Evgeny Naumov, chief technologist of the "Remit" meat processing plant

Today in shops and markets you can find meat for every taste. Variety allows you to choose - and this is what many do not know how to do! Meat is a complex product, it is very rash to take the first piece that comes across and believe that it will turn out to be really tasty. How do you choose the perfect pork, beef, lamb and chicken?

1 Rule number one: define the goal

The first step is to understand what kind of dish you are going to cook: cutlets, steak or broth? If you make a mistake at this stage, it will be almost impossible to save dinner.

So, delicious kebab can be prepared from literally any meat, it all depends on personal preferences and the right choice of part of the carcass. For a dish lamb traditionally, the ham is used, but connoisseurs know that it is best to stop at pieces from the backbone, that is, from the back around the spine, they are less fatty, roast faster and have a delicate taste. Shashlik pork it will turn out soft and juicy if you take the meat along the ridge on the neck (where the fat veins are located most evenly).

Kebab is quite popular today chicken- light and tender, it pickles quickly and is suitable even for diet food. To get juicy roasted meat, but quickly, you should choose pitted chicken thighs, but in no case breast, otherwise the dish will be too dry.

Shish kebab is considered the most difficult to prepare. beef, because this meat is very capricious. To minimize difficulties, experts recommend taking pieces from the neck and spinal entrecote.

By choosing meat for cutlets, it is worth staying on a mixture of beef and pork - a 50 to 50 ratio is considered ideal. In both cases, a ham and a shoulder are best suited for minced meat, you can also use beef neck and pork loin or shank. If you want to get a more dietary option, you can increase the ratio of meat to beef, the main thing is not to overdo it, otherwise the cutlets will turn out to be dry and tough.

Select steak meat is also not as difficult as it seems to many: a win-win option is tenderloin, sirloin or neck of beef or veal. For a pork steak, a tenderloin is also suitable, as well as a rump (the outermost upper back of a pig or cow). All of these options are of the highest grade of meat and are distinguished by their softness and excellent taste - just what you need for frying in a pan or grill. Sometimes lamb is also used for steaks: if you want to please your family with such a delicacy, then choose meat from a shoulder blade, back leg or loin.

For a rich broth Bone meat should be taken, such as chicken thighs, beef ribs, or pork leg (ideally front).

Having decided on the type of meat, you can start choosing a specific piece. This must be done very carefully, because the taste of the dish depends on the freshness, age and other parameters.

2 Rule number two: any meat must be fresh

Pay attention to the appearance: fresh meat (unless, of course, we are talking about chicken) is bright red, slightly damp, even, there is no mucus or liquid on the surface. If the meat is sticky, wet, of uneven color, then it is better to refrain from buying. Most likely, it has been on the counter for more than one day, and, worst of all, the storage conditions are not respected. In addition, sometimes unscrupulous sellers spray the meat with water to make it look more appetizing. But this affects the taste very badly. The freshness of chicken meat is also easy to determine by color: a grayish tint should alert you.

In addition, the freshness and storage conditions of meat can be judged by its density. So, if you press your finger on a piece, the resulting dimple should quickly straighten out. The slower such a dent is leveled out, the longer the meat has remained on the counter.

And the last thing: good meat smells good, for a person, as a predator, the natural smell of fresh beef, pork, lamb and chicken is pleasant. If the aroma is alarming or causes at least a hint of disgust, it is better to refuse the purchase.

3 Rule number three: priority is chilled meat

There are only three types of meat: fresh (up to 2 hours after slaughter), aged chilled (stored at temperatures from 0 to +2 ° С, pork, lamb and beef - up to 7 days, chicken - up to five) and frozen (at temperatures below –18 ° C can be stored for several months).

Oddly enough, steamed meat is considered too tough for cooking. If you took just a steamed piece, you should keep it in the refrigerator (but not in the freezer!) For at least a few hours, or better - a day or two, so that the fibers become softer under the influence of natural enzymes. By the way, advanced farmers use special ripening chambers, where meat is stored at a strictly specified temperature and humidity, reaching the required degree of "maturity" and acquiring a bright individual taste.

Frozen meat is only suitable if there has not been repeated freezing, which impairs the taste characteristics, destroys the fiber structure and can lead to the appearance of pathogenic bacteria.

Determining the correct frozen meat is simple: you need to touch it with your finger for a few seconds - a dark stain should remain. If the color has not changed, this piece has already been thawed. The best option for barbecue and frying is chilled meat. It is easy to distinguish it from thawed to the touch: if a piece was frozen, it will be loose and watery. In addition, chilled meat has a less intense color. Frozen meat is suitable for cutlets, cooking and broths.

4 Rule number four: the best steak comes from the meat of young animals

Everything is simple here: the lighter the meat, the younger the animal was, the darker - the older. Another sign is the color of the fat, if it gives off yellowness, it means that the animal was many years old at the time of slaughter. From old meat, both kebabs and steaks are tough and dry, and there is no need to hope that the marinade will save the day. The best use for such pork and beef is stewing, for example with vegetables.

For chicken meat, age is less critical, but even here any chef will give preference to young chicken. You can determine the age by the skin: in the old bird, it is yellow and rough.

5 Rule number five: marinade is an art

Even if the perfect meat is selected, it is easy to spoil it using the wrong marinade. And here every housewife, like every chef, has her own secret: someone prefers onion, someone wine, some use kefir and even beer. It is important to keep the time strictly according to the recipe so that the meat does not turn out too tough (this is especially important for beef dishes), does not lose its taste and does not sour. It is not recommended to use vinegar for homemade marinade, as it is easy to make a mistake with it and overdry meat. Better to replace it with lemon juice.

If you buy ready-made meat in marinade, then it is imperative to check the shelf life of such meat and the reliability of the packaging. Experience shows that marinated meat retains its taste and freshness as much as possible in a transparent vacuum package. It excludes the penetration of extraneous odors and microorganisms, and due to the lack of air, fats and oils do not burn out, and the taste of bitterness does not appear. And of course, such a shish kebab or steak can be viewed from all sides to make sure the quality of each piece.

Beef is a source of protein and iron, it contains vitamins A, PP, C, B and minerals: calcium, selenium, magnesium, potassium. Beef is the basis for many culinary dishes, from simple soups to gourmet filet mignon. Beef dishes are delicious and tender not only due to unique recipes, the taste of the dish also depends on how fresh and juicy the meat was chosen.

So, let's go to choose beef!

Buying fresh meat

Fresh meat is more valuable than frozen meat. There are several reasons: firstly, it is completely ready for cooking, and secondly, such meat is easier to choose and consider when buying.

• Colour... Fresh beef has a deep red color, without blotches of greenish or dark color. The meat of an old animal has a brownish tint (from such meat, do not expect a juicy and soft dish). Output: meat - only red.
• Fat... The fat should be light white and dense - in this case, the meat is considered to be of high quality. In young beef, the fat even crumbles a little. Yellow fat indicates the toughness of the meat. The best type of beef is considered to be marbled meat - such meat is permeated with small fat layers. It is difficult to spoil this meat during the cooking process - the dishes from it will definitely turn out juicy. Output: the fat is white and crumbles.
• Surface... A slight airing of the surface of the beef is allowed if it was cut a few hours ago. The main thing is that there are no spots or crusts on the piece of meat. Fresh beef is firm and dry to the touch. The cut edges may be slightly damp. To check this quality of beef, you need to put your hand to the piece - the palm should remain dry. You should not buy meat that lies in puddles of blood; it is better to buy dried meat than wet meat. Output: fresh beef must be dry.
• Smell... It is not always possible to sniff the meat, but if the seller allows you to do this, be sure to take advantage of this offer. Fresh meat smells nice, without additional odors. If in doubt, it is better to refuse to buy such beef. Output: there should be no unpleasant odor.
• Elasticity... If possible, then it is worth conducting a test for meat flabbiness. If, when you press with your finger, the formed hole in the meat is immediately smoothed out: in front of you is fresh meat. Output: fresh meat is firm.
• Price... The question of price is rather complicated, because all meat is in approximately the same price category. But it is worth remembering that the meat of village cows fed on grass with hay will be of higher quality and more expensive than the meat of cows from an ordinary farm. Output: quality beef cannot be cheap.

Buying frozen beef

When properly frozen and thawed, frozen meat is almost indistinguishable from fresh meat. Defrosting beef should only take place in the refrigerator and the longer the better.

• Manufacturing time... First of all, you need to look at the timing of the sale of meat, they should be indicated on the label. Shelf life of frozen beef is 10 months, veal is 8 months.
• Manufacturer country... Take a close look at who the beef producer is - it is better to take domestic meat - it is likely to be fresh imported.
• Package... You should definitely pay attention to the integrity of the packaging. There should be no breaks on the substrate, and the film should be intact.
• Colour... During the freezing process, the beef does not change its color dramatically, so it is worth choosing pieces with a lighter color. If the meat was stored without oxygen (it was in polyethylene or packed in a vacuum), then it may be dark red, but when thawed it will regain its correct color.
• Ice... The presence of a large amount of ice and snow on the package indicates that the product was either stored incorrectly, or it has already been defrosted. It is better to refuse such a purchase. The presence of ice only on the outside of the package is permissible.

Choosing beef for a specific dish

Some people can spoil a good piece of meat due to improper cooking. Going to the store for beef, you need to have a clear idea of ​​what you need it for.

• For frying... Lean and soft meats are perfect for this. It is a sirloin, thick edge, thin edge, or rump.
• For baking... For baking, it is better to choose pieces of meat with layers of fat, in which case the meat will be moderately juicy and soft. The sirloin, tenderloin is suitable.
• For extinguishing... Use less lean beef for this cooking method. The thick edge, thigh, brisket, sirloin are well stewed.
• For soup... Beef broth should be light, moderately fatty and rich. For rich broths, beef with cartilage, tendons, and large bones is suitable.
• For jellied meat... Shank, shank and tail are indispensable for jellied meat. The ratio of bones to meat should be the same. It is in the lower leg that the substances that give jelly-like jelly are contained, so no gelatin is needed here.

The ability to choose meat comes with experience, which in turn takes years. And yet the advice in front of you will be useful when buying a good piece of beef!

Video on how to choose the right beef

Choosing the right meat is a whole science, which you can comprehend all your life. And if for a novice hostess all the meat on the counter seems the same, then an experienced hostess knows how not only to distinguish beef from pork, but also to choose the best piece in the entire market. It is in the market, because experts generally do not recommend buying meat in a supermarket. Buying frozen prepackaged meat is like playing Russian roulette. You will never guess whether and how long such meat was stored, what the animals from which it was made were fed, how many antibiotics and hormones it contains.

Meat on the market

The first thing that people usually pay attention to when buying meat is its color. But this approach is amateurishness. The color of the meat is very important, but you need to start with something else. The most important thing is to choose that part of the carcass, the meat from which will be optimal for the dish you have conceived. That is why butchers are often interested in what you are going to cook, and only then offer one or another cut. Tender tenderloin is great meat, but not when you are going to cook jellied meat. You can buy a great piece of beef and ruin it hopelessly in the process. Therefore, first we look out for the desired cut on the counter, and then we begin to examine it for suitability.

So color. Good fresh meat is never greenish or black, it does not shimmer with petrol stains - it pleases us with all shades of red. Fresh beef is just red, lamb is a little darker than beef, pork is pink, veal is deep pink. Skillful sellers refresh stale meat by soaking it in a solution of potassium permanganate. This trick can be revealed by looking closely at the color of fat and bones: potassium permanganate will color them pinkish and yellow.

Yellow fat is a sign of an old animal. This means that such meat will be tough, and it will take longer to cook it. Good young beef has white fat and crumbles, high-quality pork is distinguished by white-pink elastic layers of fat. The highest grade of beef is marbled beef, in which the meat is evenly permeated with fat veins. When cooked, such meat turns out to be especially tender and juicy.

The surface of the meat can be slightly windy if you show up at the market for lunch, and not in the morning, when the carcasses have just been cut. To the touch, fresh meat has an elastic consistency and is practically dry: it does not stick to the hands, it is not covered with mucus.

The smell of meat is an excellent marker of freshness. The presence of even a subtle unpleasant aroma in meat is a reason to instantly turn around and go look for another butcher. But there is a subtlety here too. Non-castrated pig meat, for example, can look and smell perfect when raw. But when cooked, such meat will clearly smell of urine, depriving you not only of a good mood, but also of dinner. To protect yourself from such surprises, you can ask the butcher to cut a microscopic piece from the selected cut and set it on fire with a lighter or a match. It smells like barbecue - feel free to buy, it smells unpleasant - the purchase is canceled.

Meat in the store

Unfortunately, there are no generous butcher consultants in the store. So you have to figure it out yourself. Having fished out the frozen briquette from the display-refrigerator, first of all, read the label. It at least says when the product is produced and until what time it is good. A large amount of meat sold in retail chains is imported. Meat is brought from Poland, Argentina, and even Australia. Of course, frozen it has done a fair amount of way to the shelf of your store. For minced meat, such meat may be fine, but the steak from it will be like a sole.

If possible, choose meat from local producers. It is definitely fresh imported, and our livestock raising technology is not yet so advanced, so the level of hormones and antibiotics in meat from local cows will not go off scale.

If a package of meat brought home starts to ooze miasms when defrosting, take it back to the store - you bought rotten meat. Most likely, you will get your money back without any dispute.

When buying chilled meat, pay attention to the integrity of the packaging. There should be no cracks in the foam backing or holes in the plastic wrap. Make sure the meat has not expired.

And finally, a tip: don't get fooled by marketers' gimmicks. "Natural beef" is a term as meaningless as the "cholesterol-free" label on mineral water bottles. However, free-range beef, fed not with fishmeal and compound feed, but with grass and hay, is really better in quality and more expensive than the meat of cows from a conventional farm.

It's no secret that we all love to eat well. Historically, there are more meat eaters in Russia than supporters of vegetarian cuisine. Meat is the food product that ensures the normal functioning of the body. It is a source of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, some vitamins and minerals. Therefore, going to a butcher's shop, every housewife thinks about how to choose meat so that it is not only tasty and fresh, but also as healthy as possible. Knowing a few simple secrets, you can easily find a quality product.

Meat quality

In Russia, there is a rather strict requirement for the quality of meat. Indicators of meat quality depend on the composition and properties of raw materials, processing and storage conditions. A prerequisite for the production of high quality products is the correct selection of raw materials, compliance with all stages of the technological process and storage, sanitary and hygienic standards, as well as the absence of toxic substances. The quality of meat is influenced by the age, species, sex, breed and fatness of the animals.

When buying meat, we recommend that you pay attention to the appearance, smell, color and consistency of the product. But in some cases, these signs are not enough to determine the freshness of meat. For example, completely unusable frozen meat does not have an unpleasant odor. Therefore, in order to find a quality product, be guided by the following characteristics:

• good-quality frozen meat is firm to the touch and emits a clear sound when tapped;
• on the surface and on the cuts, the meat should be red with a grayish tint, which is given by ice crystals;
• even with slight heating (for example, if you put your finger) on the meat, a bright red spot forms;
• frozen meat does not have a specific meaty smell; its freshness can be determined by smell only after it has thawed;
• meat frozen twice or more can be recognized by its dark red surface;
• on the cut, the color will be cherry red;
• good-quality cooled and chilled meat is covered with a thin crust of pale pink or pale red;
• when feeling the surface, the hand remains dry;
• on the cuts, the meat does not stick to the fingers;
• the consistency of fresh meat is dense;
• the meat juice is transparent.

How to choose the right meat

Going to a butcher shop, every housewife asks how to choose the right meat according to the simplest parameters. Knowing some of the features of each type of meat, you can easily find a high-quality and fresh piece. It should be noted that different parts of the carcass have different culinary advantages, therefore, before going to the butcher's shop, we advise you to decide which dish you will treat your loved ones today.

Beef, pork, lamb and poultry are widely used in cooking. The nutritional value of various types of meat is distinguished by the quantitative ratio of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, minerals and water in them. In order to preserve nutrients as much as possible, and to prepare not only tasty, but also healthy food, we recommend that you use the most rational methods of heat treatment - baking and stewing.

How to choose beef

So, how to choose beef to please your loved ones with delicious dishes? Try to avoid dubious butcher shops and unfamiliar stores - this is where you are more likely to buy stale meat. Go to the market to buy beef, at least there is always a choice.

First of all, pay attention to the color: it can vary from light pink (veal has this color) to deep red (beef). Keep in mind that the older the animal was, the darker and tougher the meat will be. But regardless of the age of the animal, the color of the meat should be uniform, even, without any dark and greenish inclusions. The fat has a light yellow tint; dense consistency, crumbles when crushed. The smell of fresh meat is pleasant, there are no foreign aromas. Fresh meat has an elastic consistency: when pressed with a finger, the fossa is quickly leveled. When cut, the meat is moist, but not wet. Do not forget that the tenderloin is suitable for cutlets, take the brisket for soup, and the shoulder blade will make an excellent roast.

How to choose pork

Pork is a delicious meat that is widely used in cooking. Everyone loves it, without exception, but not everyone knows how to choose pork in order to prepare the most delicious and delicious dishes from it. Depending on the thickness of the bacon, pork is divided into 3 categories: meat (subcutaneous fat is present on the dorsal and shoulder parts); bacon (on the cross-section of the chest part of the carcass, layers of muscle tissue are visible); fatty (high in adipose tissue). Pork is preferable to choose in meat markets. To choose pork with high nutritional and taste qualities, pay attention to the color: too dark color indicates that this is the meat of an elderly animal; the reason for the too light color may be the use of hormonal drugs. Give preference to pale pink meat. The fat should be soft and white. Young pork has a dense consistency; it differs from the meat of an old animal by the almost complete absence of films. The ham will make an excellent boiled pork, the neck will make a shish kebab, and take the loin for the stew.

How to choose lamb

Few people know how to choose mutton. Since this type of meat is less commonly used in cooking. But in vain! Lamb differs from beef and pork in its specific smell and taste. But it contains more iron and less cholesterol, so it is great for feeding children. Old mutton is distinguished by its dark red color, stringiness, yellowness of fat. You will recognize the meat of young lambs by its light color, firmness and elasticity. The smell of fresh meat is pleasant, without foreign aromas, and even more so - without mustiness and rottenness. To choose the right meat, you need to know what parts the carcass consists of. For cooking pilaf, take a spatula, the neck is suitable for stewing, for frying - a ham.

If you live in a village and keep your cattle and poultry yard under the supervision of a veterinarian of the state veterinary service, then the question of where to buy and how to choose good rabbit or pork meat disappears by itself.

But the inhabitants of the metropolis are faced with a choice whether to buy meat in a supermarket or at the market. It would seem that there is nothing to guess, go into any store and choose what your heart desires, but it was not there. In large shopping centers, goods often lie longer than they should. He is often reanimated and passed off as fresh. What about the market? There, too, of course, anything can happen.

But the meat lying openly on the counter can be carefully examined, sniffed and touched. After all, bazaars sell mainly chilled, not frozen, product. And basic knowledge of the rules of how to choose meat on the market, and simple attentiveness will help you not to miss the purchase.

But in the market, not every seller will allow you to touch the meat with your hands. The main thing is that you can take a close look at it there and determine some indicators by appearance. There are several main indicators by which you can determine and choose the best quality meat:

1. The selected meat should be relatively dry, without liquid release. And when the napkin is applied to the surface of the meat, it must remain dry. There should be no slippery stickiness. In terms of elasticity, it should be a little like marmalade.

2. There should be no blood or bruises on the surface of the meat.

3. The meat should be light. A dark shade of carcass is the result of improper slaughter, or the animal suffered for a long time during slaughter. Such meat is always rejected. But some sellers still sell them, while violating the rules of the meat trade. In this case, it is necessary to contact the veterinary laboratory in the given market.

4. Fresh meat should not have a smell, except for a specific one. At a temperature of 18-22 degrees Celsius, meat should have a specific meat smell. There are people who test the taste by cutting off a small piece of meat and chewing it. There is nothing to worry about if you know for sure that there are no pathogenic microbes on the surface of the product. Still, you shouldn't risk using this method.

5. Fat and body fat should be white, in extreme cases, light, but no matter how yellow. However, it should be borne in mind that some animals fed for slaughter are fed with corn. In such animals, after slaughter, the fat will be yellow. Fat should not smell at all.

6. When you press your finger on the surface of the meat, a dimple should appear, which quickly straightens. There should be no moisture on the dimple, otherwise the meat was re-frozen, which is unacceptable for this type of product.

7. Meat fibers should not disintegrate among themselves. To check, you can even slightly twitch the vending piece in different directions. If it delaminates, it means that the meat has been soaked in something and it is no longer fresh.

8. Ask to cut the meat: its color on the cut should be the same as on the surface. The spoiled meat shimmers in different colors.

9. It is better to go shopping in the morning - by the evening the meat will be slightly stale.

Traders in the markets will definitely have documents on hand - expert conclusions, which indicate that their goods have been checked by the market laboratory and found fit for use. If the laboratory finds any infection in the meat, this product is withdrawn from the seller and destroyed.

If the seller brought several types of meat at once, then a separate document will be issued for each of them (with the exception of lard, it will be recorded in the expert opinion on pork). Each document must indicate: the name of the owner, where the meat was brought from, what kind and what was tested in the laboratory. The expert conclusion must have two seals: the market laboratory itself and radiological control. He is also pinned on a receipt for payment for laboratory tests, the date on which must coincide with the date on the expert conclusion.

You should not buy meat from your hands on the street, where no one will give you a guarantee that the animal did not hurt anything. In addition, meat in the open air very quickly, within two hours, is saturated with harmful substances, especially when the roadway is near.

Learn to make the right choice of meat and, at the slightest doubt about the quality of the product, do not buy it, since food prepared from stale and low-quality meat is not only harmful, but also hazardous to health. Meat is a rather expensive product, buy it only fresh and of high quality. And let the most delicious and tempting smells come from your kitchen.

Deputy Elena Prokopova, Head of the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Food Production Risk Analysis, Rostov Reference Center of Rosselkhoznadzor

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