IDEAL TIPS FOR BUYING FRESH AND HEALTHY MEAT

All of us love to eat quality healthy diet. In order to accomplish this, we have to choose our food wisely. Meat constitutes a significant part of our daily diet. It contributes our body with excess of necessary nutrients such as Vitamin C, Vitamin B complex from B1 to B12, calcium, phosphorus, omega 3 fatty acids, muscle-building proteins, and much more. These nutrients are required to keep the body in sound health. There are also numerous options for cooking creativeness when it comes to meat. While thinking about meat, this matter is extremely very important. However, there are people who believe that meat in our routine diet is unhealthy and unnecessary, whereas chicken is considered as the healthiest. But this similarity may not be totally true. For weight watchers as well as those maintaining a check on their cholesterol, the effort of choosing the right meat is absolutely very crucial. Here are some basic tips which you need to bear in mind when you go for shopping meat.

Texture of the meat

Fresh red meat should not be yellowish or watery, and should not be with deteriorated bones. If the meat has a yellowish or watery texture, you can consider the meat is not fresh. Regarding meat, the word cut is used to refer the animal body part from where the meat is taken. Good quality meat comes from the back side of the animal, such as the loin, rib and rump. The meat from this region is usually more tendered than the front part which includes the meat from the shoulder, flank, and legs. Such high-quality meat available from the back side is only a smaller portion, and hence, it is very high in demand. The good cut meat also gets cooked sooner on high flame, whereas the meat from the front portion needs to chew more and takes longer time for cooking properly.  If the flesh is see-through when cut, it is not fresh.

Bone selection

Bone selection is wholly a personal preference. Meat with bone takes lesser time to cook as bone is a good conductor of heat, and thus, assists in getting the heat to reach all over while cooking. According to some chefs, meat with bones has enhanced with more intense flavor, and takes lesser time for the butcher to prepare the meat, and so, it also costs you less. However, on the other hand, it can be difficult to get the meat off the bone while eating. So, the selection of bone meat relies on preferences.

Appearance of the meat

While buying meat, you have to bear in mind that it should be very high in softness, ripeness, and flavor. It should be practically free from flaws such as discolorations, bruises, feathers and broken bones. In the skin, there should be no tears, or exposed flesh that may dry out while cooking. Moreover, whole parts should be fully meaty as well as fleshy. You must also make sure that the surface of the meat is neither too dry nor too wet. While touching, the meat should not be slimy, and your fingers should stay dry. Also, there should not be any blood splatters on it.

Note the color

You can understand a lot about the freshness of the meat just by evaluating its color. Apart from the poultry meat, the normal color of the meat should be bright red. If the meat is not fresh, it will no longer show the bright red color.
If the meat is stored in vacuum-sealed wrapping, it might appear as little brown. It is safe to buy and can be stored for longer duration in the refrigerator. Sometimes, the partial destruction of the red meat pigment, results in the gray, brown, and greenish color of the meat. So, keep your eyes open for any clues of green color under the sections.

Smell

One of the speedy ways to check the freshness of the meat is to smell it.  The smell of the fresh meat is acidic to some extent. Red meat should have a typical goat or lamb smell, and there should not be any disparity in it. Anything that smells rotten or pungent should be avoided completely. Poultry meats usually do not have strong odors, but they may have a rather meaty smell occasionally. If the scent is more powerful then it is better consider that the meat is not fresh. So, don’t forget to smell, and touch the meat before buying it next time.

Meat surface

If you observe closely at red meat, you can find out meat fibers. The grain within the fibers will tell you whether the meat is tender or tough. Crude meat grains, with many observable muscle fibers point out tough meat with lots of zest. Opt these meat cuts for low and slow cooking. When buying beef tenderloin, you will be able to notice the absence of these grains. This indicates that the meat will be gentle if cooked.

Meat fat

Meat with white specks, and strips of fat scattered throughout the muscle will be tender and juicier. If this marbling fat content looks finer, it will be tastier also. Certain beef varieties are prized for its marbling feature, and well-known for their tenderness and flavor. These types of meat varieties are also more costly.

Choose skinless meat

In spite of the freshness of the meat, it is also necessary to choose the right parts that offer benefits and keep away ailments. Always choose to buy skinless meat as the skin is rich source of high amounts of calories as well as saturated fats, which may lead to a range of cardiovascular and weight gain problems. Even though meat with the skin can make tasty fried dishes, it is not good for your cardiac health.

Prefer observable meat

Nowadays, it is decisive to know where your meat products are arriving from, and how they are sourced and bred. Awareness regarding the history and ancestry of an animal will help you make sure about its quality. While buying packaged meats, always read the label, and realize the origin and farm conditions of the meat. It is imperative to remember that choosing the right type and quality of meat is vital to accomplish the most excellent health benefits out of them.

Firmness

The available fresh meat can be neither too supple nor too hard. The muscle fibers should be easily evident and the surface should be firm on touch. You can test it by punching on it. The meat should come back to its original shape if you applied a slight pressure on it. Meat which doesn’t come back to the original shape after punching or if it is too tight to poke has definitely been on the shelf for a long duration.

Worthiness

Butcher who cares about the worthiness of their meat will usually have well-butchered pieces of meat. Meat cuts belong to the similar range should be with the same size and thickness.

Go for shops with refrigeration facility

You can buy meat from shops where there is proper refrigeration facility. Never procure the meat that is enveloped in normal paper. Meat should always be stored in the refrigerators and taken with vapor resistant packaging materials.

Sell by date

On the packaging of meat products, you can see ‘best before dates’. These dates have more to carry out with quality rather than food safety. The manufacturers are mostly telling you that the product is usable at its most favorable freshness before a certain timeframe. After that date, even though the food item can still be used, it is up to the consumer to determine whether the packaged meat is still safe to intake.

Use by date

The use-by-date is significant since it is a warning signal of how nearer the meat is for being spoiled. Consumers should always remember to consume the meat products on or before the use-by date. After this date, it is very risky to use such products.

The packaging

See the packaging thoroughly for any sign of damage or dirt. Although it does not inevitably manipulate the quality of meat directly, it does give you an indication of how the meat was handled. If you see some dirty marks within the packaging, the meat package would have handled with some dirty hands. Likewise, if the package is damaged, there are high possibilities to get it polluted by outside elements.

Ask your butcher

Your meat expert is right behind the counter. If you are uncertain about all the aspects of meat, make use of the awareness of your butcher by seeking his advice. They will be able to direct you on what to look for, what are the right cuts you needed as per your proposed dish, what the freshest meat is, and how to prepare it. Some may even offer you a discount if you are ready to buy the meat in bulk.

Conclusion

Bear in mind the aforementioned tips while going to purchase the meat for your favorite dishes. As the possibilities to spoil the meat is very high, you must be in absolute vigil while purchasing the same. So, remember to purchase the right quality products always, and try to use it before the expiry date.