In Brazil, it is very common to hear about the habit of washing meat, not only red meat, but chicken and fish as well. However, it is not recommended to wash meat before preparing it. By doing this wash you will be exposing yourself to more bacteria. But to really protect yourself, it's necessary not only to avoid washing, but to check if the meat is good for consumption.
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About meat washing
A survey carried out at the University of São Paulo showed that 46.3% of people do this. However, this act is extremely risky. Normally, people who do this washing think they are protecting themselves from diseases and removing impurities from these foods, but what happens is the opposite.
When washing meat, many of its nutrients that are soluble in water end up being lost, which negatively affects the tenderness of the meat. In addition, water cannot remove bacteria, what does this is cooking the meat, due to the heat these bacteria cannot survive.
Washing meat does just the opposite, as it allows for greater proliferation of these bacteria that spread even further. This makes it easier for it to come into contact with other foods and cause an infection. So don't wash your meat before cooking!
How to identify spoiled meat
Washing meat is not the only factor that allows the transmission of diseases, meat that has not been washed can also be spoiled. Therefore, it is important to know how to identify when this occurs. But how to do it?
The first point of attention is the expiry date, as with any other food. The ideal in this case is to check the expiry date before purchase, but before cooking it is good to have a second check and if it is past the expiry date you should not eat it. But being within the deadline, pay attention mainly to the smell. Notice if the meat smells musty or sour, these are usually strong odors that are easy to identify. If you feel this, don't eat the meat!
In addition to that her texture is also an indicator. Therefore, avoid eating meat that has a slippery, sticky or slimy appearance. Finally, if you notice that the meat has a different color than it should, do not consume it! Most of the time, the coloring of a spoiled meat is more greenish, yellowish, grayish or a little off color.