First significant fridge casualty

[cjsmith]

Last night I pulled out a multipound chuck roast to put in the crock pot. After it had been in my fridge for five or six days, I did not completely like the smell or the look of it. Either signal alone I might have skipped. My nose is best described as hyper, and meat always looks different when the blood has had time to drain off it. But both signals together I didn't want to risk. There went $7 worth of meat. Grr!

New rule for self: When purchasing expensive one-shot items like that, cook them the same day. If I can't cook a roast that day I can't buy it that day. I think I need to apply this rule for all meat. See, most weeks, I have exactly one day to do all chores including grocery shopping and cooking for the week. If something doesn't get cooked on day one it won't get cooked until day eight... and that may not be soon enough for a chunk of beef.

*sigh*. Fortunately, the only other goofs so far have been small. The sawdust bars I pitched might have been as high as $4 all told, but the other two things I've opted to pitch were some celery ($1?) and some dried beans that had been soaking for a week ($0.25, another didn't-get-it-in-the-crock-pot-on-Sunday goof). For a total noncook's first month of kitchen life, and considering the insane constraints I'm under, I suppose this isn't too bad.

Comments

[warlord-mit.livejournal.com]

There's always the freezer....

[dizzdvl.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's probably a good idea you chucked it. You don't have lots of freezer space,right?

[just-cyd.livejournal.com]

definitely a learning curve here. i'm glad you've got the nose to detect these things. i don't, so i'm mostly using my sound judgement and the 7-day rule i was raised on.

my friend queensheba almost always does her crock-pot-ing overnight, since she's gone for work for too long for most things. you'd need the fridge space to put the crock in before you head out to work, though. hmm, what about crockpotting AT work?

[hitchhiker.livejournal.com]

my rule of thumb for raw meat in the fridge is 2 days, maybe 3 if it's been marinating in something. 5-6 is definitely stretching it.

[lcohen]

by the way, i cook for one, too. half batches, and living with a little more frequent repetitions--that is, i will often eat the same thing two days in a row.

[katybeth]

things I've opted to pitch were some celery ($1?)

I know you're short on freezer space, but for the record, you can chop extra celery and freeze it chopped, and it will work for soups and casseroles and such. Not so much if you want celery sticks or other raw uses.

[porcinea.livejournal.com]

And *this* is why I don't cook meat at home. (People think it's because I live with two vegetarians -- nope, I ruled out meat v. early in my living alone. Too wasteful.)

[katybeth]

Also, I may have a couple of recipe suggestions for you (or modified recipe suggestions), but will have to check ingredients. Can I email them?