Discoloured (in dat...
 

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[Closed] Discoloured (in date) Bacon: safe to cook and eat?

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Got a packet of unopened bacon, it's 'use by' 17th April, but it's got slightly 'grey' around the edges. Most of it is still pink.

Is it safe to eat? It will be cooked thoroughly anyway. Is it just oxidisation? I've seen bacon on sale in supermarkets, that's looked worse. It's not 'slimy' or anything.

Eat or throw away? Hurry up 'cos I'm hungry and need to cook something soon.

I reckon eat, no? I don't like to throw food away unnecessarily.


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:03 pm
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Why frigging risk your health??!!

Take it back.

Just because the date is fine...I've never seen discoloured bacon.

Give the shop a call I'm sure they will sort you out if you have the receipt at least.


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:04 pm
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follow your nose, if it smells bad it is


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:04 pm
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Eat it. 🙂


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:04 pm
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If you like to spend time on the loo reading the paper.

Or throw up at work...


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:05 pm
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I've had plenty of bacon look like that, give it the smell test first though.
It'll be reet


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:06 pm
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It don't smell 'bad', it just smells like raw meat.

i'm not one of these paranoid types that throws stuff away 1 second after it's sell by date. I scrape mould off cheese. I'm just surprised it's gone a bit grey.

I've eaten beef that's gone brown loads of times without any problem. Same sort of thing, or is pork different?

Any sensible advice?


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:07 pm
 ton
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pork is grey, not pink. pink is artificial colouring.


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:08 pm
 dobo
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who the hell reads the in date label the morning after a serious night out, be fine, some mouldy bred dont hurt if you toast it too! check your eggs float or is it sink hmm


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:09 pm
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If its off the smell will make it pretty clear..

Its more than likely its just the meat ageing.


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:11 pm
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nothing wrong with it - in all honesty will probably taste better for hanging around for a few days.


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:11 pm
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As others have said just go by smell.

It's not like you are eating it raw is it?


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:12 pm
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it'll be fine
that pig died for you
don't let it go to waste


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:17 pm
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Well it's not mould, as it's affected the tissue of the meat, not just the surface, and as I've said, I've seen much worse on sale.

Ton; artificial colouring you say? 😯


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:18 pm
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So have you eaten it then?


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:20 pm
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Is it organic?

If yes, British?

If yes, it will be OK.

Is it from Holland/Denmark?

If it is, bin it!

HTH

Auntie CG


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:20 pm
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Metalic shine isnt a good thing. Seen butchers bacon discoloured but never pre-packed. If indoubt take it back or better give it to a freegan - they're the iron gut bin scroungers arent they? Atleast it wont go to waste. Even better singletrack bacon challenge - anyone close enough to eat it? Who is forum glutton / cast iron gutlord, any takers or nominations?


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:20 pm
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bring it round here and I'll eat it, I've got some eggs


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:24 pm
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Bollocks to it, it's getting cooked!

Is it organic?

If yes, British?

If yes, it will be OK.

Is it from Holland/Denmark?

If it is, bin it!

You do know this is completely and utterly irrelevant, don't you? As EU food standards are very high, and the 'organic' tosh is purely marketing bullshit.

If I'm ill, you lot will be the first to know about it, trust me. 😈


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:26 pm
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Crumbs 24 minutes it's taken you to decide to COOK it then eat it you can't have been that hungry 😉


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:28 pm
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It's just a little grey it's still good, it's still good


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:31 pm
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It's nearly done! Cooked it up with some garlic, mushrooms and tinned tomatoes, served with pasta. Mmm...

Googling reveals (apart form some hysterical paranoid Americans) that it's to do with lactic acid reacting or something. And considering bacon is very high in salt anyway, I'd imagine an unopened pack that's well in date to be probably ok.

He says, trying to convince himself... 🙄


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:32 pm
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Mm, tastes ok...


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:32 pm
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Well you learn something new each day.

I guess if it looked different to what it was when you bought it I'd bin it.


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:36 pm
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I'll take the register in the morning 😉


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:38 pm
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It's ok, I'm having beer with it, which will cancel out any badness.


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:42 pm
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Is the Beer Green?


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:44 pm
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Is it cloudy?


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:46 pm
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You haven't replied to my e-mail. 😉


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:47 pm
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I buy all the 'old'stuff in Waitrose and I haven't died yet, can't get my head round 'scraping mould off cheese'.....cheese is mould!


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:48 pm
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Ask yourself - would a restaurant cook and serve it?

Of course they would. Get on with it!


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:49 pm
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Right. Lets get down to the important issues:

Was it on stodgy crap white bread?
Was it smothered in tomato ketchup?
Did you let rip a window-rattling belch when you'd finished it?

Answer no to any of the above and you're clearly a mincer 😀


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:50 pm
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sell by dates are a swizz, ignore them and use you nose, if it smells off in the bin, if not crack on. Probably just oxidised a bit, think of it as matured bacon,like a good steak!!


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:50 pm
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jebus your are worrying about discoloured bacon...chuckle...you should check out what i rummage up from my student fridge.
cook it till its black=no problem


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 9:55 pm
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matthewjb's post reminded me i was working on a building site before xmas when i saw a Russian labourer eating an onion like an apple, THEN open a pack of bacon with his stanley knife and proceed to eat raw bacon and onion.

Brilliiant!


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 10:07 pm
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Answer no to any of the above and you're clearly a mincer

No, Binners. You, Sir, are naught but a vulgar oaf.

Students! Oh Lord, the stuff I used to see in mates' fridges! 😯

One lad cooked some proper rank, and I mean really nasty looking mince in Vodka, as he said it would 'sterilise the meat'. Strangely, he suffered no ill effects. Mind you, this was a lad who, after ingesting an a mount of Ketamine that had others on the floor, went shopping in Sainsburys and actually came back with a sensible week's worth. 😯


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 10:07 pm
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Well that was very nice, I have to say. Simple, yet delicious. That Ms Dahl will be beating a path to my door, for sure.


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 10:09 pm
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No, Binners. You, Sir, are naught but a vulgar oaf.

I think the word you're searching for is 'northern' 😀

I wasn't going to pass comment initially, but.... you looked at a sell by date? Girlchild!


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 10:28 pm
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[i]and I mean really nasty looking mince in Vodka,[/i]

Northerner


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 10:37 pm
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On the subject of 'safe to eat' how long do people leave food in a pot for without covering or chilling?


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 10:50 pm
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I think the word you're searching for is 'northern'

😆

As for the student lad; I think he was a Home Counties boy. Well-spoken and polite. Bit odd though. It proper kicked off in one of the pubs once, and he sat in the middle of the whole thing, playing a Game Boy. Police came in, and nicked everyone, then he looked up, and said 'Oh, is it time to go home?'. Very odd...


 
Posted : 06/04/2010 10:53 pm
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I had some dodgy bacon last year and spent the next four days doubled over in agony in one of two places: the bog and bed.

Do you have wifi and a laptop?


 
Posted : 07/04/2010 12:01 am
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you will be fine and i assume you have eaten it by now. it loses the greyness when cooked anyway


 
Posted : 07/04/2010 12:02 am
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cinnamon_girl - Member
You haven't replied to my e-mail.

Ahhh. Like that is it? We know what you're doing...... 😉


 
Posted : 07/04/2010 6:26 am
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pork is grey, not pink. pink is artificial colouring.

Yes, pork is grey. But bacon is traditionally cured with saltpetre, which turns it pink.

I wouldn't be surprised if cheap bacon is dyed though.


 
Posted : 07/04/2010 9:32 am
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Aside:

A mate of mine came home from the pub once to find a plate of parma ham in the fridge, which he scoffed down. The next day his parents asked him if he had eaten the bacon their friend had dropped off. Yummy.


 
Posted : 07/04/2010 9:34 am
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It's ok I'm still alive! 😀

Had to pop out for something this morning, sorry to keep you worrying.

No ill effects, and I'd definitely know by now. Bit windy, but that could be anything really.

If you consider the sate of meat preparation and storage in countries where refrigeration is non-existent, then it shows just how fussy we are in the West, about meat. Pork needs extra care, of course, but sheep and cows are herbivorous, so their meat is less dangerous. Less pathogens or something.

I just thought it was a bit odd, as I've not seen that before. Same brand of bacon I always buy, and I've never had any problems with it before. It's not the cheap muck you see in some supermarkets (Economy Bacon- WTF??).

I've got a pretty strong constitution anyway, my mum didn't fuss about bleaching every single surface when I was an infant, all that nonsense. I've got a pretty healthy immune system. I've not had anything more than a slight cold all winter.

Well we live and learn (if we live)! At least now I know that slightly discoloured bacon is safe to eat!

Thanks for your replies, not that many of them were actually all that useful! 😆


 
Posted : 07/04/2010 10:57 am
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On the subject of 'safe to eat' how long do people leave food in a pot for without covering or chilling?

A couple of days (covered though), unless it's hot weather, then it goes in the fridge once it's cooled down. Especially if it's meat. Cooked meat is more dangerous than raw meat, if left unrefridgerated.


 
Posted : 07/04/2010 11:04 am

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