Is it okay to eat a week old burger?

The dark color doesn't really mean anything in terms of actual spoilage. Here's how the chemistry works:

Most animal flesh contains myoglobin, a common muscle protein. It's normally a purple-gray color, but when it is exposed to atmospheric oxygen during the meatcutting/grinding process, it converts to oxymyoglobin, and turns bright red. This is what gives fresh-cut meat its appealing red tone. Over time, both the cheery red oxymyoglobin and any remaining purplish myoglobin chemically degenerate into metmyoglobin, which is brown, and the meat no longer looks so fresh.

But the retailer or meatcutter can slow that color degeneration by exposing the meat to nitrates, which are especially effective when liberally mixed into ground meat. Many unethical retailers recycle old meat by refreshing its color with nitrates, then repackage it as fresh. This is illegal in many jurisdictions, but it is still goes on because the odds of being caught are minimal. So fundamentally, a tray of adulterated, bright pink ground meat on the grocery shelf can be even older than the tray of brown meat immediately beside it. Despite the radical color difference, both trays could be perfectly safe, either tray could be spoiled, or both could be spoiled.

Plus, there are other factors affecting meat color - like the specific cut, animal age, and even its breed and sex. So color is really not a valid way of identifying spoilage, though it can sometimes be a clue about freshness.

In this case, your burger has turned a greenish gray-brown because under extended refrigeration, the enzymes responsible for combining air with the mince's globins to keep it looking pink, have broken down. Most of the existing globins have been converted to brown metmyoglobin, and there are no functioning enzymes left to perk up the color by generating additional oxymyoglobin. (This is also why trays of even fresh burger meat are often red on the outside, but disappointingly brown on the inside; it's not old meat in there, air has only penetrated so far into the loaf.)

All that being said (whew), generally speaking, ground meats carry a considerable risk of spoilage over the course of a full week under household refrigeration; a good general rule is to use organ meat within a day of purchase, ground meats within 2 days, and cuts within 4 days.

The best way to tell if meat has gone bad is first by smell, then by touch. If it doesn't smell like something you'd want to eat, chuck it. Likewise if it's slimy, rather than just moist (frequently a sign of storage temp fluctuation), or more than ever-so-slightly sticky, bin it.

These tests work for red meat, as well as brown. Last week I threw out a couple of pounds of crossrib steak (shoulder to you Yankees) that was still nice and red, but which smelled off and was too sticky for comfort. It might have been all right, but the bottom line is that salmonella and campylobacter are not things you and your family want to mess around with. Even after the bacteria themselves are cooked to death, their residual toxins will still make you miserable.

	[Nov. 23rd, 2009|05:03 pm] Food Safety For the Cheap and Adventurous
Is it safe to eat a week old burger left in the fridge? The burger and fries are from Apple bees.
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Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 10:50AM

It is in the Frig. I normally microwave for about a minute but never a week later. Am I going to die as a result?

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 10:54AM

You are braver than I. I usually try not to eat their stuff even if it is fresh off the grill.

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 10:57AM

There are probably so many preservatives in the thing that you can put it in your fallout shelter in the back yard and eat it in thirty years.

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 10:58AM

Depends on what you consider "safe." I know quite a few who don't consider them "safe" when they're "fresh."

Yesterday I noticed another Mc Donalds near me shut down. Their time has passed, as least in this area.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/2007 11:00AM by M A V I C.

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 10:58AM

When in doubt, throw it out.

Food in the fridge is usually good to eat for about a week. Of course, depending on how it was wrapped, the bun has probably been dried out by the environment.

If you do decide to eat it, be sure to heat it to 160F for about twenty seconds to ensure that any bacteria is killed.

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 11:08AM

Where is Paul F. when we need him? He'd know the answer to this.

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 11:22AM

Throw it away! I'll buy you another…

Please stop crying!

i'd wager
Date: May 13, 2007 11:46AM

As someone with an iron stomach, I'd wager you could give it another week and it would still be okay. But please do heat it, in order to release the bitter, greasy bouquet.

It may help to put it in a brandy snifter

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 11:53AM

Are you a vulture? Or perhaps a coyote? If yes, go right ahead and eat it.

Anyway, how much worse can it be than it was when you got it?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/2007 11:53AM by ka jowct.

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 11:53AM

have you seen that movie, what was it called, when the guy ate 30 days only at McDonald's? Well, on the DVD, as extra bonus, there was this experiment where they took fries from several fast food joints, and put them in jars and watch as they go bad. Some of them were started to grow mold in a couple of days, and were all green and supporting new forms of life within a weeks or so. But guess what, the McDonald's fries were still looking like they were just bought, four or six weeks later (I don't remember exactly the time, but it was something ridiculously long, over a month IIRC). Anyway, they decided to let the experiment go as long as possible, but unfortunately a janitor threw all the jars out one day, so the experiment ended suddenly, otherwise the McFries would have been still good a year later, I guess.

Definitely watch the experiment if you get a chance. Worth it. I have not eaten much at McDonals before, but definitely never ever since I watch that footage.

The moral: your burger is probably just as good (or rather bad) as when you bought it. Now how good or bad that is for you, only you can decide.

Bon appetite. (whatever you decided to eat for lunch)

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 11:57AM

Why would it be any safer than it was last week?

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 12:13PM

Quote
spearmint
... Am I going to die as a result?

Die? Probably not. Wish you were dead? Possibly.

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 12:30PM

[www.askthemeatman.com]

"Any cooked hamburger left at room temperature for more than 2 hours should be discarded. After cooking, ground beef can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days"

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 12:43PM

I am going to Peet's for a coffee, and Rinaldi's for a Babe Watch sandwich. Eat fresh and live.

This message has been brought to you by the Threadkiller™

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 12:51PM

Quote
spearmint
It is in the Frig. I normally microwave for about a minute but never a week later. Am I going to die as a result?

A better question would be "is a one-minute-old McDonald's burger safe to eat?"

Now look, I'm not one of those high-and-mighty types that would never touch a McD hamburger. I eat them from time to time when time is tight, and when they are fresh they are quite tasty.

But don't kid yourself that you're not eating complete crap full of things that are bad for you.

Are you willing to bet your health over a $2 hamburger when a better, fresher and presumably safer replacement is so cheap and convenient?

Feed it to the ducks in the local pond. Never liked them anyway.

chas_m

[crawlingfromtheusa.blogspot.com] <-- Moving to Canada blog

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 01:05PM

I'd probably toss it...
A week is a little long for any food you didn't have a hand in preparing yourself.

Now as for this statement;

Quote

Any cooked hamburger left at room temperature for more than 2 hours should be discarded.

Bull..
If it was left on the butchers counter for 3 hours, he'd wrap it up and sell it.
Now, if it was left unrefrigerated for 4-5 hours when raw, then cooked rare, then left out for 2-3 hours.... there might be something to that. But I've eaten worse without incident.

Otherwise, it's like MAVIC said; some folks confuse "fresh" with "safe to eat".

A lot of people throughout human history have eaten a lot of unrefrigerated meat... and MOST of them didn't die. Most of them didn't even get sick.
Of course, they grew up eating what we would consider rotting meat.. and have a tolerance for it.

Paul F.
-----
A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
----
Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
--

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 01:11PM

It's a Dollar Menu double cheese. I found another in the bag too. This may be Apocalypse Now for my stomach.

Going to zap them in the Micro for two minutes hoping that will equal 160 degrees. Wish me luck.

The burgers I cannot handle are Burger King. I think they have a peculiar greasy taste and are too large.

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 01:13PM

Quote
Ted King
http://www.askthemeatman.com/e-coli_facts.htm
...After cooking, ground beef can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days" {emphasis added}

Ground Beef?? ....In a McDonald's burger?

Surely you jest

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 01:17PM

Quote
spearmint
It's a Dollar Menu double cheese. I found another in the bag too. This may be Apocalypse Now for my stomach.

Going to zap them in the Micro for two minutes hoping that will equal 160 degrees. Wish me luck.

Just in case, I want to wish you a fond farewell

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 01:21PM

> Their time has passed, as least in this area.

That must be so nice. I have three of them across the street from me in 3 cardinal directions.

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 01:53PM

For goodness' sakes, 'mint, put on some out-of-the-house clothes and go buy a new one.

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 02:07PM

End of story I zapped one for two minutes and it was not very tasty. Stale bun the problem. Ate half threw it away with the other two I had. Canned Yams for Din-Din.

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 02:20PM

Quote
spearmint
End of story I zapped one for two minutes and it was not very tasty. Stale bun the problem. Ate half threw it away with the other two I had. Canned Yams for Din-Din.

And now we wait for the effects.

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 02:46PM

Just reading the TITLE of this thread, and then glancing to the Author column was good for a huge belly laugh!

<wipe tear>

Don't ask who the bell's for, dude. It's you.

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 02:55PM

What's wrong with you 'Mint?
Just get dressed and get out of the house, man!
Surely never seeing the light of day cannot be good for you.
If things are that bad for you, I'll Paypal you $5 for dinner.

Yes.
Date: May 13, 2007 03:37PM

Refrigerated, it's perfectly safe.

Just not tasty as when brand new.

That "documentary" cracked me up. The guy was a loon and a fool.

But objective reporting was *not* any part of that film or agenda. People ate it up. Lack of objectivity is also part of the audience participation.

I am that Masked Man.

All you can do, is all you can do.

Your boos mean nothing to me, I've seen what you cheer for.

Insisting on your rights without acknowledging your responsibilities isn’t freedom, it’s adolescence.

I've been to the edge of the map, and there be monsters.

We are a government of laws, not men.

Everybody counts or nobody counts.

When a good man is hurt,
all who would be called good
must suffer with him.

You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.

There is no safety for honest men except
by believing all possible evil of evil men.

We don’t do focus groups. They just ensure that you don’t offend anyone, and produce bland inoffensive products. —Sir Jonathan Ive

An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

You make me pull, I'll put you down.

I *love* SIGs. It's Glocks I hate.

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 04:33PM

Just drink a extra couple of swigs of "Adult Beverages", that'll kill most everything, especially the RotGut you brew in the tub!

BGnR

"Good heavens, Miss Sakamoto! You're beautiful!"
"If we dig precious things from the land, we will invite disaster."
"Near the day of Purification, there will be cobwebs spun back and forth in the sky."
"A container of ashes might one day be thrown from the sky, which could burn the land and boil the oceans."

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 05:18PM

Give it the sniff test, if it sniffs back at you, toss it~

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 06:21PM

Supersize Me was the first Thing I thought of as well.]

I have found McD's fries under the seat after many months. Still look as good as new. Wouldn't dare eat it.

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 07:03PM

Quote
Lux Interior
Supersize Me was the first Thing I thought of as well.]

I have found McD's fries under the seat after many months. Still look as good as new. Wouldn't dare eat it.

I always wondered if the "experiment" was doctored or not. Now you convinced me

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 13, 2007 07:48PM

That reason the fries last a long time is becasue they are clean and uncontaninated with baceria when they were cooked.

The crisp outer keeps them clean after being cooked.

The fries that did grow mould, had bacteria in them before cooking (i.e. bad).

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?

Posted by: Jp!

Quote
space-time
have you seen that movie, what was it called, when the guy ate 30 days only at McDonald's? Well, on the DVD, as extra bonus, there was this experiment where they took fries from several fast food joints, and put them in jars and watch as they go bad. Some of them were started to grow mold in a couple of days, and were all green and supporting new forms of life within a weeks or so. But guess what, the McDonald's fries were still looking like they were just bought, four or six weeks later (I don't remember exactly the time, but it was something ridiculously long, over a month IIRC). Anyway, they decided to let the experiment go as long as possible, but unfortunately a janitor threw all the jars out one day, so the experiment ended suddenly, otherwise the McFries would have been still good a year later, I guess.

Definitely watch the experiment if you get a chance. Worth it. I have not eaten much at McDonals before, but definitely never ever since I watch that footage.

The moral: your burger is probably just as good (or rather bad) as when you bought it. Now how good or bad that is for you, only you can decide.

Bon appetite. (whatever you decided to eat for lunch)

Not a surprise. Ever been in a used car? McD's french fries look new for years.

Re: Yes.

Posted by: Jp!

Quote
RAMd®d
Refrigerated, it's perfectly safe.

Just not tasty as when brand new.

That "documentary" cracked me up. The guy was a loon and a fool.

But objective reporting was *not* any part of that film or agenda. People ate it up. Lack of objectivity is also part of the audience participation.

+1

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 14, 2007 08:08AM

Quote
Mike V
That reason the fries last a long time is becasue they are clean and uncontaninated with baceria when they were cooked.

The crisp outer keeps them clean after being cooked.

The fries that did grow mould, had bacteria in them before cooking (i.e. bad).

I think the reason is the lack of organic compounds in a McD's fry.

Re: Will a week old McDonald's burger safe to eat?
Date: May 14, 2007 09:19AM

talk about a Dollar Menu-naire to the extreme!

go buy another burger one for a buck

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