Though it's discussed less frequently, “steak snob” culture is a real thing. And again, we use the term “snob” somewhat facetiously; they may seem “picky,” but you can bet that these steak lovers enjoy their beef more than the rest of us do. The existence of a steak culture may come as a surprise, but it shouldn't.
Diners who like extremely tender, flavorful cuts of meat will choose this option. Rare meat has an internal temperature of 125 degrees Fahrenheit. If you order your food rare, the central portion of the meat will be a bright red color. This is from the blood in the meat, which adds a burst of flavor.
Rotten meat will be discolored and might have a greenish or brownish tint. You can also check for slime on the surface of the steak. If the texture is slimy, it is most likely foul. Another sign that the steak might be spoiled is its foul odor.
Don't ignore it. During the aging process, dry-aged steak naturally releases lactic acid, which smells a lot like cheese. The scent of dry-aged steak is not the best indicator to determine its freshness.
Beef, veal, lamb and pork roasts, steaks and chops may be kept 3 to 5 days. After cooking, meat, poultry and seafood can be safely stored in the refrigerator 3 to 4 days.
A use-by date on food is about safety. This is the most important date to remember. Never eat food after the use-by date, even if it looks and smells ok, as it could make you very ill.
Insider further elaborates that gray steak is actually a fairly common occurrence, and it can be cooked and consumed safely, provided that it isn't slimy or giving off an unpleasant odor.
This darkening is due to oxidation, the chemical changes in myoglobin due to the oxygen content. This is a normal change during refrigerator storage. Beef that has turned brown during extended storage may be spoiled, have an off-odor, and be tacky to the touch and should not be used.
Color changes can occur in frozen foods but the foods remain safe to eat. The bright red color of meat as purchased usually turns dark or pale brown depending on its variety. This may be due to lack of oxygen, freezer burn or abnormally long storage.
However, steak that's been in the refrigerator for several days may also turn grey, indicating that it may have been exposed to more oxygen in the refrigerator. Still, this doesn't necessarily mean that it's not safe to eat, especially if it doesn't have an off-putting smell or slimy texture.
However, if the exterior of the meat, or a majority of the package contents, has turned gray or brown, then it's a sign that the meat is beginning to spoil and should be tossed immediately.
"For poultry or ground meat, eating the food one to two days past the date should be ok, and for beef, three to five days after the date has passed," says Schapiro.
Steaks sitting in the refrigerator for a few days could turn brown due to the natural oxidation process. However, if the steak is also past its expiration date, smells bad, and is slimy to the touch, it isn't safe to eat.
When having steak, serve it in thin slices rather than eating the whole steak. It's also important to choose cuts of meat that are lower in fat such as sirloin, flank steak, eye of the round, beef tenderloin, lean and and extra lean ground beef, pork tenderloin, and centre cut pork chops.
Blue steak is the rarest and most tender way to prepare a steak, making it an essential part of menus in steakhouses and restaurants.
Cooking your steak at rare (135 degrees Fahrenheit) is enough to kill bacteria like E. coli or Salmonella. However, the high temperature it takes to cook your steak well done can cause a reaction that produces chemicals called heterocyclic amines (HCA).
Fresh red meat has a light bloody, or metallic smell. This scent isn't overpowering and you will usually have to place your nose very close to smell it. On the other hand, if your steak has gone bad, it will have a definitive odor that smells sour, or a little like eggs or ammonia.
This is due to oxygen-depleted residual blood within the meat. This blue color doesn't last very long, though. Once meat is exposed to the air, the myoglobin begins to become oxygenated and turns to the bright red color we associate with a fresh cut.
“Spoilage bacteria can cause meat or poultry to turn a dark color, develop an objectionable odor, and become slimy,” according to a knowledge article on the USDA's website. “Meat with these characteristics should not be used.”
Raw meat is likely to contain harmful bacterial like Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli and more. Cooking meat to a safe temperature kills off those harmful bacteria. By feeding uncooked meat, there's a higher risk your dog could develop a foodborne illness or other type of bacterial infection.
Another reason Beef may turn purple is due to a condition called metmyoglobin. Metmyoglobin is a compound formed when myoglobin, a protein found in muscle tissue, is unveiled to oxygen. Myoglobin is what gives fresh Beef its red colour. When myoglobin exposes to oxygen, it turns purple.
Leftover steak is safe to eat after three to four days in the refrigerator—any longer and you could catch a foodborne illness from bacteria growth. Bacteria can also grow on perishable food that has been left out at room temperature for over two hours or kept at a temperature lower than 40°F.
Meat contains iron, fat, and many other compounds. When light hits a slice of meat, it splits into colors like a rainbow. There are also various pigments in meat compounds which can give it an iridescent or greenish cast when exposed to heat and processing. Iridescent beef isn't spoiled necessarily.
It's perfectly safe to eat. It's actually just a vegetable-based dye, commonly made from color-rich roots or berries, and fully edible. So, the next time you find a green or blue speck on your farm-fresh meat, don't toss it out. You're just seeing the evidence that the meat was inspected, and passed.