Why Did Ground Beef Become Discolored After Food Saver Vacuum Packed

Is it necessary to cover food stored in the fridge?

I will first site an incident of  foodborne disease associated with foods stored in refrigerator. A immunocompromised person died of listeriosis ( by Listeria sp.) following consumption of hotdog. On investigation it was found  that the remaining hot dogs in the package were contaminated with the same bacterial species. The hot dogs in unopened package were also contaminated as a result of contamination from the processing plant. It was also found that several prepared (cooked) dishes in the refrigerator were also contaminated with the same bacterial species. Conclusions, after further investigations, were: the the refrigerated foods were contaminated from both cross contamination and from the air circulation.Refrigerators at home  are used to store:   raw and processed meat/fish, eggs, raw vegetables, food packages ( raw/processed). They have many types of bacteria, that may include some  pathogens. Air circulation and cross contamination can disperse them easily.A cooked food, stored uncovered, can easily get contaminated by these bacteria. So from SAFETY ASPECT, one should keep the cooked food and any ready-to-eat food properly covered. One can store the cooked food covered at room temperature for a short time for the temperature to drop and then refrigerate.

Why did my ground beef spoil within two weeks of freezing?

When you say it spoiled within two weeks of freezing, how do you know it's spoiled?  Have you thawed it and found it to be spoiled?  Or is it still frozen and you're somehow concluding that it "looks" spoiled?And what do you consider "spoiled?"  Do you mean that it is biologically unsafe because it is contaminated with bacteria, or do you simply mean that something happened to it to make it unappealing to eat (such as freezer burn)?There could be a number of factors/reasons why ground meat would spoil that quickly, even though it's been frozen:If it was already spoiled (by bacteria) before it was frozen, then freezing it isn't going to make it any less spoiled later.  Freezing may or may not kill the bacteria, but the damage is already done in terms of how palatable the meat will be.How was it packaged before freezing?  Ideally, when freezing anything, you want to remove as much air from the packaging as possible.  This means wrapping securely with a plastic wrap or using a vacuum sealer.  Leaving pockets of air allows moisture vapor to fill the space around the surface of the meat and can lead to freezer burn, which can cause discoloration, texture problems and off-flavors.What temperature did the meat start and and how fast did it go from pre-frozen to solid frozen state?  If the freezing process took a long time, it could allow bacterial activity that would spoil the meat before completely freezing.  It could also contribute to freezer burn, as slower freezing causes larger ice crystals to form.  Larger ice crystals rupture more cell membranes in the meat, causing it to become goopy and unappealing.How did you defrost or thaw it?  The ideal way to defrost meat (assuming it is sealed in plastic) is to run a slow trickle of cold water over it.  This allows the meat to thaw by way of heat transfer (the cold water transfers a small amount of heat to the meat, and trickling the water allows the heat transfer process to take place most efficiently, all without warming the meat enough for it to start cooking).  If you've ever tried thawing meat in hot or warm water, you probably know that the outside of the meat will turn a very unattractive grayish color as it starts to cook while the inside is still frozen.

How long does cooked chicken last in the refrigerator?

Depends how it is prepared, but generally, three to four days, according to the Food Safe and Inspection Service (USDA).  http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factshe...

If frozen chicken is left out for 24 hours, is it still cookable?

Raw chicken is usually highly contaminated with Campylobacter and Salmonella, and in addition, MUCH greater numbers of ordinary spoilage organisms that do not cause illness but will cause decomposition. The spoilage organisms grow rapidly (some even at refrigeration temperatures (0-5C or 32-40F).  So here is the answer: Forget for a moment about controlling pathogens in raw meats; they are ALWAYS there, whether frozen or not! The spoilage organisms are growing exponentially, and will turn the colour a bit greenish, the smell a little sour, and the texture a little slimy. IF any of these are detected, you may want to throw it out because it wouldn't taste as you would expect. (But this is a quality issue, not a health issue). This is likely to happen if the chicken has become too warm in the 24 hrs. If it is still cool, even for several days, check colour, smell, surface and interior texture (especially near the vent)- and if it passes - go ahead, cook and eat. Talk of "toxins" are incorrect in this context. Toxin-producers are NOT going to able to grow in uncooked meat. None of them. In most areas in the world, poultry is hung up on display at ambient temperature as a normal procedure. No refrigeration for raw meat, and people are not falling down with fatal infections! The meat simply goes "bad" and is rejected at some point. Having passed the smell-touch-visual test, if you go ahead, NOW BE CONCERNED ABOUT PATHOGENS! How? COMPLETE cooking (at least 166'F or 75'C), and sterilize the board, knives, cloths, thawing-dishes, etc., using 1-2 capsfull of chlorine bleach in the washing and wiping water. That's it! Throwing perfectly good raw meat out just because of imagined 'pathogen growth' or 'toxin-production' is simply a waste. After 30+ years investigating, lecturing, researching food borne illness, I can safely report that illnesses due to poultry are always (A) inadequate heating/cooking all-through, and/or (B) contamination from raw to ready-to-eat foods, or (C) dangerous holding/storage temperatures AFTER cooking. What happens BEFORE cooking really doesn't play a direct role in illness, (other than contaminating something else).

Can dogs eat chicken that has been left out?

Dogs are scavengers by nature and will eat just about anything they can wrap their dog lips around. Their stomachs are a little different than people’s so they can handle eating some things that might turn our stomachs. It's why dogs that go through the trash and eat food that has been there for a couple of days are usually fine.If the chicken smells okay and is deboned, let him have it. If the meat smells a little funky or is discolored, toss it. Any meat on the bone should be removed before feeding to dogs and cats. Chicken bones can break and splinter causing injury to a pet's mouth and digestive tract.

Is it safe is it safe to wrap meat in aluminium foil?

For short term, yes, but for long term (like freezer) it's probably not that safe, and there are better methods for long term (freezer) anyway.Aluminum foil - A green metal material with various advantages performancealuminum foil for household foilNow people call aluminum as a green metal, energy-saving emission reduction of the metal, the best circulation of metal, energy storage of metal, light metal, inexhaustible metal with excellent performance. So What’s the advantages of aluminum?1. Low density. According to the crystal structure, the theoretical density of single crystal aluminum is 2698.72kt / m3, which is 0.34% higher than that of single crystal, about 1/3 of steel and copper density. This is very important, without this, there is no such prosperity today, the cause of aerospace, although it can not say that there is no aluminum will not have today's aerospace industry, but no aluminum, aerospace will not be so prosperous, There is no low-density aluminum and aluminum alloy which can fly today fly high-speed railway train, faster than the helicopter!2. Moderate mechanical properties. The greater the purity of aluminum, the lower the mechanical properties, and now can be made of tensile strength of 750N / mm2 engineering alloy, of course, this is individual, most of the tensile strength of aluminum alloy are 500N / mm2 below.3. Good thermal conductivity. Aluminum has good thermal conductivity and conductivity, The combination of good electrical conductivity and low density makes it a good long-distance transmission conductor.4. Superior corrosion resistance. Aluminum and aluminum alloy surface layer is also thinner than the cicada wing is not comparable to the alumina film, which is a layer of oxygen in the air with the formation of natural oxide film, this film is not only surprisingly thin, and very dense, can not penetrate oxygen , And aluminum was firmly connected, so that aluminum is no longer subject to corrosion, that is no longer oxidation, so that aluminum and aluminum alloy in the use of the period to the after treatment and remelting can be more than 95% of the recycled aluminum.