Freshness & Storage

CHICKEN FRESHNESS

A dressed and drawn chicken means it has been slaughtered, de-feathered and cleaned of organs. Here’s a quick and easy way to find out the freshness of chicken.

1. Dressed Chicken
Check the dressed chicken for any greenish discoloration or bruises. Fresh dressed chicken must be smooth, moist and free from bruising.
2. Neck
Check around the neck for purple or green discolorattion.
3. Wing Tips
A rotten chicken would have dark wing tips.
4. Joints
There is also stickiness under the wings and around the joints if it’s not fresh.

Proper Chicken Storage

1. Storing chicken is critical because it is susceptible to contamination by salmonella bacteria. Frozen chicken must be kept frozen until it is used
2. Make sure to clean fresh chicken before storing in the freezer. (Freeze at 0°F (or -18°C).
3. To store for a longer period, the wrapping should be air and moisture proof.
You can use aluminum foil, and even a sealed plastic bag or food container works just as well.
4. If you freeze chicken right away, it can keep for up to 6 months, provided again, that it’s
continuously in the freezer for all those 6 months.


PORK FRESHNESS

Freshness of pork is one important aspect when buying, but it is also important to know more about the tender parts of the meat for the right dish. Here are quick and easy tips to determine fresh meat.

1. Tenderness
The tender parts of the meat are located in the belly area, the back area and other parts that have the least used muscles.
2. Marbling
Look closely at the marbling; these are the streaks of fat on the meat. Good marbling is important because it is associated with the juiciness of the meat. It must be white and not yellowish.
3. Skin and Smell
Dry meat is a sign of staleness. If the pork has wrinkled skin with large pores and has an off-odor, don’t buy it..
4. Color
With meats and poultry, the most visible sign of freshness is the color. Quality fresh pork has a pale pink meat color with a small amount of marbling.
5. Stamp
Meat bearing this stamp means it has passed the Bureau of Animal Industry standards.

Proper Pork Storage:

1. Make sure to clean fresh pork before storing in the freezer. (Freeze at (0°F (or -18°C)
2. Pork must be wrapped in paper or freezer bag to keep its surfaces dry. Separate it from other foods to prevent cross contamination.
3. To store longer, freeze the meat right away and it will keep for up to 6 months, provided it is continuously in the freezer. Freeze at 0°F (or -18°C).


BEEF FRESHNESS


Freshness of beef is one important aspect when buying, but it is also important to know more about the tender parts of the meat for the right dish. Here are quick and easy tips to determine
fresh meat.

1. Tender Parts
The tender parts of the beef are tenderloin, short loin , sirloin and steak cuts.
2. Color
The color of the meat must be bright red to deep red with moderate marbling. Marbling is the streaks of fat that you see on the meat.
Be wary of meats that are already turning brown or green, dry or slimy.
3. BAI Stamp
Meat bearing this stamp means it has passed the Bureau of Animal Industry standards.

Proper Beef Storage
1. Clean the beef before putting it in the freezer
2. Beef must be stored in freezer bag or an airtight container to keep its surfaces dry.
Store the beef away from other foods to prevent cross-contamination.
3. If you freeze the beef right away, then the meat will keep for six months, provided
it’s continuously in the freezer. (Freeze at -0°F or -18°C)

EGGS FRESHNESS


Determining an egg’s freshness is easy if you’re buying in a grocery. Just check the carton for the consumption date. But what do you do when there are no dates on the cartons? Here’s how:

1. Shell
The most visible sign of an egg’s freshness is its shell. It must be clean and unbroken. Fresh eggs have rough shells and have a dull finish. Stored eggs look smooth and shiny.
2. Fresh Eggs
Here’s a quick test. Place the eggs in a bowl of water. Fresh eggs will sink and stale eggs will float.
3. Yolk
When you break a fresh egg, the white is clear and firm. The yolk stands up and is well- rounded. With old eggs, the white spreads out and feels watery; the yolk tends to break easily.
4. Air Sac
The air sac, which is on the blunt end of the egg is close to the shell. You can see this by putting the egg under the light.

Proper Egg Storage
1. Eggs will stale faster in room temperature compared to eggs kept in the refrigerator.
2. Hard cooked eggs left in their shells should be consumed within one week.
3. Store the eggs away from strongly flavored food to reduce absorption of other smells.
4. Storing eggs with the large end up retains freshness and helps keep the yolk centered.

FISH FRESHNESS


The freshness of the fish is the single most important factor in a fish dish. Not only is it more flavorful,
but also reduces possible allergic reactions. Here’s a quick and easy way to find out
the freshness of a fish.
1. Eyes
The eyes are clear and full, not sunken and not red.
2. Gills
Check the gills, they have to be bright red and should be free from slime and dirt.
3. Smell
Smell it. The fish has to be free from objectionable odor. Fresh fish should not smell fishy but have mild seaweed-like odor.
4. Flesh
The flesh is firm to the touch and doesn’t sink when you press it.
5. Scales
The scales are bright and shiny. It should also be clinging to the skin.

Proper Fish Storage
1. Clean the fish before storing.
2. Remove the gills and innards if it’s still there, and cut the fins.
3. To store for a longer period, the wrapping should be air and moisture proof.
You can use aluminum foil, and even a sealed plastic bag or food container works just as well

VEGETABLES FRESHNESS


There are different ways to determine the freshness depending on the type of vegetable. Try to buy the vegetables as close to the day you’re going to consume it.
1. Leafy Vegetables
Old leaves are already turning wilted, yellowish and brown. Check for signs of rotting or decay.
2. Roots and Tubers
Fresh root crops and tubers must have no shoots or leaves growing out of them. Make sure that these do not have soft-rots.
3. Vegetable fruits
They should be firm, free from bruises and punctures, and bright in color. It should not be shriveled or have wrinkled skin.

Storing Vegetables:

1. With vegetables, proper ventilation is the key. Try not to fill your shelf to the brim so
as not to squash the vegetables.
2. Bulbs like onions and garlic should be stored in room temperature. The roots grow
faster when you put them in the ref. Keep onions away from potatoes.
3. Keep the leafy vegetables in the refrigerator. Wrap in paper to keep the moisture.
4. The vegetable fruits, so-called because they’re actually fruits that are cooked as
vegetables, should also be stored in the ref. The same rule applies with tubers.
5. In the vegetable rack, try to organize your vegetables with the hard tubers at the
bottom and the leafy vegetables and tomatoes stored always on top.


FRUIT FRESHNESS

What usually stops us from buying fruits is we’re not sure if what we’re buying is fresh. Here’s how to test the freshness of fruits:
1. Quality
Fresh quality ripe mangoes are fragrant and not bruised.
2. Fresh and ripe bananas are free from bruising and are firm to the touch.
3. Pineapples are fresh and ready to eat when the leaves close to the center come off easy when pulled.
4. Fresh and ripe papayas should have skin that is smooth, not torn or cracked. When you press your thumb into the flesh—it is firm. If it’s soft and has a sweet smell to it, the papaya is already overripe.
5. A good rule when buying is to check the integrity of the skin. It should be firm, smooth and free from bruises and punctures.

Storing Fruits:
1. When the fruits are ripe, most fruits are best stored in the refrigerator.
Refrigerated whole fruits should be kept in perforated plastic bags.
2. When a strong-smelling fruit is cut open, store them in a covered container.
Fruits like langka or jackfruit, citruses and melon varieties need to be sealed or covered
so as not to contaminate the aroma and flavor of other food items in the ref.
3. Apples, pears and bananas would have to be eaten right away or kept in an airtight
container or plastic food wrap, if they’ve already been cut open to lessen the
unsightly browning. These are fruits that tend to brown immediately once opened.
4. Bananas are stored in room temperature. Remove the rotting bananas to avoid
spoiling the other bananas. Other fruits stored in room temp are lanzones and whole watermelons.

HERBS AND SPICES
Here are quick and easy tips to spot fresh herbs and keep the
potency of your herbs and spices:
1. Color
Use fresh herbs that have a bright green color. If it is turning yellow, you must consume the herbs immediately or best your throw these out.
2. Dried Herbs
Certain herbs and spices are used dried, having a stronger, more concentrated flavor than fresh. These are packaged and sold in stores. Better to ground or crumble them when you’re about to use the spice.

Storing Herbs and Spices:

1. Dried herbs and spices will keep for a year if stored in airtight jars away from heat
and sunlight.
2. Avoid placing any of our herbs and spices directly above the stove. Heat reduces the
potency of the spices.
3. You may also wrap fresh herbs--like lemongrass, pandan, kinchay--loosely in barely
damp paper towel and sealed in a plastic bag for up to 5 days.