Meat, like any other product, cannot constantly stay fresh. Over time, under the influence of various enzymes, microorganisms, as well as molds, it spoils and becomes unfit for human consumption. Any housewife should be able to determine a poor-quality product. But how to understand that the meat has deteriorated? Deal with this issue will help the advice of experienced chefs.
Main characteristics
Before you start cooking something from meat, you must be sure that it is fresh enough and suitable for further processing. Suspicious foods are best avoided. This can lead to undesirable consequences. Beginning housewives in such cases ask one and the same question: how to understand that the meat has deteriorated? Experienced professionals or those who often encounter a similar problem can answer it. In their opinion, there are three main indicators of meat freshness:
- Appearance. The meat of any animal should have a color from bright pink to dark brown. Any iridescent overflows and grayish shades are unacceptable. If a piece of meat has bones or joints, then they should be white. For fatty layers, a yellowish tint is permissible.
- Smell. When buying a product in a store, you must definitely smell it. But how to understand that the meat has deteriorated? Usually an external examination is not enough. Here we must remember that fresh meat practically does not smell except for a light shade of milk. Any extraneous “aromas” indicate poor product quality.
- Consistency. How to understand that the meat has deteriorated? Fresh meat should be firm and firm enough to the touch. The fossa, which forms when lightly pressed by the hand, usually disappears immediately. A spoiled product, on the contrary, will be loose. A finger enters it, as if in oil. In addition, a fresh piece of meat will never be sticky and slippery.
Knowing these indicators, it is easy to distinguish a good product from a bad and poor-quality.
Is the minced meat spoiled?
Inexperienced housewives are often lost when it comes to minced meat. How to understand whether the meat has deteriorated if it is not a whole piece, but a chopped semi-finished product in front of your eyes? Nevertheless, the freshness of minced meat is determined by the same indicators.
The product must be well inspected, sniffed and must be touched. Only then can a final decision be made regarding its suitability. Take, for example, minced beef meat. It is not necessary that it is cherry red. During storage, the beef gradually begins to darken from the inside. This is due to the lack of direct access of oxygen. In the middle, over time, the stuffing may even turn brown. But this is quite normal. Prefabricated should not smell bad. This is a clear sign of a spoiled product. Here you must always remember that even in a fresh product there are bacteria. Therefore, in the presence of any suspicious aroma, it is better not to risk it. In conclusion, the forcemeat must be touched. If it is sticky, slippery or too wet, then such a product will not fix any heat treatment.
Definition of fresh pork
Each type of meat has its own characteristics. For example, on the counter in the store is pork. How to understand that the meat has deteriorated? Here again, we need to recall three main features.
By color, a piece of pork must be pale pink. A darker shade indicates that it is either not fresh, or the meat of an old animal is in front of you. In this case, it is better to refuse such a purchase. A dish made from such pork will be disgusting and will not give pleasure. If the meat is very pale, then growth hormones may have been added to animal feed. It is not safe to cook food from such products. If outwardly the meat looks normal, then this does not mean that it does not need to be sniffed. Sometimes sellers try to hide an unpleasant odor with spices or table vinegar. The presence of any foreign odors suggests that the product is not as good as it seems. When pressed with a finger, pork, like any other meat, must be elastic. When buying a product on the market, one must not forget to check for the stamp of the sanitary inspection.
Characteristics of spoiled chicken
Poultry meat is no exception. It can also become unusable during prolonged and improper storage. How to understand that chicken meat has deteriorated? The inadequate quality of such a product is determined by the scheme already familiar to all. Firstly, the color of the meat changes from pink to gray. In small quantities, this is acceptable. The carcass can be boiled a little more. If there is very little natural shade left, then such a chicken can no longer be saved. Secondly, spoiled poultry meat has a characteristic unpleasant odor. It is very difficult to get rid of it, yes, and it is not necessary.
Thirdly, the skin of the damaged carcass will be slippery and sticky. A small coating is formed on the surface in the form of a thin shiny film. Sometimes you have to deal with a finished product. For example, spoiled fried chicken has a smell of sulfur or rotten eggs. And no spices here will help. And another important sign is the presence of mold. Even the initial formation of fluffy formations of black or green color is a signal that the product is finally damaged.