My Shrink Wrapped Steaks are Brown when I thaw them!
My parents bought a slab of steaks from my cousin who personally shrink-wrapped them. But when they thawed them out they were brown!
Are they still good to eat? What's going on?
My dad didn't cook them.
Best Answer
I assume the steaks were frozen or packed in ice:
The freezing process, especially slow freezing damages the cellular properties of organic material. This results in discolouration, texture changes(it'll be tough) and flavour loss. Snap freezing, using the Birdseye process (The company and the process are named after Clarence Birdseye) reduces cellular damage and preserves flavour, resulting a better preserved product.
If your meat is frozen sufficiently it should keep for around one year. But the texture and flavour will never be as good as a fresh steak. It should be fine.
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Why did my steak turn brown after thawing?
This happens because as meat is chilled/frozen for long periods of time, enzyme activity decreases so the myoglobin and oxygen quit mixing together to keep meat that bright red color. Browning of meat can also occur when oxygen partial pressure is low or basically when meat is stacked on top of one another.Is it OK if frozen meat turns brown?
Meat that has been frozen can change color from red to brownish-gray due to a lack of oxygen or the entrance of oxygen in the freezer, according to Nicoletti, but it is still safe to consume.How can you tell if thawed steak is bad?
It's Slimy in Appearance or to the Touch It'll be clear or yellowish in color but will make the steak appear shinier than usual. It will also have a slippery or sticky feel when you run your fingers over it. Bad steak will usually get this slimy film on it a couple of days before it begins to mold.Why is my steak GREY after thawing?
What you're describing is "freezer burn", which sounds a lot more ominous than it is. Freezer burn, which is caused when that cold freezer air comes in contact with the food surface, won't make you sick. But eating freezer-burned meat is like chewing leather--it's dry and flavorless and a real workout for your jaw.The Best Way to Thaw Meat
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Answer 2
Steak in the supermarket is wrapped in permeable plastic to let oxygen reach the muscle and keep it bright red. Shrink wrapped meat is not, so it can often look brown. This doesn't necessarily mean it is bad.
For details see this article. The key is:
The red color of raw meat is mostly the result of oxygen exposure. When the myoglobin is exposed to oxygen, it becomes oxymyoglobin, which turns the steak into a bright red color. To maintain the bright red color consumers prefer, supermarkets use a plastic wrap that oxygen can pass through to package the beef.
Yes, it's true, many things turn brown when they oxidize. But not all things.
Of course, the existence of one reason for brown meat that doesn't mean bad meat is not at all the same as "go ahead and eat brown meat from your freezer no matter what." Defrost it, smell it, poke it with your finger, and if it seems ok, it probably is ok. Most "freezer damage" is dehydration, which makes the meat less pleasant to eat but not unsafe.
Answer 3
Oxygen does not keep it red…it oxidises the meat and causes it to go brown. This is why refrigerated and old meat goes brown. Vacuum sealing meat keeps it red.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Ylanite Koppens, Feyza Tuğba, Biferyal, George Dolgikh @ Giftpundits.com