Purchasing, Storage and Preparation of Meat

Meat is our next source of protein we will like to consider. We want to look at factors to look out for when buying either fresh meat or frozen meat and how to prepare it for cooking.

Fresh Beef cuts

Meat is a term used to classify all mammals that are slaughtered and used for food and this includes mutton, beef, lamb, etc.

Whenever we are purchasing meat we have to lookout for the following factors to ensure we are buying fresh meat.                         

• Make sure that the meat has been properly covered and refrigerated without freezer burns (grey-brown spots on the meat).

• Ensure that you buy meat from a shop that has a high turnover to guarantee freshness of the meat.
•  There should be no signs of deterioration such as a foul smell.
• All meat should have their natural colors without any off colour. 

Meat should be the last item that should be purchased on the marketing list and kept separately from other food items like fruits and vegetables.

Immediately refrigerate or freeze it upon arrival if you are not ready to use immediately, if it is to be stored it should be put in a freezer to avoid increase in temperature that will lead to microbial growth and should be properly wrapped in either a freezer bag or cling films.

   Make sure that the portions are properly wrapped otherwise "freezer burn" could develop. Freezer burn appears as grey-brown spots on the meat that is caused by air reaching the surface of the poultry meat.

How to prepare a frozen meat for cooking

Thawed Chicken Meat that are frozen should be kept in the refrigerator for two three days or in a microwave and allowed to thaw. It should never be left under room temperature to thaw.  The meat should be cleaned and washed separately from other food items to avoid contamination.  Any pieces of meat containing freezer burn should be cut away either before or after cooking. If a lot of freezer burn is present, the meat could turn out to be very dry and tasteless when cooked. Thank you for joining me on this post. In my next discussion we want to look at the nutrient contents in meat.