kenjialt's Profile

First comment here, but been lurking for a while. Big fan.

Just wanted to jump in and reiterate what a few people have commented on - color is no way to judge meat in the supermarket. The color of the meat has to do with the relative levels of different forms of myoglobin that form in the presence or absence of oxygen and other gases. It doesn't have anything to do with the actual freshness of the meat!

You can see this most clearly by buying a hunk of meat and cutting it in half. At first, it'll appear purplish. Let it sit exposed to the air for a little while, and it'll turn that nice rosy red. Eventually, it'll start turning brown. But you (or a clever supermarket staffer) can prevent this from hapening by starving it of oxygen or gassing it with carbon monoxide, as most packaging does. The color has nothing to do with poor handling or meat past its prime. Unless it's green. In that case, avoid it. But any shade of purple, red, or brown can be seen in even the freshest of meat!

Best,
Kenji