My minced beef is very pale - has it gone off?!
My minced beef is very pale - has it gone off?
It has just been defrosted (home frozen). It was bought fresh in airtight, supermarket packaging.
Answers:
It sounds like cheap quality mince with a high water and fat content and freezing it has taken the goodness out. Good beef is a nice dark ruby colour and should never be that bright pink colour that you see in supermarkets. Any old cookbook that you read tells you that beef should be hung for at LEAST 2 weeks so that the enzymes break down and this is what makes it tender. When I buy a rib of beef for roasting i leave it in the fridge for a week to tenderise, it goes a lovely dark red,mahogany colour and I guarantee it is miles more tender than if you cook it staight after buying it. supermarkets are just starting to sell hung meat (2 weeks) and they charge a big premium for the privilage but you can do this for yourself at no extra cost. You should buy better quality mince because by what you are saying, it wo'nt have any flavour if you use it. or buy braising steak, let it hang and darken and then mince it yourself.
You can usually smell gone off mince - its horrible! But i think if its pale then yes it might have gone off ):
sounds like its just cheap mince.
Depends how pale it is. It's probably just old, but I still wouldn't use it. Check the smell as well.
Check for smells, if its fruity, don't use it.
If in doubt, cook it a few extra mins than usual.
Are you sure it's beef? Could it be mislabelled and be pork or veal instead? If you are sure it is beef it might have been in the freezer for too long and got 'frost bite'.
I'm not being a smart alec. It's the term used for meat that has been in the freezer too long.
Check if there was a leak in the packaging. If there was then probably the water is gone reducing the color. But in this case, it will be as pale as a bright salmon. But if it paler than that then I won't trust it .
U sure its not chicken.
Probably !! Throw it out or return to store for refund..... it isn't worth getting sick to take the chance of using it !
you should be able to smell if it is off, it is unmistakably bad ! it could be pale because you say it was frozen, and freezer burn or defrosting in a microwave can slightly cook it not enough to eat but enough to change the colour.
the rule clearly is if you dont think you should you're probably right not to ! but if it doesnt hum then its more likey storage damage.
Probably has a high fat content or I have seen on the tv that the best beef should be a nice red not to dark as this means the animal was stressed whilest being slautered releasing adrenalin into its blood stream causing dark meat,besides if it had gone off it would be brown with a slightly green tinge
At the price mince is - dump it!
The nose knows. Or if it smells bad it is. On the other hand some stores have been packaging thier hamburger in trays that have some sort of gas(not air) that keeps the meat bright and colorful, even when it is about to go bad. I don't know if something happens with that gas when it is frozen.