Choosing Fresh Offal

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

How to choose fresh offal and save on meat dishes

By-products are used as a complete substitute for meat. They are cheaper, but contain many vitamins and minerals necessary for the body. At the same time, offal should not be abused and when buying, you should pay attention to their appearance, because only fresh products will benefit the body. Several life hacks will help you choose quality products.

Liver

There is a lot of iron in the liver, so it is recommended to include it in the diet for anemia. There is also a lot of protein in the product, and it cooks much faster than regular meat. It has a delicate and soft texture, but it is recommended to salt liver dishes at the very end of cooking, otherwise it will become tough.

Fresh and high-quality offal should be shiny and smooth, the color of the flesh should be bright and uniform, without dark spots or third-party inclusions. Attention should be paid to color saturation: the darker the liver, the less nutrients it contains.

A heart

It has a dense muscle structure, so it will take a long time to cook. At the same time, in terms of quality and taste, the heart is not inferior to meat tenderloin. Typically, the pre-boiled organ is cut into thin slices and then stewed in gravy.

Before buying, the heart must be sniffed. It should have a pronounced meaty flavor. It is worth buying only a product that is uniformly pink in color, without bruising and a large amount of fat.

Kidney

There is a lot of zinc in this by-product, so it has a beneficial effect on the genitourinary system, improves the condition of hair and nails. Before cooking, the kidneys must be soaked in water for 2-3 hours and only after that they are fried or stewed.

When buying kidneys, pay attention to the color of the fat covering them. It should be light, ideally white, and have a uniform texture.

Language

It is considered a delicacy. The tongue contains a lot of protein and is easily absorbed by the body, therefore it is recommended to include it in children's and dietary rations. The product is first soaked in water overnight, and then boiled for at least 2 hours until soft. After cooking, remove the top tough skin, and the meat itself is used for aspic or as a cold snack.

A good-quality tongue should be clean, without dark spots or mechanical damage. Fresh product is light and evenly colored.

Brain

This very specific by-product contains phosphorus. There is not very much protein in it, so it can be used by people with cardiovascular diseases. To make a dish with brains really tasty and healthy, you should only buy a whole organ. It should be evenly colored and have a uniform texture.

Tail

Tail meat is recommended for people with heart and digestive tract diseases. You can consume no more than 200 grams of this product per week. Before cooking, the tail is chopped into several parts, soaked in water for 6 hours and used to prepare broths, a roll, or simply baked in the oven.

Quality plays an important role. A fresh tail should smell like raw meat, be clean, with a uniform texture and a uniform color.

Udder

The most valuable offal is the udder of a dairy cow. It is large enough and contains a lot of meat. The udder is tough, so before cooking it is soaked in cold water, then boiled for about 4 hours until soft. It is advisable to add spices to the water in order to get rid of the characteristic smell.

A high-quality udder is colored pale orange. Before selling it, it is usually cut into several slices, be sure to rinse it from dirt and milk residues.