On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 287

with aging — the generation of flavor and tenderness by enzymes throughout the meat — are desirable But the changes that take place at the meat surface are generally undesirable Oxygen in the air and energetic rays of light generate off-flavors and dull color And meat is a nourishing food for microbes as well as for humans Given the chance, bacteria will feast on meat surfaces and multiply The result is both unappetizing and unsafe, since some microbial digesters of dead flesh can also poison or invade the living Meat Spoilage Fat Oxidation and Rancidity The most important chemical damage suffered by meats is the breakdown of their fats by both oxygen and light into small, odorous fragments that define the smell of rancidity Rancid fat won’t necessarily make us sick, but it’s unpleasant, so its development limits how long we can age and store meat Unsaturated fats are most susceptible to rancidity, which means that fish, poultry, and game birds go bad most quickly Beef has the most saturated and stable of all meat fats, and keeps the longest Fat oxidation in meats can’t be prevented, but it can be delayed by careful handling Wrap raw meat tightly in oxygenimpermeable plastic wrap (saran, or polyvinylidene chloride; polyethylene is permeable), overwrap it with foil or paper to keep it in the dark, store it in the coldest corner of the refrigerator or freezer, and use it as soon as possible When cooking with ground meat, grind the meat fresh, just before cooking, since dividing the meat into many small pieces exposes a very large surface area to the air The development of rancidity in cooked meats can be delayed by minimizing the use of salt, which encourages fat oxidation, and by using ingredients with ... permeable), overwrap it with foil or paper to keep it in the dark, store it in the coldest corner of the refrigerator or freezer, and use it as soon as possible When cooking with ground meat, grind the meat fresh, just before... stable of all meat fats, and keeps the longest Fat oxidation in meats can’t be prevented, but it can be delayed by careful handling Wrap raw meat tightly in oxygenimpermeable plastic wrap (saran, or polyvinylidene chloride; polyethylene is...so its development limits how long we can age and store meat Unsaturated fats are most susceptible to rancidity, which means that fish, poultry, and game birds go bad most quickly Beef has the most saturated and stable of all meat fats, and keeps the longest