How long does ground beef last

Keep mince on the bottom shelf, in a closed box, at 4°C (40°F). The surface is larger than a steak, and bacteria use that. USDA FSIS and FoodSafety.gov list raw ground beef, hamburger, and ground mixtures at 1–2 days in the fridge and 3–4 months in the freezer. The Bayburt ministry note’s bullet also says 1–2 days in the fridge and 3–4 months in the freezer. The mistakes paragraph on the same page is stricter: meat cut small, such as mince, is eaten within a day. That sentence is the bold number, 1 day. A sooner use-by date on the pack wins. The split is on the use-by and best-before guide.

Cooked mince is a leftover. Cool it in a shallow box and refrigerate it inside the two-hour rule. The UK FSA says eat leftovers within 2 days. USDA lists leftovers, including casseroles, at 3–4 days; the Bayburt cooked-meat bullet is also 3–4 days. The same note also says to eat leftover meat the same day or the next. The bold number is the FSA’s two days. In the freezer, USDA leftovers and the ministry’s cooked red meat overlap at 2–3 months.

Get perishable food into the fridge within 2 hours of cooking it or bringing it home, and within 1 hour if the kitchen is above 32°C (90°F). USDA FSIS and Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry both publish that cutoff. A closed deep pot stays warm; a shallow box cools.

A chart is a window, not a verdict on the container in your hand. A sour smell, a slimy surface, or mould means it is finished, even on day one. This page is not medical advice.

• A sour, sweet, or ammonia smell.
• A sticky or slimy surface. A dull colour on its own is not the verdict; smell and texture are.
• A swollen pack, or juice that is cloudy and strongly scented.
• A sharp smell from cooked mince, or mould in the box.

A pink centre in a burger is not safety. Ground meat is cooked to 71°C (160°F).

Freeze raw mince the day you buy it, in flat portions. The quality window is 3–4 months; USDA and Bayburt print the same band here. Cooked mince is 2–3 months. The months are not a safety date. Food held at −18°C (0°F) does not expire for safety, and the ministry also notes that freezing does not kill bacteria.

Thaw in the fridge, on the bottom shelf, so the juice cannot drip. Do not refreeze a portion that has thawed.

Thaw in the refrigerator, not on the counter. Do not refreeze a portion that has thawed. The ministry states the same rule: thaw frozen food in the fridge and take out only what you will eat.

• Mince keeps as long as a steak. A steak is 3–5 days on the USDA chart. Mince is 1–2 days, and the bold number on this page is 1 day.
• If the colour goes brown it is rubbish, and if it smells fine it lasts a week. Colour alone is not the verdict. The clock and the smell still apply. A week is not a published mince window.
• Cooked mince is 3–4 days everywhere. USDA lists 3–4 days. The FSA leftover rule is 2 days. The bold number is the safe (shorter) end of the range in the official sources.

The windows assume a generally healthy household. Pregnancy, young children, older age, or a weakened immune system are reasons to keep the shorter figure, to skip raw or undercooked food, and to reheat leftovers until the centre is steaming. USDA’s figure for reheating leftovers is 74°C (165°F).

Cook mince to 71°C (160°F). A burger that is still pink in the centre is one to skip in pregnancy, for young children, in older age, or with a weakened immune system. Raw mince juice soils the board; wash the board with hot soapy water. Reheat leftovers to 74°C (165°F).