Several times when I’ve gotten home with ground beef from the supermarket, I’ve noticed that it seems somewhat gray when I take it out to cook. Because fresh ground beef usually has a more vibrant red hue, this has always raised red flags. But don’t automatically assume the worst when you see grayish-looking ground beef. Before you toss that next bag of ground beef in the trash, read on to find out more.
Rob Melnychuk/Photodisc/Getty Images is the source for The Spruce Eats.
Even if the center of your ground beef box appears gray, it’s probably still OK to eat. Oxymyoglobin is a component of meat that, when exposed to oxygen, gives ground beef its characteristic brilliant red hue. The fact that ground beef may appear gray in the center of a package does not always indicate that it has been exposed to air.
Canada Beef is the source.
You should probably just throw aside the package of ground beef if it looks gray or brown on the exterior or if that color is predominant throughout the meat. Also, keep in mind that if the meat has a strange odor, it has probably gone bad and should be discarded.
originates from: Shaken Together
You should always be careful to check the meat’s freshness and quality before buying it. If you follow these easy guidelines, you should be able to tell when ground beef is OK to eat and when it’s time to trash it.
