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How Long Can Raw Beef Be In The Fridge?
Beef is a kind of meat, and although cooked can somewhat be stored in a refrigerator for maybe a longer time, raw beef can only be kept in the fridge for three to five days only. After this, it is best to either use it up in cooking or shift it to a freezer.
As you can see, the time frame on how long to keep raw meat in your refrigerator really depends on what kind of meat it is. Different types of raw meats will have different shelf lives in the refrigerator prior to cooking or freezing. You can safely store big cuts of meat in the refrigerator for 3-5 days after you bring it home and before cooking or freezing.
You can safely store steaks, roasts, cuts, and other large cuts of meat in the freezer for 4 to 12 months. For instance, raw steaks can last for up to 5 days in the refrigerator, and up to 12 months in the freezer. As for cuts, the FDA says they should be stored three to five days in the refrigerator and four to six months in the freezer, and that a wide range of meats should be stored for one to two days in the refrigerator and three to four months in the freezer.
| Type of beef | In the refrigerator (32-34°F) | Freezer (0°F) |
| Raw beef/steak | 5 days | 12 months |
| Beef cuts | 3-5 days | 4-6 months |
| Salami and pepperoni | 5 days | 1-2 months |
| Canned ham (opened) | 3-5 days | 2 months |
Canned ham, on the other hand–the kind that is labeled “keep refrigerated”–can be stored, unopened, in the refrigerator for six to nine months (do not freeze), or opened, stored in the refrigerator for three to five days and the freezer for one to two months. Opened lunch meats, such as salami and pepperoni, can last three to five days in the refrigerator and one to two months in the freezer, whereas unopened lunch meats can go two weeks in the refrigerator and one to two months in the freezer. When it comes to beef, the FDA says steaks and roasts can last anywhere from three to five days in the refrigerator.
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You should only keep raw ground beef, raw burgers, and raw beef roasts in the refrigerator for one to two days, unless you have cooked your raw ground beef ahead of time. Whole packages of fresh cuts of meat may be refrigerated in their original wrappers in the cooler section of your fridge for three to five days after you buy them, whereas ground beef may be stored in the fridge for one to two days. Most uncooked meat, regardless of cut, may be stored in the refrigerator for three to five days without spoiling. To keep it in the fridge, wrap cooked meat in plastic wrap or foil, or place in tightly covered containers, and use it within two to three days.
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Store meat securely in your fridge or freezer before cooking, and you will be able to stock your kitchen for days, weeks, or even months. If you do not preserve that tasty piece of steak 2 hours after cooking, it is going to go bad, and there is nothing you can do to salvage it. You need to either cook, store, or freeze your steak by this date, so you make sure that it is still in optimal conditions. Whenever you purchase steak uncooked at a supermarket and you do not want to cook it right away, you should either refrigerate it or freeze it immediately after deciding you are not going to eat it.
At this point, you have to cook your raw meat, or wrap it in foil to put in the freezer, saving it for a later time. Assuming you did not do anything other than take home your steaks in their raw, packaged form, and put them in the freezer, they are fine to go 3 to 5 days past their best-by date. If you are one day or two behind on your steaks sell-by date, you are almost certainly not at risk for it going bad, as long as it was sealed correctly when you put it in the fridge.
If you are going to buy steak and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to cook it, knowing how long it can be kept in a safe manner is crucial. If you ask the USDA (and you should; they know their stuff), an uncooked steak is best kept for between 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator, regardless of how it is wrapped. How well your steak is wrapped, and with what kind of material, may affect whether you are on the high end or the low end of that three-to-five-day range.
When you put a raw package of beef, lamb, pork, or veal into your fridge right after purchase, you have about three to five days of holding time before you need to cook it; poultry and ground meats will last as long as two days in your fridge before cooking is needed. You should cook raw poultry, ground meat, and other chopped-up portions of meat within two days after purchasing the raw poultry. For raw ground meats, such as pork, beef, hamburger, lamb, veal, venison, or poultry meats, such as ground chicken, ground turkey, and so forth, cook or freeze the raw ground meats within 1 to 2 days. Ground meat, poultry, and fish should be used within one or two days, whereas beef, hog, lamb, and veal should be consumed within three to five days.
For instance, if you have a frozen whole chicken or turkey, you will want to prepare it within 1 to 2 days. We already dug into the question of how long a raw chicken can stay in your refrigerator, and found out it only needs to last 1-2 days.
The best way to defrost frozen meat is by leaving it overnight in the refrigerator anyway, so in some form you are likely going to need to leave the raw meat in the freezer at some point. There is no limit on how long you can safely store meat in a freezer, which is just too cold to allow germs to grow. Raw poultry, such as chicken, turkey, game chicken, duck, and others, can be stored safely in the freezer for 1 -2 days. Raw, uncooked sausages made with turkey, chicken, beef, or pork can safely be stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
Uncooked cuts of beef will keep for anywhere between four to twelve months in the freezer, and uncooked ground meats will keep in the freezer fresh for three to four months. Like all leftovers, cooked meats will last three to four days in the fridge, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Cooked poultry dishes, such as, say, Chicken Cacciatore, also last for three to four days in the refrigerator, and they last slightly longer — from four to six months — in the freezer than fried chicken. Whether you have beef mince, steak, grilled meat, or anything else made with beef or pork, the timeline mostly remains the same in general.
How can you tell if raw beef is bad?
After purchasing, meat should be consumed within one to two days, while beef cuts should be consumed within three to five days. A foul or “off” odor and a slimy or sticky texture are signs of perishable beef, and it’s not always a sign that beef has gone bad if it becomes grey.
Is ground beef OK if it turns brown in the refrigerator?
The chemical alterations in myoglobin brought on by the presence of oxygen are what cause this darkening. This is a typical alteration that occurs during refrigerator storage. It is not advisable to utilise beef that has gone brown due to prolonged storage since it may be ruined, smell bad, and be sticky to the touch.
Is it OK to eat expired ground beef?
Ground beef should not be consumed after it has expired, unless it has been frozen, in which case it can be consumed for up to 4 months. When purchasing ground beef, pay close attention to the product label. You can find out when to eat ground beef by looking at the sell-by and expiration dates.