Paleo Diet: Raw Paleo Diet and Lifestyle Forum
Raw Paleo Diet Forums => General Discussion => Topic started by: kurite on February 08, 2010, 03:51:44 pm
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Hey my steaks turned brown in the fridge. They were wrapped in tinfoil. Are they still okay to eat raw??
thanks
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Just try them. I've had meat turn brown and it never bothered me, just aging of the meat really.
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Hey my steaks turned brown in the fridge. They were wrapped in tinfoil. Are they still okay to eat raw??
thanks
Why are you wrapping your food in tinfoil ....
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Hey my steaks turned brown in the fridge. They were wrapped in tinfoil. Are they still okay to eat raw??
thanks
I suggest you leave your steaks open to air, use a hanger if you got em. They age and taste better when they are aired while refrigerated. I don't wrap my meats in the ref.
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As Tyler says, the brown color is just part of the natural aging process as the meat begins to break down. I often purposely purchase meats that have begun to turn brown as they taste better and since most people want "fresh" red meat the price is often marked down a good bit.
I also agree with GS that you should never store your meat wrapped in aluminum foil. The acids that form as the meat ages will react with the aluminum and possibly dissolve some of it. Same problem when storing tomatoes. You can't store them long term in aluminum because they are acidic. Store it in plastic or glass containers or as GS suggests, leave it open to the air. It will dry out some and turn dark brown as it ages, but it really does taste wonderful. BTW, it is the aluminum that is the problem. Iron will rust but is not harmful. Stainless Steel does contain chromium, but I've never seen any evidence that it causes a problem. Even tomato based products can be stored long term in stainless steel, however, others have reported concerns to the contrary and take exception to the use of stainless steel.
In my case, I seldom use any metal of any kind. It is just more convenient to use the newer high temperature low volatility plastics - the kind that can go into the oven. These are often used as the containers for microwavable foods.
Lex
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I wouldnt use plastics either, regardless of their volatility, as theyre simply toxic liquids
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it is an interesting phenomena, that of how wrapping paper or stacking meat turns it brown in short matter. And I also don't care for that taste, but do like the taste of hung aged meat that's gone dark. It's also a different color, paper brown, vs. the brown from aging. Something is happening with the paper?
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Oxygen is your friend. The meats I buy come in plastic packages, but when I open them I either age them in the open air or store them in mostly-glass containers (the lids are plastic and metal). Plastic is anaerobic, so I try to avoid using it, but it's not easy.
If your red meat turns light brown (it looks like the red is drained out of it, like it has anemia) instead of dark reddish-brown, then I believe it means that surface of the meat aged anaerobically, and it won't taste as good as aerobically-aged meat. It's not likely unsafe unless stored anaerobically for long periods, which risks developing lethal anaerobic bacteria like clostridium botulinum (which increasingly are killing Inuit who have been storing more of their raw fermented meats in sealed plastic). Aerobic bacteria are the friendly little guys that make the Inuit feel "high" when they eat high meat.
I'm not sure why meat on top of meat has such an anaerobic effect. Lex, do you know?
Man, all this talk of aged meat is making me wish I had a meat locker to hang meats in.
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So can i just throw my future steaks into a glass jar???
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I know, I have thinking about the same thing, maybe a little locker
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Up until yesterday I stored my opened meat in glass, but I tried leaving my suppertime ground beef on the table while away at work today. Ooo I like it this way. I may do this regularly, given that I'm living alone right now.
Lex, is there any reason why I shouldn't just leave my meat on a table or counter to air-dry instead of putting it in a glass container or plastic in the fridge?