I bought a fresh, raw roast 3 weeks ago and immediately put it in my freezer. About 6 or 7 days ago, I put it in my fridge to thaw to make the next evening. Well, we got invited to dinner twice since then, I worked two night shifts, was exhausted the other nights so we made a quick dinner... and I just have not had the time to make it.
If it has been in my fridge for 6 or 7 days, one of which it was thawing...so, is it too late to cook it for dinner tonight? What would you do?
I had all my veggies to roast chopped and ready to go. I pulled out the roast to season and it had a faint smell. $8 is not worth it to me to have a sick family, so we tossed it. We had roasted veggies and I sent my hubby out to get a ready made rotisserie chicken from the market instead ;) Thanks all!
Smell it and see. I just did this same thing with stew meat and I had to throw it out. Hated that but did not want to take any chances!
If the smell of it doesn't knock you over, it's OK to cook.
you have heard of 'aged meats' at high end restaurants? How do they age them? They unwrap them and leave them in the fridge for 2-3 weeks. A friend of mine routinely ages prime rib for up to 3 weeks in the fridge. As long as it has been in the fridge, you have been fine. If the dark, hard spots bother you, then cut them off. hth!!!
Smell is not a good detector for it being bad - do not go by that! Bacteria doesn't always have a smell. It has probably been totally thawed for about 5-6 days. It is borderline if it is still good. You could call a meat dept. at a grocery store and ask them... My gauge has always been, if I'm not sure - I toss it!
I would not cook & eat meat that's been thawed for 6 or 7 days.
Andra's got it!! Smell test, if it passes -- cook it! If it went from freezer directly to refridgerator, it probably didn't completely thaw for a couple of days. I'll bet it's just fine for tonight; but, I wouldn't push it further.
I did that with my Thanksgiving turkey - got it a week ahead frozen solid, tossed it in the fridge and it was fine to cook on T-Day. Yup, the smell test would work for me....but for heavens sake - cook it today before it starts mooing at you.
LOL
Enjoy your meal.
Laughed reading Andra's post! Yep, I would just cook the thing!
