by’ (don’t get me started on ‘use by’...)??

People must waste so much food.

Tilllly · 15/01/2023 17:08

I'd eat it
Do this quite often and am not ill from it
I reheat Chinese (incl rice) takeaway too

amylou8 · 15/01/2023 17:15

Assuming you're heating the whole lot again...yes I'd definitely eat it.

Bubblebubblebah · 15/01/2023 17:16

I am well relaxed about these things but pre cooked mince would be eaten today or on Monday.

so I took it out this morning and it has now defrosted (it's back in the fridge)
Defrosted outside of fridge would be eaten today. If you enated it for tue, you should have just let it slowly defrost in a fridge

Krakenes · 15/01/2023 17:18

I definitely wouldn’t eat that - but not for hygiene reasons!

WiseUpJanetWeiss · 15/01/2023 17:19

I'd eat this (well, I wouldn't because I don't eat red meat, but still...). I don't understand what's risky?

  • the food was fit to eat when it went in the freezer
  • freezing stops the clock on bacterial growth
  • it will be fit to eat once defrosted for as long as it would have been if it hadn't gone into the freezer. Possibly longer as it takes a while for microorganisms to get over the shock of having had an unexpected holiday in the arctic.
Passthechocolatesplease · 15/01/2023 17:22

Having been made extremely I’ll with food poisoning it’s a definite no from me, anything slightly suspect goes in the bin!

HaddawayAndShite · 15/01/2023 17:23

Isn’t it 24hrs from when the food was fully defrosted, so not the second it’s taken out of the freezer? Which if properly defrosting in a fridge would usually be over 24hrs.

Meh, I’d eat it. But I’m lax about food stuff but never suffer from it either.

Tlolljs · 15/01/2023 17:23

How do even know what you’ll want for lunch on Tuesday never mind anything else.
Id have it tomorrow at the latest.

OdeToBarney · 15/01/2023 17:27

Nope, not for me. Today or tomorrow, but definitely not Tuesday! Especially if you defrosted it on the side as your post indicates.

ChristmasCakeAndStilton · 15/01/2023 17:34

I think I'd have the mince tomorrow, and Sundays leftovers in Monday.

ChristmasCakeAndStilton · 15/01/2023 17:35

DOH. Ignore the message above. I don't think you should have lunch twice tomorrow, and nothing on Tuesday ...
Mince Monday. Sundays leftovers on Tuesday would ne my suggestion.

TangledWebOfDeception · 15/01/2023 17:36

Even if it thawed out on the counter, as long as it was still cold when placed back into the fridge it will be just fine. The fridge isn’t a magic cupboard where bad things don’t happen...

Onnabugeisha · 15/01/2023 17:41

Yes you have unsafe food practices.

I already had beef mince that was cooked and in the freezer from another day, so I took it out this morning and it has now defrosted (it's back in the fridge)

You should never ever defrost any meat cooked or raw by setting it on the counter at room temperature.

When the pasta had completely cooled, I split it into two containers and added the mince and all the other ingredients, and popped them into the fridge for us to grab before work on Tuesday.

When you defrost anything with meat in it, cooked or raw, you must eat it within 24hrs of it being defrosted in the fridge or you must it it immediately after defrosting it in the microwave. You cannot safely defrost 48hrs before intending to eat it.

TangledWebOfDeception · 15/01/2023 17:43

Many of the ‘rules’ are rules because frankly a lot of people are numpties and can’t get their heads round how to do things safely.

dementedpixie · 15/01/2023 17:43

I always defrost outside of the fridge but we always eat it on the same day its been defrosted.

I wouldn't defrost out of the fridge and expect it to be ok to eat 2 days later.