Meat turning colour, is it still ok?

focus888

ok not sure if this is a silly question or not but here goes, i brought some mince meat on friday, it was red and now 3 days later its gone a weird grey colour. the date says 2nd july and i havent opened it yet, tried to smell it but cant smell nothing. as long as it doesnt stink should it be ok?

jockess1

No I wouldn't risk it. Take it back to the supermarket for a refund.

twentypenceoff

you know that meat looks red in supermarket due to special lighting and it always looks greyer when you get it home? its one of the vtricks supermarkets use

tbw

Meat always starts to change colour as it matures. Bright red meat is not always a good indication of quality and a really good steak will look dark red/almost brown.But, to be honest, regardless of the use by date, I would not keep mince in the fridge for more than 1 day before using it. The surface area is much higher than on a lump of meat and the peotential for deterioration is also much higher.

SUESMITH_2

if its sealed and when you open it and it smells ok it should be fine - its just started to oxidise a bit and its well within its use bye date, if not take it back

daveybea

when i have this prob i would put a very small amount on a plate for my cat and if he doesnt eat it i defin know not to eat it!!!..it sounds silly but it works!!

1carminestocky

Funnily enough, we are animal lovers so use the kids as tasters instead. We haven't lost one yet...

zenseeker

If it smells OK, and is still in date (and assuming that it has been opened prior to turning colour), then it will be fine. Your nose is your best guide..I often use products that are days past their use by, and I have never been ill or died. Before use-by dates were introduced, people relied on nose power all the time.

Stranger_Than_Fiction

Yes, I agree with Zenseeker and others. It's just air getting to the meat that makes it grey and as long as it smells good, it will be good. If you compare supermarket meat to that of a proper butcher, you'll see the butcher's meat is a lot darker. It will probably have been hung for longer and the taste allowed to develop. HTH

Jokaty82

You will notice steak often does that, when you first buy it, nice and red etc, Then day or so later, started to go funny colour, as long as its in date and smells fine then its just the air changing the colour of it. It will be perfectly fine, just make sure you cook it properly.

You wont be able to take it back if it smells fine and is in date.

Barneysmom

I've just bought some from our butcher's today.
When I tipped it into the pan to brown, I thought it looked too brown to be any good. But it's just that I usually get it from the supermarket where I think it's dyed or something. That bright red doesn't seem natural to me. The chilli is smelling lovely :cool:

Use it, it will be fine.