Would you keep red meat for three weeks?
Just recently: two beautiful organic beef sausages in the fridge on their best-before date, when suddenly a brilliant alternative idea came up (f*ck cooking, we’re going to eat pizza at Il pecorino). The next day: two less beautiful, greenish-gray sausages. Into the bin. What do you do when your meat is past its date? An English interest group would like to overhaul the guidelines:
Let’s start by saying that we think you should first check the best-before or use-by date, and then use your senses. If something is one day past its date but looks exactly the same and doesn’t smell bad, you can cook it as far as we’re concerned—and of course taste it carefully before knocking back a whole pot of cappuccino made with ‘old’ milk. With meat, things naturally get a little more nerve-racking. What are the guidelines here, and what’s behind the English ‘protest’?
How do we handle it?
The platform Vlees.nl, an extension of the Association of the Dutch Meat Products Industry, says so too: if a product is past its date, you don’t necessarily have to throw it away immediately. The seller can simply no longer guarantee that it is safe. Thoroughly heating meat basically kills bacteria, but spoiled meat can make you seriously ill. Once again: use your senses. The platform also states that you can keep beef and lamb for 3 to 4 days in the fridge (between 2 and 5 degrees), while pork and veal are best prepared within 2 days of purchase. Vacuum-packed meat, on the other hand, can be kept for considerably longer! Sometimes as long as 1 to 2 weeks, but of course always check the packaging or ask your butcher. For more storage information, about minced meat and more, visit vlees.nl.
Consternation
In England, the guidelines are already somewhat different. A temperature between 3 and 8 degrees is recommended there, as is a maximum storage time of 10 days for vacuum-packed meat. Dave Lindars, Technical Director at the interest group British Meat Processors Association (BPMA), thinks that’s ridiculous, however. “What nonsense,” he says, adding that vacuum-packed beef can be kept for up to 21 days. The freedom to adjust this would offer significant economic, social and sustainability benefits. It would also make a big difference to trade opportunities—something the British have been struggling with since Brexit anyway. It would also greatly reduce the 240,000 tonnes of meat products that English households collectively throw away each year. The Food Standards Agency has meanwhile announced that it will conduct research, in close cooperation with the BPMA, to reassess the use-by dates of prepacked and chilled meat. For now, they say, food safety is their greatest concern, and everything they do is based on scientific research and risk analyses.
And in your kitchen?
How do you do it? Ultra-cautious, or guided a little by your senses and common sense? Either way, we wholeheartedly recommend these recipes for, for example, the tastiest picanha or extra-crispy pork belly from the Airfryer!
Read also:
- Is this the game changer in the vegan world that meat eaters are going crazy for?
- Five really good tips for freezing (and defrosting) meat
- Restaurant Mr. Meat won’t leave you hanging: you can now order meat to go
Source: The Independent
