For binning chicken that has been open 5 days?

[blueyavocado]

Cut a long story short DP and I live with his mum , we pay for shopping etc.

There was some chicken thighs in the fridge today that go off tomorrow but had been open since Tuesday. They had gone dark in colour and dry looking and had a bad smell so we binned then.

MIL got annoyed and said it's a waste of food and she was planning on freezing them. She took them out the bin to put freezer.

Cut a long story short am I being unreasonable for binning them? Baring it in mind it's the whole family that will inevitably have to eat the chicken.

I explained they have been open more than 48 hours and the used by date is different once exposed to air

YANBU - definitely do not eat that chicken. I’ve seen the effects from DH risking it with chicken as old as that. It was grim.

Nope. Not remotely ok to eat
Even worse to freeze them, as by the time they've defrosted, they'll be even more lethal 🤢

Bloody hell. I'd be considered extremely blasé on here regarding use by dates but I'd only use raw chicken within 2 days of it being opened and it would have had to have been re-wrapped once opened. 5 days is insane.

Took them out of the bin? Blurgh.

YADNBU! I cannot believe your MIL took them out the bin too, that's revolting. They're obviously bad if they smell, what's wrong with her?!

And 5 days is way too long - I'd personally not risk it with opened chicken past 24 hours, but I'm hugely risk averse when it comes to food hygiene so this may be overly cautious.

Get them out of the freezer and bin them. I don't always stick with use by dates but I would never use something which looked and smelled wrong.

Mostly I agree with you as I wouldn't have eaten them however I suppose there is an element of judgment involved (maybe?) and it is your MIL house so could you really not have just asked her first? And you could ask just not eat it if she cooked them.

PS I wouldn't have eaten them either.

Do not risk it. Get rid. Thighs are so cheap I'd just go and buy a big pack to replace.

I’m pretty lax usually and if it smells ok I’ll eat it, but not after 5 open days and smelling bad!

I wouldn't have eaten them, but if I lived in MIL's house I wouldn't bin her food without asking her.

OMG!!

I'll eat stuff that hasn't been refrigerated overnight. But I wouldn't eat that!

Yanbu in the slightest.

Get it out of the freezer, out of the house and bin it somewhere she won't find it.

should not be eaten, for sure. But lesson learnt too - if you buy chicken and don't use it straightaway- FREEZE before opening and before leaving for days. As it is a big and un-necessary waste.

YANBU! That is awful!

I think older people have a different attitude. When I was helping care for my grandad he got cross that I threw away green, smelly ham. He didn’t get it out of the bins- I warned his carers for the evening but I can imagine he might have done if they hadn’t been coming.

I wouldn't have eaten them but if I had intended to as she did, I'd be pissed off if a guest id let stay in my house took it upon themselves to bin my food from my fridge.
Just don't eat it but also don't step on her toes while in her home.

I can't get over your Mil took food out of the bin to freeze. I'd take them out of the freezer then I'd replace them with fresh ones. I'd not tell Mil. I'd not like to eat the food she serves up after that.