Greyish Steak

[MarciaTJ]

I just pulled out some steaks which I purchased earlier this week, and which has a "sell by" date of 8/16 - however when I look at it closely, I see spots of a greyish color on the meat - I think this means the meat has gone bad, am I right??

[funnybone]

"If in doubt, throw them out." However, in this case I would return them to the store, since the sell by date is today, and they should look decent.

[luv2cook]

smell them. if they have no smell, they're fine - as long as there's no mold or other nasties...

[Beth]

A butcher told me the greyish color is cause by contact with air and not necessarily a sign of spoilage (although a lot of one will seem to lead to the other in my mind). I would also say give it the sniff test. My nutrition teacher in college said you won't be able to cook a piece of meat that is bad enough to make you sick. That doesn't work if you have a cold, but then you won't feel like cooking then either.

[Lynne1975]

Beth, I think your butcher is wrong - when meat comes in contact with oxygen, it becomes red (the process is called "blooming"). That is why when you buy ground meat, it is red on the outside and dark in the center. Then as you break apart the meat, it all turns red as you cook it. As for the gray spots on the steaks, smelling them is the best way to decide if they are spoiled. If it smells bad, it is bad.

[Beth]

I am trying to remember what he said, and I think I was the one who was wrong. I think he talked about contact between the pieces of meat when they are wrapped together before they put them into the trays and wrap for selling. That would make sense since the air would not get to those spots and they would not be as red.