Properly stored meat in refrigerator How long do you keep?

[In Full Agreement]

After buying meat at the supermarket how long are you OK to keep in the refrigerator.

 

I once let it go until the 4th day and  with some reluctance decided to go ahead and cook and eat said  meat.         I paid for that error for some days after that.     No I won't take any chances at all.

 

How long are you comfortable to keep fresh meat in the refrigerator before you cook it?

 

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

I have no fixed rule because maybe I need 10min from the supermarket to return home and when I put the meet in the fridge it is cold like when I bought it. Sometimes I need a little longer to return home - not so good.

 

First, I look at the date. 

And then I make the smell and view test when I take it out of the fridge.

If I would cook i.e. beef stew, which is cooked for hours, I would maybe accept meat even if I am not so sure.

If I eat steak, half raw, then I don't take any risk.

Best, I ask my gf, she knows these things a lot better than I do.

 

[OneMoreFarang]

I wouldn't eat fresh meet from the market - it looks horrible to me when I see the meat in the open with no decent cooling and no cover.

 

But it seems some supermarkets are not better.

I remember I saw in one of the big chains when the staff took fresh chicken out of the plastic wrap and they dumped it all on a table where people walked. There was ice under the lowest layer of the chicken. But no protection on the top. That can't be healthy.

 

I also saw in another well-known and expensive supermarket, that the staff took packages with sausages, etc. out of the fridge and put them in the morning on a table for presentation. No cooling. And in the evening, they take the leftover packages from the table, now obviously all warm, and put them in the fridge again.

Any visitor on the next day, who would pick anything out of that fridge, wouldn't know if that was cold all the time, or maybe warm for several days and then cooled again.

 

So even if the date on the package looks good, that doesn't mean the product inside is good.

[Nick Carter icp]

8 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I wouldn't eat fresh meet from the market - it looks horrible to me when I see the meat in the open with no decent cooling and no cover.

 

 

  Although you don't seem to display the same transcendence  when shopping at Nana plaza 

[connda]

I've got a chest freezer.  We buy meat, individually wrap it (or store it in bulk), and put it in the freezer.  Take it out the day we want to use it.  Bob's your uncle.

[Ralf001]

7 minutes ago, connda said:

I've got a chest freezer.  We buy meat, individually wrap it (or store it in bulk), and put it in the freezer.  Take it out the day we want to use it.  Bob's your uncle.

 

Yeah same... All meat purchased goes straight into the freezer unless it is being consumed same day... then it goes to the fridge.

 

[freeworld]

From supermarket to home, separate it into portions/packs and straight into the freezer.

 

Rarely put meat in the refrigerator unless there is only a short time between arriving home with the meat and cooking it.

 

 

Edited April 17 by freeworld

[Korat Kiwi]

Lately I've found that meat from the supermarket whose name is like a water plant/flower'ssss  does not keep for very long. 

 

I'm less than 5 minutes away and the meat goes straight into the fridge.  4 days max and it's not looking or smelling good.  Chicken seems to spoils quicker than pork. 

 

The missus says just to wash it and it will be OK.  I say you can eat it but I'm not touching it.  Even the dogs won't touch it. 

 

I've had food poisoning twice in my lifetime and that was twice too often. Good way at losing weight but not very pleasant. 

 

I've found local wet market to have better meat but then we go there at 4am.  It certainly appears fresher and not previously frozen like some in Lotus'sss. (Woops shouldn't mention their name). 

[bkk6060]

Check the date and smell.  3 days is usually good.

This is a big problem here however.  Thais will commonly leave meat sitting out for days no frig at all. Clueless about how quickly bacteria collects. Can be very dangerous.

[patman30]

you might want to remove "properly" from the title, as you just mean refrigerated.
if things were done "properly" from start to finish you would get 3 months for beef and 1 month for others usually
but things are not done properly here
best thing you can do is put meat straight in the freezer, put in fridge to thaw 24 hours before you want to eat it
can also turn fridge right down
as for how long i keep it, it all depends
if from supermarket, then 3 days max here
if i get the animal soon after slaughter then would be much longer in the fridge (if not frozen)
if storing it properly by removing one of the following: air, moisture, energy, heat, time. they it would be as above
without one of the 5 the bacteria cannot grow
so vac packing meat when you buy it will stop it going off so quick, and/or you could coat in oil or tallow
i don't usually buy from supermarket but when there i have noticed quite a few new brands that vac pack their beef
be worth eyeing the use by dates they state
and remember it is very common to dry age beef for 3 months, which is commonly just refrigerated with a fan
 

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, Nick Carter icp said:

  Although you don't seem to display the same transcendence  when shopping at Nana plaza 

555

I guess when the meat is already 18 years old, and it still looks fresh, then the risk to get a bad stomach is not too high. 

 

 

[eyeman]

2 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

 

I also saw in another well-known and expensive supermarket, that the staff took packages with sausages, etc. out of the fridge and put them in the morning on a table for presentation. No cooling. And in the evening, they take the leftover packages from the table, now obviously all warm, and put them in the fridge again.

Any visitor on the next day, who would pick anything out of that fridge, wouldn't know if that was cold all the time, or maybe warm for several days and then cooled again.

 

 

 

Ah **** and the never ending BOGOF on plastic sausages 😂, I think it's probably safe as hardly any meat in those nasty things anyway, just a solidified soup of chemicals..

Edited April 17 by eyeman

[JayClay]

16 hours ago, In Full Agreement said:

After buying meat at the supermarket how long are you OK to keep in the refrigerator.

 

Until the date on the packaging. After being opened I keep it for up to 3 days, or until the date on the packaging - whichever comes sooner.

 

As others have suggested, if you want to keep it longer, put it in the freezer.

 

Also... your story about regretting cooking a piece of meat is cute but, assuming that you're referring to food poisoning, then you really have no way to be sure it was the meat that triggered it unless it was the only thing you ate within 48+ hours.

[1FinickyOne]

I try and cook it in not more than a day... 

[loong]

18 hours ago, In Full Agreement said:

How long are you comfortable to keep fresh meat in the refrigerator before you cook it?

Unless you know for sure that the meat is fresh, I think that it is best to always assume that it has been frozen and thawed.
Chicken I will cook the same day as I buy it or after 1 day maximum in the fridge. Pork, I will allow 2 days max in the fridge. Beef can stay in the fridge for 4 days.

I will always check the smell and dump anything dubious. It is just not worth the risk.

Some places, I will never buy meat from due to the smell. Tesco no longer have a presence in Thailand, so i can say that I would not buy meat in some of their supermarkets due to the stink at the meat section!

[KhunLA]

Fresh, if isn't cooked that day, it gets vacuum sealed then in the freezer.  Only buy frozen seafood, emphasis on 'sea', and avoid buying fresh water or farmed fish.  Prefer to buy all meats frozen if close to same price, and really depends on planned use.  Along with how much space is available in freezers.

 

Even buy frozen chicken parts, let thaw enough to separate, then refreeze individual servings.  At Makro, it's the exact same stuff they put out as fresh.

 

Never buy meats from local fresh/wet market.

[newbee2022]

20 hours ago, In Full Agreement said:

After buying meat at the supermarket how long are you OK to keep in the refrigerator.

 

I once let it go until the 4th day and  with some reluctance decided to go ahead and cook and eat said  meat.         I paid for that error for some days after that.     No I won't take any chances at all.

 

How long are you comfortable to keep fresh meat in the refrigerator before you cook it?

 

 

 

Most supermarkets don't sell fresh meat but defrosted.

So it's meant for immediate use or longest a day after.

[ignore it]

Stick it in the freezer.

 

Some have eaten wolly mammoth meat that's been frozen for thousands of years.  

 

Seal in airtight bag (or deep in permafrost)to avoid freezer  burn. 

[brianthainess]

20 hours ago, connda said:

  Bob's your uncle.

I hope not 😱

[john donson]

poor little fragile things

 

how do thais survive on that hot market meat

[KhunLA]

4 minutes ago, john donson said:

poor little fragile things

 

how do thais survive on that hot market meat

Cook it well done ... 

[Shmo]

Any red meat in the house for 2 days becomes an Indian curry and portioned and frozen. I also slow cook the beef in a Dutch oven with veg and beef and roast potatoes when I can find them 

[In Full Agreement]

6 hours ago, KhunLA said:

 

Never buy meats from local fresh/wet market.

 

 

I  always like my friends claim about fresh/wet markets.     What they don't sell today is tomorrows fresh meat.

 

 

[xtrnuno41]

If I use meat within 3 days or so in refrigerator. 5 C degrees. IF then not, then I fry the meat and can hold then again in fridge for 2 days , but then must use.

Never, ever i had rotten meat.

IF longer not using, in freezer -18 C degrees. I can keep it for longer then month, no problem at all.

But you do need a good refrigerator/freezer, not such a tiny thing with "freezing" in top section refrigerator.

Thats hopeless, it will freeze some, but nope.

Bought wife a Panasonic with cooling section (auto defrost) and freezer separate, they are rare to find.

Run into it by accident. What was it 13000 baht I believe. Last year saw likewise-ish, but then 17000.

However liked my model better then the newer one. Still at good shape, knock on wood.

 

yes, meat in Makro, Big C are in ice show cases, wide open. Not my cup of tea with all the dripping blood all over, but ok never been sick.

Better dont think too much about it. It is Thailand, different.

Not even from shrimp from market. You know all the women must touch the shrimp or fish (hands washed?) and afterwards clean in cup of water with some lemon. Also everybody cleans in same cup. Still alive with no problems.

When you buy in the country then it is even more weird. No cooling what so ever, it  is just in the back of house somewhere.

Again survived without any problems.

Once ate oysters in Phuket, looked like respectable restaurant, even smelled the oysters(no nasty smell). But day afterwards I wasnt feeling happy at all. Slight fever, diarrhea, nausea. OK survived again, took a day. 

That is the only time n my life, I was sick of probably food. And I have eaten on many locations complete different then a 0 star restaurant. 

 

[Luuk Chaai]

On 4/18/2024 at 7:11 AM, loong said:

 

I will always check the smell and dump anything dubious. It is just not worth the risk.

Some places, I will never buy meat from due to the smell. Tesco no longer have a presence in Thailand, so i can say that I would not buy meat in some of their supermarkets due to the stink at the meat section!

Lotus'sssss and Makro in the Pranburi are ..    the meat dept usually stinks like they are trying to attract buzzards ..  and the meat especially the chicken and pork always has a nice brownish tint to the edges...  ( don't forget the open ice trays where everybody and the sister handles the product cross contaminating by using the same tongs to pick up the items ....

[thaibeachlovers]

When it starts to grow fuzz is usually when it gets chucked. If it's been in there a while I usually overcook it though. EXCEPT for chicken. If that is over 2 weeks old it gets given to the cat.

I work on the principle that processed food is so full of preservatives that the chemicals will kill me before food poisoning does.

 

I will admit that sometimes after eating something a bit old that I feel relieved to wake up OK the next morning.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 4/18/2024 at 9:45 AM, JayClay said:

Also... your story about regretting cooking a piece of meat is cute but, assuming that you're referring to food poisoning, then you really have no way to be sure it was the meat that triggered it unless it was the only thing you ate within 48+ hours.

So true. It could have been caused by licking a finger that was somewhere unfortunate.

I've had 2 bouts of serious food poisoning- one was from a Maccers in NZ, and the other from an upmarket restaurant in Bkk.

[herfiehandbag]

Same day or into the freezer.

 

Even the dogs chicken carcasses only get two days in the fridge (mind you that guarantees 4 dogs in a pile in front of the fridge door!)

[JayClay]

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

So true. It could have been caused by licking a finger that was somewhere unfortunate.

I've had 2 bouts of serious food poisoning- one was from a Maccers in NZ, and the other from an upmarket restaurant in Bkk.

 

Again how do you know where you were poisoned? While there are certain types of food poisoning that kick in within a few hours, typical cases of food poisoning take 24-48 hours before they start to show symptoms.

 

Unless on both occasions they were the only place you'd eaten for the last couple of days, or an investigation took place to determine the source, you can't be even nearly sure where you got sick.

[patman30]

On 4/19/2024 at 12:05 PM, JayClay said:

typical cases of food poisoning take 24-48 hours before they start to show symptoms.

Bacillus cereus: 30 minutes to 15 hours

Campylobacter: 2 to 5 days

Clostridium botulinum: 18 to 36 hours 

Clostridium perfringens: 6 to 24 hours

Escherichia coli (E. coli): Usually 3 to 4 days, possibly 1 to 10 days

Listeria: 9 to 48 hours for digestive disease, 1 to 4 weeks for body-wide disease

Salmonella: 6 hours to 6 days

Shellfish poisoning: Usually 30 to 60 minutes, up to 24 hours

Staphylococcus aureus: 30 minutes to 8 hours

Vibrio: 2 to 48 hours

But i do agree, unless there is a common denominator, it can be difficult to pin point the source.