How to detect if meat (or any product) is not safe to be prepared as food?
What are the marks that product is spoiled and not safe to cook or eat? Besides obvious visual signs, like rot or bad smell of course.
The reason I'm asking is that I leave a meat in fridge for an extended periods of time, and don't know how to track if meat is still safe to eat.
Best Answer
Visual signs and smells are an unreliable source for making this decision. Foods can be contaminated, and/or unsafe, and you will be unable to tell by looking at a product or smelling it. The only reliable ways to be safe are to (a) understand the source of your food, (b) ensure (or assume) that it has been prepared and stored properly before it got to you, (c) pay attention to packing dates and shelf life, (d) store the food properly yourself, and (d) cook your food properly.
According to foodsafety.gov (USA), in general, raw ground meat, poultry, and seafood has a refrigeration shelf life of 1-2 days. Raw roasts, steaks, and chops (beef, veal, lamb, and pork) have a 3 to 5 day shelf life, and cooked meat, poultry, and seafood can be stored in the refrigerator 3 to 4 days.
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What is the best way to tell if food is not safe to eat?
Cook to the right temperature.What is the best method to determine whether or not a food is at a safe temperature for us to eat?
The best way to know if your food is ready is to use a food thermometer. Only when your food has reached a certain temperature can you know for sure that harmful bacteria have been killed. Even if a food looks ready on the surface, the inside may not be cooked all the way through.How do you know if a food product is unsafe to eat fresh?
Spoiled food will usually look different in texture and color, smell unpleasant, and taste bad before it becomes unsafe to eat. Foodborne illness comes from contamination, not from the natural process of decay.What is the safest way to check if meat is done cooking?
The USDA Food Safety Inspection Service states that the only way to accurately measure if a product is cooked to a safe temperature is to use a food thermometer.SHTF | I Can't Believe They Are Really DOING THIS! | PREP NOW
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