Archive:Quick Questions on food safety / sell by / use by dates

allydowd

If it smells ok and looks ok....I'd eat it.

Norfolk_Jim

Presumably you are going to cook it? If thats the case then the sniff test is how I'd decide. If there is no rancid smell then chances are cooking will kill off any bacteria present and there has not been enough of them to leave residial toxins.

charliee_3

i wouldnt eat it, if it were a whole bit of meat and smelt ok then i'd give it a go, but sausage meat is a bit dodgy anyway because all the outside bits of the meat with bacteria on get all minced in and mashed up with the rest of it.. that is why minced meat should always be cooked through and is so often the culprit in e-coli cases, etc..

i wouldn't risk it... do you have a dog or a cat you could cook it up for?

BitterAndTwisted

It's only five days past the "sell-by" date so if it's been kept in a nice, cold fridge since bought it will be absolutely fine, I guarantee it. Honestly, I really think some of us worry much too much about these dates. I often eat things over a week past the sell-by date and I've never, ever been made ill by eating any of it.

Bronnie

Does the sausage meat contain any preservative? ( which would extend it's life more) Presuming it's pre-packed, you could check the label.

If it smells ok and looks ok I would use it, but would make sure it was REALLY well-cooked!

You're the one who can see it though, we can't!

If in doubt, chuck it out!!

tinkerbellsmum_2

thanks all it smells fine and looks ok plus it has preservative in it so gonna risk it thanks

poppyolivia

have you had it yet? Was it ok?

PossumMum

Actually it's not "my" turkey stock as such, it's my mum's. And she made it on Boxing Day - that's when we have our Christmas dinner - the stock is just the juice from the turkey that wasn't made into gravy. Anyway, it's been in the fridge for a week now and I'm wondering if it would be safe to eat? I was going to make a risotto with it. It smells fine (it smells delicious actually!) BUT my 1 year old son would be eating the risotto and while I can live with giving myself food poisoning, obviously it would be dangerous for him.

I wouldn't even ask only we're snowed in and I, in my infinite wisdom, did not stock up enough. In my defence we've just moved back home and have a new freezer which I have yet to fill!

Help we're hungry:o

msb5262

If you bring the stock to the boil - a good rolling boil - then simmer it for 10 minutes, it should be fine. This is assuming that it smells absolutely untainted in the first place. If you do this, you should then be ok to give it to your son.
For your information, meat stock can be stored safely if you boil it each day and cool it quickly (eg. by putting the whole saucepan in the sink and filling sink with cold water, repeatedly if necessary).
HTH
MsB

PossumMum

Thank you! That is very helpful! We went with Spag bol that I had in the fridge-freezer tonight, I'm hoping the turkey stock will still be good tomorrow. Smelled perfect today so hopes are high.