How to know if the turkey meat is spoiled? Top Signs

Fresh, quality turkey meat has no contraindications. It is delicious, juicy, rich in nutrients, vitamins, and most importantly, protein. This balanced product is widely used in cooking around the world. But to prepare nourishing and appetizing dishes, the meat must be really fresh. Cooking something from stale and, even more so, spoiled product, categorically forbidden! Therefore, let's try to understand the signs of spoiled turkey, the terms and conditions of storage, the criteria for the right choice.

Signs of a spoiled turkey

With long and improper storage, a raw turkey in the refrigerator can go bad pretty quickly. Signs of spoilage in this case will be:

• An unpleasant, disgusting smell;
• The dark color of the meat;
• The presence of mucus on the surface.

The "aroma" of a turkey beginning to spoil is reminiscent of rottenness. At first it is not too obvious, but in the process of decomposition of the bird becomes more and more expressive, repulsive. At the break of such meat has an unpleasant, gray hue.

Stuffing will spoil faster than a fresh carcass if the storage conditions are not met. Signs indicating this:

• pungent putrid odor;
• gray, with a greenish tint, color;
• unpleasant stickiness.

Therefore, before cooking minced meat must be smelled, touched with the hands, carefully examine. Be sure to check the expiration date on the package!

Spoiled turkey filet can be thrown out if:

• a strong indentation appears when pressed;
• It has a putrid, even slightly mushroomy smell;
• gray spots form on the pink surface.

A slippery, slimy white or yellow surface always indicates decomposition of the product. Do not eat such meat!

Cooked - cooked or roasted turkey meat in case of spoilage will have a sour taste. Determine spoilage also by the presence of a repulsive smell, dark, not natural color of the meat and moist surface.

Terms and conditions of storage

Store turkey fillets, stuffing or carcass should be in the same package in which the product was purchased. Without defrosting, immediately after purchase it should be stored in the freezer at a temperature no higher than minus 17 degrees. If the meat was unpacked, it is best to store it wrapped in foil or cling film. Optimal humidity for storing poultry is 80-90%. With such storage the meat can remain fresh for up to one year, stuffing - for 3 months, fillets and parts of poultry - up to 8 months.

In the refrigerator, any raw poultry parts, carcasses or minced meat should be stored only until completely defrosted. In the extreme case - no more than 2 days.

Within 2-3 days leaves its consumer properties in the refrigerator cooked turkey.

How to choose fresh turkey meat when buying

The turkey when purchased should have a pleasant color with a pink or slightly beige tinge. The breast may be slightly lighter in color. There should be no indentations when you press on it. Also, when choosing a carcass, pay attention to the fat. Light and odorless fat indicates the freshness of the product.

In no case, the smell of fresh turkey should not cause disgust. Buyers should beware and foreign stains on the skin, bruises, bruises. Dents on the surface of the carcass indicate old meat. Wet, damp meat should not be bought and eaten, since pathogenic bacteria in it have already begun the decomposition process. Do not buy parts of the carcass where the meat comes off the bone.

Choosing a packaged turkey, you should pay attention to the fact that the meat should be dry, without wet accumulations. When in doubt about the quality of the meat, you should not wash it and eliminate the foreign smell by marinating it. It is quite possible that bacteria have already begun their work in it, so it is not safe for your health to eat such a product!

Tip! It is better to buy turkey from farmers, at fairs or markets. In mass rearing, poultry are fed with specialized feed, which is what gives the raw meat bought in the supermarket an unpleasant odor. Homemade slaughtered poultry has a pleasant, milky flavor.

Why turkey meat is tough

Diet, lean turkey meat can turn out tough when baked or otherwise cooked. In order not to deprive the dish of juiciness, it must be marinated. There are quite a few recipes for tasty marinades, soaking in which the poultry turns out unusually tasty, appetizing, and soft. They are prepared on the basis of soy sauce, mayonnaise or sour cream, ketchup, honey, spicy herbs and spices.