To think this food will be perfectly safe to eat?

[TheWayItAllWouldGo]

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 . 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

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

I don’t think you understand the concept of risk mitigation and are confusedly thinking good safety practices are “hysteria” because you’ve been lucky. Other examples come to mind:

”I’ve had loads of unprotected sex and never once caught an STI. I think this whole safe sex, use a condom message is hysterical bollocks.”

”When I was a kid we never had car seats for babies, and we all survived. I think the car seat rules is just over blown hysteria from a nanny state.”

I agree with this, people seem to have no common sense!

I wish Id started a thread now on xmas eve when we ate 6 days out of date fillet steak, just to see the uproar

I cooked it Rare for me and Med rare for Dp, we are still alive. It was a bloody good steak tbh.

If it takes a few days to thaw/defrost, it’s not defrosted until it’s defrosted. The 24hrs started when the meat is defrosted.

There is discussion about dates on red meat being too cautios. I remember reading it year or so ago that they should be extended.

I happily use thawed meat (raw, or cooked) anytime up to 2 or 3 days later.

Again, many of the ‘rules’ are there for people who can’t reliably evaluate for themselves whether meat is safe to eat.

I often freeze cooked ham and it’s definitely not eaten within 24 hours of defrosting.

(And also can’t evaluate other risk factors, such as ‘my kitchen is 23 degrees at all times so I probably shouldn’t leave meat on the counter to thaw out’ vs. ‘my kitchen is very cold so it’ll be fine to leave this chicken out overnight.’)

Interesting replies everyone, thanks.

I'll admit I am a bit lax when it comes to things like this.
I'll deforst things on the side so it defrosts faster, cook things past their sell by/ best before dates etc. Only for me and dh though, not any visitors who eat at our house!

Never had any problems but I'll accept that's probably down to luck!

I plan all my meals a week in advance and precook and freeze as necessary to eat the next week. Makes me feel like I've got my shit together in life

Dear me.
The “rules” are established by microbiologists who know that our meagre senses of sight, smell and taste are woefully insufficient to reliably determine if food is definitely safe to eat.

Anytime you do not follow the rules, you are rolling the dice on getting food poisoning. It’s also really quite amusing that you think those who do follow food safety rules are intellectually lacking.

🤣🤣
Unless you kitchen is colder than 4C, it’s not safe to defrost anything in it. That’s why fridges are set to 3C.

It’s also really quite amusing that you think those who do follow food safety rules are intellectually lacking.

Thats not what I said, at all.

Quite a lot of people are intellectually lacking/do not have the faculty to understand how food safety works and/or to evaluate risk for themselves. That’s perfectly okay. Many guidelines cater to them, to make their food prep as safe as possible.

I do know where food safety principles come from, thanks. I follow those principles just fine. I don’t need to follow quite arbitrary ‘rules’ such as only eating meat up until midnight of the use by date or not leaving a frozen chicken on the counter overnight when I know full well that in my kitchen it will still be very cold in the morning.

*That’s.

My kitchen is actually cold enough in winter that the outer layer of chicken easily stays well within the ‘fridge cold’ range. The inside is still frozen after being out overnight. I’ve tested it, as it happens, more than once.

I’ve stored/prepared/eaten food this way for decades without any problems. So I shall happily continue!

There’s no point in arguing over it, really. Of course if you’re happier sticking rigidly to the rules that’s your prerogative! And maybe one day I’ll get awfully ill. But it hasn’t happened yet (touch wood!).

I shouldn’t have used the term ‘numpties’ though, so I’ll retract it.

I'd eat it. I'm yet to see one of these threads where I wouldn't though 😁

@TangledWebOfDeception
Agree no point arguing, everyone is free to live how they choose.

I shouldn’t have used the term ‘numpties’ though, so I’ll retract it.
Thanks for that, as that is what I was referring to when I was saying you think those of us who follow the rules are intellectually lacking. Numpty= stupid fool, etc.

Technically it's iffy. I have however done things like this a million times and never once had food poisoning.

It's the pasta that would worry me tbh, not the meat. Cold/reheated pasta is an absolute nightmare for potential food poisoning.

When the pasta had completely cooled, I split it into two containers and added the mince and all the other ingredients

To be honest, I'd eat meat that had been defrosted two days before without much thought, But officially I may be wrong! I'm culinarily disturbed by your bolognaise preparation though. What "other ingredients" are you adding to the pasta and cooked mince? Isn't the mince already cooked with other ingredients to make the sauce? If not, I can't imagine it being very nice!

I'd eat this on Tuesday. Wednesday I probably wouldn't. If it was like a pasta salad being eaten cold I possibly wouldn't but if I'm reheating it in the microwave I would. I'm probably not correct in doing this but I haven't died yet. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Haha, you'll be disturbed further to learn that I use a jar of ready made sauce 😱😱.

I'm not the greatest cook tbh, I don't really have time or energy to learn how to make all the wonderful, delicious homemade sauces from scratch. But meh, it does me and dh just fine

Re comment above on storing cooked pasta - I've recently discovered a brilliant way of doing pasta for lunch. The night before I put the pasta (I usually use "short" pasta like fusilli or shells) in one of those sistema microwave soup mugs in boiling water for an hour, rinse it cold water and shove it in the fridge and it's fine to take to work the next morning.
Zero effort, I usually do it as I prepare my evening meal.

I probably would have left the bolognese in the freezer until the night before I wanted to use it.

Even less effort - let DH take charge of organising lunches.

I did not know this 😱

I wouldn't eat something defrosted 2 days earlier next day or bin it. It's really not worth the risk of getting unwell. I have in past ate things that I've thought hmm will this be ok. When ur on the toilet all night u really regret it!

let DH take charge of organising lunches.
I would, he has safer food hygiene.

I'm more shocked that you have leftovers in your house.

I've three teenagers here who eat me out of house and home. I can't remember when we last had leftovers, despite cooking big meals!