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Storage of Meats Poultry and Seafood
Questions about food storage, specifically proteins such as meats, poultry, and seafood.
2,359 Questions
Can cooked thawed shrimp be refrozen?
It's never advisable to re-freeze raw meat once it has been defrosted especially sea food - the worse kind of food poisoning is from sea food.
Shop bought shrimp are generally safe to freeze immediatly after purchase, but once defrosted, they are exposed to harmful bacteria which can spoil them, and therefore they cannot be refrozen. Defrosted shrimp should be covered and stored in the fridge, and consumed within two days.
-The following is from the UK Food Standards agency - http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/asksam/healthydiet/fiasandshellfishq/#A221177
When you buy prawns from a supermarket or fishmonger, they might have been frozen before, even if they aren't frozen when you buy them. Check the label or ask the person serving you, if you're not sure. You shouldn't freeze prawns that have already been defrosted.
Will feta cheese go bad in the refrigerator?
Any food that required refrigeration will eventually go bad - even in the refrigerator. Refrigeration delays spoilage by slowing microbial growth - it does not prevent it.
What size freezer do i need for 200 lbs of meat?
According to Lowe's website, one cubic foot of freezer space holds about 35 pounds of food. That would mean your freezer would need at least 5.7 cu ft.
How long will a vacuum sealed bag keep it's seal?
Vacuum sealers are devices which remove air from food items, thus increasing their lifespan. How much longer food will last with a vacuum sealer depends on the type of food sealed. Fresh meat may last 2-3 years vacuum sealed, while ground beef may last up to a year. By contrast, vacuum sealed cheese will only last about 6 months. Breads, on the other hand, may last only 6 weeks vacuum sealed.
Is the slime that forms on cured smoked ham okay to eat?
People didn't always have refrigerators. Ham was made in the first place so it would last several days at room temperature without spoiling. I grant you there is a very very slight chance of getting sick from it, but there's also a chance of getting sick from any organic food. Unless the slime has unusual colors or the ham smells very foul, you should be OK.
How long can you keep vacuum packed pork spareribs in refrigerator?
For safety reasons, it is sensible to keep vacuum packed meat of any description in the refrigerator only until the "eat by" date has passed. After this date, there is a risk of food poisoning.
How long can chicken beef and pork be frozen and still be safe to eat?
From a microbiological standpoint, it would be safe forever. Palatability is another issue and will depend upon how good the freezer is and on the packaging used.
Raw cuts of beef could be OK for 6-12 months. Ground beef or small pieces should be used within 3-4 months. Use up cooked beef within 3 months.
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How long will raw salmon stay good in a fridge after purchased?
Fresh fish may be stored one to two days. Most fresh seafood should be used the day you buy it. After two days it's best to check it to be sure it's still good and then freeze it till you plan to use it. Place it in an air tight container for the best results.
How long it lasts depends on how old the fish was when you brought it home and how it has been handled. Fresh fish will begin to look slimy after about 4 days and after that smell bad, each are signs that the fish is breaking down and has passed its prime time.
Uncooked chicken was left in car for 5 hours is it safe to eat once cooked?
Meat needs to be out of the danger zone - less than 40° or more than 140°. If it is in the danger zone between 40 and 140° for more than 2 hours it is not safe.
How long can you keep beef chili in the refrigerator before it will spoil?
Time to actual spoilage could vary. It should be used within 5 days and could last a week or even longer. But if you don't plan to use it in a couple days, it would be best to freeze it.
Why should raw meats be stored on the bottom shelf?
Raw meat should not be stored on the top shelf of the refrigerator. Any juice from the meat could drip on food below and contaminate it. In any case, storage should not be more than a day or two. All containers should be washed with soap and hot water. You would also want to store the meat in the coldest part of the fridge. That is usually the lowest shelf. Use a refrigerator thermometer to learn the cold and hot spots in your refrigerator.
How long do eggs stay fresh without refrigeration?
If the eggs in the nest are more than a week old, I just put them in water to see if they float in water. If they float, they're no good. If they start to turn upward like they want to float, you're taking chances. If they're dead still and don't float at all, then they're fresh.
What does spoiled ham look like?
If your food smells at all bad to you then trust your nose and don't eat it. It could smell of ammonia or vinegar or sulfur. It won't smell like fresh chicken.
Become familiar with the smell of your food and ingredients. The odor is usually the first clue that something is wrong.
How long can raw meat stay out of the fridge?
No, definatley not! you better not try! First of all, being left for 5 days, it definatley should get spoiled, and 2nd of all, it is not right right to eat raw meat.....[You are a human, not an animal!].
How long can you keep defrosted chicken before cooking?
Chicken should be defrosted under refridgeration and once defrosted removed only to prepare for cooking.
How long can ham be kept out of the fridge before baking?
If you bake the ham properly so that it is cooked all the way through and to a high enough temperature to kill any and all germs, then theoretically you don't need to refrigerate it at all for a couple of days.
That said, it is much, much better to leave uncooked meat refrigerated until ready for baking or cooking.
How long does dill relish last in the fridge?
Any produce, including fresh herbs, will go bad eventually, even in the refrigerator. If the dill is dried, then it can be stored much longer in a tightly sealed container.
Why does food last longer if exposed to gamma radiation?
Gamma radiation doesn't change the food in any way; it merely removes bacteria so thoroughly that the food keeps fresh as long as it stays sealed. Normal "uncontaminated" food contains enough bacteria that they will eventually grow into a large population and rot the food.
How long do fajitas keep in the fridge?
About four days. It varies though, so use your common sense to judge it.
Is meat still good when the package has expanded?
Probably not. If you've taken refrigerated meat out of the refrigerator and let it warm up some, the warming air inside the package could expand it, and your meat is probably okay. But if it's still refrigerated, the package expansion is probably caused by gases produced by the action of bacteria.
Almost always an expanded package is due to bacteria growth, the expansion due to warming the air inside the package will not be very discernible to the naked eye. Rule of thumb in the food industry is: "When in doubt, throw it out"
How long does uncooked risotto last?
As a rough guide, plain cooked rice or pasta, properly handled, appropriately stored and kept refrigerated right up until the time of use, will last about as long as fresh milk.
Risotto will necessarily have a number of ingredients which will affect its use-by time, so be guided by your sense of smell and taste and, especiallyl, by your commonsense!
I'd estimate up to three days for cooked and refrigerated risotto to remain safe. This is a very conservative estimate, but I'd not keep it more than a week.
Cooking more risotto than you can possibly use at one sitting is a brilliant plan. Few meals compare with a slice of cold risotto sizzled in unsalted butter or olive oil and topped with crisped bacon and a fried egg, unless you count the same procedure employed with the classic Irish colcannon, a blend of mashed potato and green vegetables such as leeks and cabbage.
The safe storage period of any food depends on various factors. These factors include type of food, mix and quality of ingredients and, most importantly, food-handling practices and storage.
Provided you observe optimal hygiene practices in your kitchen, many cooked foods remain safe for days; with poor hygiene you might as well not bother refrigerating prepared food for more than a day. There are many sources of information on food safety; you could start with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_safety and go from there.
Basic food safety practices include:
- Tie up hair; wear clean clothes.
- Wash hands before food preparation and between all stages of preparation.
- Don't use kitchen cloths (tea towels) during food preparation; use disposable paper towels for hands and utensils.
- Never allow cooked and raw ingredients to come into contact with one another, and never use the same utensils to work with both.
- Don't use the same work surface - benchtops, cutting boards - for cooked and raw foods, meat and vegetables, and so on.
- Use glass or ceramic containers, well-sealed with a lid or cling-film once food is cold, to store cooked food.
- Above all, keep your fingers off your face and away from your mouth while preparing food! If tasting is necessary tap cooking food from your stirrer into a spoon for tasting; never return a tasting utensil to the pan.
Just a hint: don't use fresh herbs when cooking foods to be stored. Add your aromatic chopped greens on serving.
How long can you store cooked chicken inside the refrigerator?
Guessing the question was meant for chicken pot pie. This food can be frozen safely for years. This is a good way to keep all cooked meats.
