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Original poster

If I bought meat today, can it really still be ok to eat on Saturday??

61 replies

UserBot · 21/12/2021 20:48

Feeling a bit concerned about this and wondering if I should cook the meat the day before and then reheat it. Ideally I'd prefer not to.

I had a tesco shop due to arrive on the 23rd between 20.00 and 22.00, felt organised, but I was looking at it earlier and the stuffed chicken joints I'd ordered were now showing up as ''this product is no longer available''.

So I bought meat in lidl on my way home. It looks fine, the ham is good til January but the turkey goes off 27th December.

How can it be ok for 6 days? It's in a fridge but should I freeze it?

Do you think they add another day on to the end of the best before dates at Christmas?

OP posts:
TuftyMarmoset · 21/12/2021 22:12

Of course meat can be ok for 6 days, otherwise the concept of the weekly shop would rather fall apart Confused

CeibaTree · 21/12/2021 22:13

It would be quite strange and illegal to put the wrong best-before/use by dates on meat would it not?

UsernameInTheTown · 21/12/2021 22:16

As long as a putrifying corpse is refrigerated at a cool enough temperature the decaying process should be slow enough to enable you to safely consume it after several days.

Original poster
UserBot · 21/12/2021 22:17

@LegallyBlende

Just make sure your fridge is cold enough, if it's above 5 degrees meat can go off quicker. Keep it at the back and don't leave the door open. I tend to freeze it as have meat go off before even in date.
oh thanks that's a good idea. I'll turn down the temperature.

I don't think it's odd to be concerned about this, Not a vegetarian obviously but normally I'd eat tuna, frozen salmon fillets, chicken kievs, meatballs, cooked meat.

OP posts:
Original poster
UserBot · 21/12/2021 22:19

@clareth

Unfortunately I had a terrible experience one year with an expensive free range Turkey crown, best before date 26th December, I bought it straight home and refrigerated properly. Went to cook it on 25th December and it was rancid 😢 Now I always buy and freeze, even if it’s only frozen for a couple of days before I get it out to defrost. Possibly was just very unlucky that year but I’ve never forgotten not having any meat to cook!!!
Shock

How awful. Were you all looking at a space on the plate. ''that's where the turkey was supposed to go''.

OP posts:
Original poster
UserBot · 21/12/2021 22:22

@UsernameInTheTown

As long as a putrifying corpse is refrigerated at a cool enough temperature the decaying process should be slow enough to enable you to safely consume it after several days.
Thanks for that. I have a choice of malbec and pinot grigio to wash down the putrifying corpse.
OP posts:
Crispynoodle · 21/12/2021 22:34

On the positive side I buy a fresh turkey from Lidl every year, cook it the Phil Vickery way and it's blooming delicious!

LazySundayPlease · 21/12/2021 22:35

@UserBot if you login again now, can you still see it in your basket, I 'think' they are still bringing it.

If it's not in the basket now, they aren't.

But either way, at least you have eat now!

Maskless · 21/12/2021 22:43

It's mind boggling to think that, for 99% of the time humans have existed, meat never came with any kind of a date on it.

Even now I go to the butcher and buy a chicken and there's no date.

Bagelsandbrie · 21/12/2021 22:46

For as long as I can remember I’ve always got a fresh Turkey crown around now for Christmas Day and just kept it in the fridge. No issues at all.

clareth · 21/12/2021 22:50

Fair enough, we didn’t always have best before dates, but putrid smell and green colour is a big indicator that you probably shouldn’t be eating this!!

Omicrone · 21/12/2021 22:56

@UsernameInTheTown

As long as a putrifying corpse is refrigerated at a cool enough temperature the decaying process should be slow enough to enable you to safely consume it after several days.
Oh my god! I had no idea that a turkey was a 'corpse' until you informed me of this fact. Thank goodness for your both witty and informative post, I shall go out and buy a nut roast first thing in the morning.
VanGoghsDog · 21/12/2021 23:00

@UserBot

Thanks for all the answers folks. It doesn't have any special protective packaging. Just normal. But glad to hear that a butcher confirmed meat bought today would be ok to eat on the 25th. Although that might be fresher. But I'm over thinking this. If it was meatballs and it was a rainy Tuesday 11th January and the meatbalsl were best before 12th, I'd eat them.
I'd eat them on 13th!

I cooked some sausages with a use by date of 19th today, they were fine. Ate about half, will eat the rest tomorrow.

Things don't suddenly go "off" on use by dates. Long dates on meat is pretty common these days.

I do order my Christmas meat from the farm shop though, that way it's actually ordered, well in advance, and not out of stock on the day. Oh, and it doesn't come with use by dates!

stingofthebutterfly · 21/12/2021 23:04

It should be fine, but I sometimes find Lidl meat is a little iffy. I'd freeze it.

WrongWayApricot · 21/12/2021 23:24

If it's vacuum sealed then the bacteria have a hard time growing without oxygen. I think they also add nitrogen gas when it's not vacuum sealed and that prevents the air around the meat being a good place for the bacteria. It is amazing how long food can last when produced and stored in certain ways. Don't break the seal and stick to the use by date, it'll be fine.

Whatamesssss · 21/12/2021 23:36

I got my putrefying corpse Turkey today with a date of the 26th. I cooked it today, sliced and portioned it, then froze it.

Also got the turkey stock done and have frozen that too. It makes it so much easier to just defrost it on the day. You get more room in the oven too for roast potatoes. Grin

DartmoorChef · 22/12/2021 00:03

It won't magically go off at the stroke of midnight on the 26th either. 🤣

Original poster
UserBot · 22/12/2021 08:12

I tirned the temperature down, thanks for that suggestion 😍 🍗💧❄

OP posts:
Immaculatemisconception · 22/12/2021 08:16

It will be fine, do not freeze it. Freezing it would cause more problems than it would solve.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 22/12/2021 08:21

@UserBot

I tirned the temperature down, thanks for that suggestion 😍 🍗💧❄
Don't turn it down too much or it'll freeze and that's now good either.
Original poster
UserBot · 22/12/2021 08:27

Yhanks for that, i turned the dial to 4
I think i had it at 3 for the last decade because i wasnt certain whether 1 or 5 was colder but a quick google tells me "most fridges" 5 is coldest so i hope my fridge is normal ❄🤞

I have to go to work today or id like to be standing nearby monitoring the situation live!

OP posts:
MiracleBaby2022 · 22/12/2021 08:28

It'll be fine!

There's a difference between "best before" and "use by" though..

Laska2Meryls · 22/12/2021 08:32

Ours ( picked up yesterday but is a large pork joint and a gammon) is actually in the shed, each wrapped in 3 cool bags with ice blocks in ...its probably colder in the shed than my fridge atm ..

Laska2Meryls · 22/12/2021 08:33

The purifying body is there also ( but buried under the shed naturally) ...

inappropriateraspberry · 22/12/2021 08:33

I bought a fresh turkey crown yesterday. Dated 26th. I have to keep telling DH not to put it in the freezer! It's packaged well and sealed up. We'd only have to take it out again to defrost it anyway!