How to Select Ripe Fruit & Quality Meat
March 29, 2010, By Craig J. Heimbuch 1 comment
When it comes to food selection, eaters should be choosers. Being picky with foods can make the difference between a good meal and a bad one. Below are some tips to take into consideration when you’re strolling down the aisles at the grocery store.
Meats
The first step to choosing quality meat is to be familiar with U.S. Department of Agriculture’s grading system. Select-grade meats have the least amount of fat. Choice-grade meats have more fat than “select,” but less than “prime,” which is more fatty and marbleized. Although prime-grade meats are fattier than the others, they are also more flavorful.
- Beef should be a cherry red color, with little outer fat. The fat should be a creamy color and bones should look soft with a reddish color. Round, Chuck, Sirloin and tenderloin are considered lean cuts of beef. When purchasing ground beef, look on the package for at least 90 percent of lean meat.
- Lamb should be a pink color. The external fat should be firm, not too thick and white in color.
- Pork should be grayish pink or pink in color and firm to the touch.
- When buying poultry, white meat is considered the leanest poultry. Avoid chicken that’s oily or slimy.
Fruits & Vegetables
When dealing with fruits and vegetables, it’s better to go local. Some produce travel a long way to get to your grocery store and lose nutritional value in the process. Get into the habit of finding out where your produce is grown to get an indicator of how well-traveled it may be. Wrinkles are a sign of age in people and it’s a sign of age in fruits and vegetables, too.
The key to buying fruits is to buy when they’re in season, which means more freshness and better taste. When picking fruits, look for color, smell and hardness. Look for brightly colored fruits that are slightly squeezable.
- Hardness in some fruits can mean they are unripe. Some fruits—like bananas, plums and tomatoes—will ripen at room temperature after it’s been picked. However for melons, apples and pears, hardness is a good thing. Check to see if melons are ripe by their smell.
- For citrus fruits like oranges, the heavier, the juicer. Look for limes or lemons with firm, smooth peels, which means there’s more juice inside.
- Check berries for mold before purchase and check for staining in packages, which can be an indicator of overripe berries.
- Check grapes for stems that are beige to brown in color. Green stems indicate grapes that may be sour and unripe.
- Sometimes bigger isn’t always better, which is the case for carrots and cucumbers. Choose medium sized carrots and cucumbers for best taste.
- Color is a good indicator for asparagus, peas and broccoli, where dark green is desirable. Avoid asparagus with dried pores at the end of the stalk and avoid broccoli with blemished stems.
- Listen for a squeaking sound when squeezing fresh artichoke.
- Potatoes should be firm without green patches.
- Look for onions with papery, dry skins.
When buying groceries, it’s important to take in all the sights, sounds, smells and feels of the items you’re buying. If it doesn’t feel, smell or look fresh, most likely it isn’t.
Craig Heimbuch is the Editor-in-Chief of ManoftheHouse.com and the author of "Chasing Oliver Hazard Perry." He is a Barefoot Proximity employee.
Comments (1):