To be annoyed with MIL's almost out of date chicken?

[MrCollinsandhisboiledpotatoes]

Last night, about 4pm, MIL turns up while I was out with a pack of chicken breasts with the use by date of yesterday, puts them in our fridge and says they have to be eaten today (yesterday) as it's the last day. DH tells me when I get home that there's chicken in the fridge that must be eaten tonight.
I'm like, OK.... But I have stuff I had planned for dinner tonight and all week in fact, and I've got my own use-by dates on the stuff I bought and the week's dinners planned accordingly and now you're going to throw that all out of whack because we have to eat MIL's chicken instead, because of her poor planning and/or reluctance to throw out her own shit, you acting like her food waste bin?
But DH thinks we should be grateful?
Who's side are you on?

Nobody is allowed to find anything their MIL does a bit annoying on Mumsnet. This is a bit annoying though - you had plans and your husband is telling you you need to make something else because of this chicken you didn't ask for, and now her preference not to bin it has become your problem. I'm not surprised you're irritated, whether you like her the rest of the time or not.

So weird to reply on mumsnet telling people not to post on mumsnet! Why don't you read a book?

I know!! And I'm going to have to think of two different chicken-based meals instead of just the one I'd already thought of. And it's all MIL's fault.

DH would've been thrilled, the man is obsessed with protein. I would've frozen them or if I didn't have room I would've cooked them and used it for sandwiches/salads for lunches

my dm used to buy ready roast chickens and then try and palm them off on me when she had had enough

Yes I do this often. Never got sick.
and you know those dates are a massive scam right? Mad anyone actually pays attention to them. Use your eyes and nose

This is the second thread I've read recently in which I people have absurd ideas about freezing food

Do you have a dog? I'd just feed them to my dog and make him very very happy.

Surely your DH who is obessed with protein could be the one to freeze or cook the chicken breasts donated by his mother?!

Depending on my mood, I would…

1. chuck em
2. freeze em
3. eat them and delay the other food for a day
4. have a chicken sandwich later on
5. cook them and use them for sandwiches today

My MIL gives me mountains of shit I don’t want. My favourite was a tube of savlon that was out of date by about three years. I say ‘thanks’ and put it in the bin.

Thank you, this is exactly it.

Bloody stupid chicken. Why did she even buy a big packet of chicken for just her and then just let it nearly go off? What was her plan?

Probably been conspiring to do this the entire time. Saw the chicken on the shelf in Tesco and thought "yeah, that will piss her off and make me look innocent" then just put it in her fridge and bided her time. Cow bag.

My mum would so do this 🤣

Well yes but I can't speak for what he'd do with them only what I would. He'd probably cook them there and then and eat them as a pre dinner snack

Christ, this is a lot of angst about some fucking chicken that you could just put in the bin if you don't want it. Or just stick it in the oven and then put it in the fridge for sandwiches or something.

And no, your MIL isn't using you as her food waste bin, because putting it in her own food waste bin would have been a lot easier for her than giving it to you. She's trying to do a nice thing but clearly wasn't aware that you plan every meal to the umpteenth degree a week in advance and are incapable of deviating from that.

You can't stick things in the freezer on the last day, can you?

Of course you can, provided you then cook it the same day you defrost it. Freezing things that are about to go out of date is pretty much the only thing I've ever used a freezer for, other than storing ice cubes, ice cream and frozen peas.

This is giving Samwise Gamgee vibes 😂

I love frozen peas. Always there for you. Just open the freezer, grab a handful and chuck them into whatever you're making. Instant 5-a-day. Heroic little things.

Free chicken! Just cook it and freeze it. Unexpected extra work I know, but it sounds like she meant well. My MIL used to bring over her and FIL leftovers that they didn’t want. Literally scrapings off their plates 🤣

Fucking hell op - just throw the stupid chicken away if you dont want it! Jesus the drama over some chicken!

Such a delightful DIL .

Why do they think you need it?
That's the other thing that gets me. I've got a fridge full of food, meals planned for the week, why do I need your chicken? It just takes up fridge space and means I have to re-plan stuff I already planned.
Just because she buys chicken without any apparent plan for it.

So you're going to carry on with this tirade even though you've been told unequivocally that it is absolutely fine to just put the bloody chicken in the freezer? I have to respect your persistence I suppose. Loads of people - including me - will buy stuff that's discounted due to being short-dated and just bung it in the freezer with no plan for it whatsoever. Whereas you're going on like a bit of surplus chicken has turned your life upside down.

If you want to get even, what I think you should do is cut the chicken into strips, freeze them, and then hammer them into her lawn at dead of night. This will attract all the neighbourhood foxes and cats who will make a right mess of her garden. That will teach the no-good, meat-offloading cow.

You sound weirdly controlling about meal planning and knowing what every little bit of food that enters your house is going to be used for.

Is it normal to just buy food and not know why?

Genuine question because I didn't know people did that.

Wow, what a drama llama.

I could arrange the frozen chicken stakes into letters that say "FUCK YOU PAM"