As with any meat, lamb must be carefully stored in order to ensure it continues to be safe to eat. If there is any question as to how long the meat has been left out, it should be discarded immediately so as not to risk the health of the consumer.
Cooked lamb should be left out for no longer than a period of two hours, according to the experts. Even if it still looks tasty and doesn’t have any visible mold or discoloration, once the two-hour mark has been surpassed, it’s considered spoiled and inedible.
Knowing what to look for when you have doubts about whether or not food has gone bad can be hard. We’ll discuss how you can tell if your cooked lamb has gone bad, how it should be stored, and what you can expect if you accidentally consumed bad lamb later in the article. Continue reading to find out more.
Why Does Food Go Bad?
There are a number of factors that go into spoiled food and the one thing that they have in common is that the item is no longer safe to consume, despite what it may look like on the exterior surface.
Some of the common reasons that food ends up going bad are due to oxygen, heat, temperature, and bacteria that cause the food to break down. After a period of time, most food items will break down and deteriorate, some more gradually than others.
Despite it being invisible to the naked eye at times, bacterial growth is a common reason that food ends up going bad.
The chemical and physical reactions that are happening can affect the taste, the smell, and even what the food item looks like. This is commonly seen in fuzzy mold patches.
Some food can spoil more easily than others, such as fresh ingredients, dairy products, and meats.
There are often ways to prevent premature spoilage, such as by storing the food in the fridge or the freezer to slow down the process of bacterial growth and the inevitable breakdown of the item.
Improperly storing your food often leads to the item spoiling faster, which is why you should always ensure it’s been packaged properly in a sealed container and that it stays within the correct temperature range.
If you have a warm or humid home, produce and other items left on the counter may break down faster than you’d expect.
What Happens If You Eat Lamb That’s Gone Bad?
If you’ve consumed lamb that’s gone bad, you may experience abdominal issues such as cramping. This is a natural response to consuming spoiled meat and it tends to resolve itself in a relatively short period of time.
Other symptoms you may experience after eating spoiled lamb include vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and even a fever. In particularly serious cases, eating bad meat can lead to a bout of food poisoning which may require medical attention to resolve the issue.
Anyone is at risk of contracting food poisoning if they’ve eaten bad food, however, some groups of people are at a higher risk than others. This list includes young children, older individuals, and women who are currently pregnant.
It’s important to always examine meat before you eat it and to discard it immediately if you notice any type of slimy coating or an unpleasant, sulphuric smell. However, if you end up consuming bad lamb anyway your body will soon alert you to your mistake.
If you’re concerned that you’ve consumed bad meat, it’s best to begin drinking fluids to help clear your system.
Medical attention should be sought if you begin to spike a high fever, as they can provide solutions to remedy the illness quicker than over-the-counter items can.
How Can You Tell If Lamb Has Gone Bad?
If you’re new to eating lamb, you may be unsure as to what to look for when choosing a fresh cut for your next meal.
Fresh lamb meat is often light pink in color but it also may be a darker red depending on what type of cut you’re purchasing.
There may be a lighter-colored fat layer and this is perfectly normal. When lamb meat is spoiled, it may turn a grayish color and the fat is prone to drying out and becoming brown instead of a light creamy color.
When you open your package of fresh lamb and notice the dreaded grey tinge to the flesh, it’s best to discard it quickly. It is no longer safe to eat, even if you cook it at high heat as this does not get rid of the bacteria that has already permeated the flesh.
Fresh lamb that has gone bad may have a spoiled smell, which should be immediately obvious upon opening the packaging.
Fresh meat shouldn’t have a strong odor, so when you notice something unpleasant this is often a sign that shouldn’t go ignored.
The foul odor is often noted as smelling sulphuric, almost like rotten eggs. Fresh lamb may have a grassy and fresh scent to it, which may not even be picked up by the casual home chef. Any type of slimy layer across the meat is also a sign that it’s gone bad.
How Should Lamb Be Stored?
When you’re purchasing fresh lamb, you’ll want to consider when you’re planning on cooking it. If you are going to use the lamb within a day or two, you can leave it in the fridge without worrying about it spoiling before you get to it.
If you found lamb on sale and don’t want to pass up a good deal, you may find yourself with fresh lamb that you don’t want to use within the next few days. In this case, you’ll want to freeze the meat to save it for a later date.
Any type of fresh lamb, whether it be chops, steaks, or roasts, should be kept in the fridge for no longer than five days. After this point, it can enter into dicey territory and you’ll have to proceed carefully if you choose to cook it.
Ideally, you’ll leave the lamb in its original packaging from the butcher. You don’t want to remove it and leave it open to the air, as it can dry out and take on other odors from the fridge which may alter the overall taste of the meat.
Lamb is a great source of protein and has many key nutrients, such as iron, vitamin B12, and zinc. When you purchase this meat product, it’s natural that you’d want to store and preserve it effectively so that you can enjoy it as part of a delicious and nutritious meal.
How Long Can Lamb Be Stored?
Depending on how you’re choosing to store your lamb, you may find that it can stay good for anywhere between 2 days and several months. In the freezer, fresh lamb meat will naturally preserve its freshness for a significantly longer time.
In the fridge, you may find that ground lamb lasts between 2-3 days before it begins to break down. Whole pieces of lamb, such as chops, are generally good between 3-5 days.
In the freezer, lamb should easily last for up to six months if properly protected from freezer burn. The recommendation is to wrap each piece of lamb individually and then place them into a ziplock freezer bag for an extra layer of protection.
Fresh lamb can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days before you need to begin examining it for signs of mold. Once you cook the lamb, you can freeze it at this point as well.
When you’re freezing meat or any type of food, you should always date the packaging so you don’t lose track of how long it’s been frozen.
Always tightly seal your lamb, regardless of whether you’re freezing or refrigerating it. This prevents the meat from oxidizing and drying out.
It can also slow down the process of bacterial growth, which helps to preserve your food for the next time you wish to enjoy it.