Steak Mince Gone A Funny Colour

[Tilly2]

I have just taken a pack of steak mince out of the fridge to prepare for this evening. The use by date is 2nd April. It's gone sort of browny grey, not bright red any more. I am not going to use it. Would you?

[rockyracoon]

Smell it, if it smells OK then I'd use it.

[ummmm]

Probably, yes.

The mince from the butchers is a different colour to the mince from the supermarket.

[BlueToffee]

Mix it with cochineal, it'll soon regain its colour.

[B00]

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/04/the-red-juice-in-raw-red-meat-is-not-blood/

[Tilly2]

I'm loathe to unwrap it incase it stinks, rocky

[murraymints]

If it smells ok ...use it...sometimes the chill in fridge has this effect on meat when it's perfectly good...if it's off you'll know at first whiff !

[ummmm]

With a use by date of the 2nd I doubt it will smell too bad even if it has started to go off.

[rockyracoon]

Tilly be brave and give it a sniff, or get your husband to do it :)

[Sqad]

Mrs sqad says " Don't use it" and she is always right.

[Tilly2]

It smells ok. Thanks to all.

[waterboatman]

It should be OK Tilly. I would use it if it smells OK.

[Tilly2]

The colour is very off putting though.

[Old_Geezer]

Probably oxidised a bit. If the colour is the only problem I'd think it was ok.

[murraymints]

Once cooked you'll never know...I'm sure it's fine, I've had this loads of times !

[rockyracoon]

Once you've cooked it the colour won't matter. When you consider that steak is hung for 4-5 weeks in a butchers and looks rank but tastes fantastic....

[KARL]

I suspect you will find that a millimetre or less below the surface you are looking at the mince is as pink/red as you would like it to be. This is entirely normal and nothing to worry about. It will taste and digest fine.

[jno]

that's interesting, thanks, B00. As they say, no problem eating red meat, it's the green stuff you have to watch out for.

Yes, the smell test is more important than the look test. But off-colour today usually means smells funny tomorrow, in my experience, so eat soonest.

[Sqad]

Tilly....how's your leg?

[Tilly2]

My leg is fine now. Thank you for asking, sqad.

[LyndaB]

If it smells ok, it will be fine. I think that mince from our local butchers (which is delicious) always loses some of its red colour if it isn't used immediately.