How long will raw hamburger meat stay fresh in the refrigerator?
Two days max! Including the day purchased. Fresh meat has bacteria. Lower temperature retards bacterial growth, it does not stop it. Hamburger, steak and other meats, which contain raw blood are especially susceptible to bacterial spoliage. Meat refrigeration is for items intended to been eaten in a relatively short period of time. If you don’t plan to eat it right away, freeze it. If you leave in the refrigerator a day or two, don’t freeze it cook it – at high temperature, long enough to ensure you kill all of the bacteria! If your red hamburger is now brown, and has a strange smell, you probably want to pitch it!
