Meat is the highlight of the dining table. As the gatekeeper of the family's meals, it is not easy to immediately find high-quality meat in the market or supermarket. How to confidently buy safe and high-quality meat is a skill. Below are some tips on how to choose safe and high-quality meat.
How to choose pork
Appearance: Fresh and healthy pork has lean meat that is bright red or pink. If the color is dark red, it is of lower quality. The fat should be white or creamy white in color and have a firm texture. The surface of the pork should be glossy, with no liquid or spots.
Smell: Smell the pork near your nose. Fresh pork should have a slightly fishy smell. If there are any other unpleasant odors, do not buy it as it may be of lower quality.
Touch: Press the pork with your finger. It should have elasticity and quickly bounce back when pressed. If it becomes soft and does not bounce back, it is of lower quality. Also, touch the surface of the pork. It should be slightly dry or moist, and not sticky. If it is sticky, it is not fresh.
How to choose beef
When beef is injected with water, the meat fibers become rougher and more exposed. Due to the water injection, the beef may appear tender, but if you observe closely, there may be moisture seeping out. When you touch the beef, it should not be sticky, but rather moist. You can also use a dry paper towel to press against the surface of the beef. If the paper towel quickly becomes wet, it indicates water injection. Normal beef should not be sticky when touched, and the paper towel should not become wet.
In addition, fresh beef should have a uniform red color with a glossy appearance. If there is fat, check the color of the fat. It should be creamy or white, indicating fresh and healthy beef. If the muscle appears dark red, dull, and the fat turns dark or even green, it is a sign of spoiled beef and should not be chosen, even if it is discounted.
Cooking tips:
Due to the long and coarse muscle fibers of beef, it is recommended to use cooking methods such as stewing, boiling, braising, simmering, marinating, and sautéing to avoid tough texture.
How to choose chicken
Nowadays, many chicken are injected with water. How can we identify them?
1. Pat the chicken. Injected chicken will have exceptional elasticity. When you pat it, it will make a "boing boing" sound.
2. Look for red needle marks or dark spots on the wings. If they are present, it means the chicken has been injected with water.
3. Pinch the skin. Pinch the chicken skin with your fingers. If it feels slippery, it has been injected with water.
4. Perform a paper test. Place a dry, flammable piece of thin paper on the plucked back of the chicken, apply slight pressure for a moment, and then remove it and set it on fire. If it burns, it means it has not been injected with water. If it does not burn, it means it is injected with water.
Cooking tips:
After soaking chicken in saltwater, it will not stick to the pan. When cooking, use less salt or no salt to avoid excessive salt intake.
How to choose duck
There are three methods to choose a high-quality duck: smell, appearance, and texture.
Smell: Good duck should have a pleasant aroma, while lower-quality duck may have a smell of fishy or moldy odor when smelling the abdominal cavity. If there is a strong odor, it indicates that the duck is spoiled.
Appearance: The surface of the duck should be smooth and milky white. When cut open, the cross-section should appear rose-colored, indicating good quality. If there is oil seeping from the surface and it appears pale red or creamy yellow, but the cross-section is dark red, it indicates poor quality and should not be chosen.
Texture: Fresh and high-quality duck should feel firm when touched. There should be prominent breast meat and visible salt frost on the inner wall of the abdominal cavity. If it feels soft and moist inside the abdominal cavity, or if it feels soft and sticky, it indicates poor quality or spoilage, and should not be purchased.
Cooking tips:
Duck can be cooked in various ways, such as grilling, stewing, boiling, making porridge, etc. Duck soup is particularly renowned for its therapeutic effects.
How to choose lamb
Fresh frozen lamb has a bright red color. If the color becomes pale, it means it has been frozen for more than 3 months and may have poor flavor. Repeatedly thawed lamb is also not fresh and often appears dark red. In addition, lamb has a mix of lean and fat parts, and the fat should be white and delicate. If it turns yellow, it has been frozen for too long, possibly even over a year.
Cooking tips:
There are many ways to cook lamb, such as stir-frying, roasting, braising, stewing, marinating, and boiling. Some people do not like the gamey taste of lamb, so when cooking lamb, adding an appropriate amount of cooking wine and ginger can help remove the gaminess while preserving the original flavor of the lamb.
