Fresh COW!

When you're at the supermarket and looking at steaks or even any type of ground cow (hamburger, etc), don't be fooled into thinking the "most red" package there is the freshest.  Here's the REAL skinny:Myoglobin is purplish/blue, which is the muscle protein in meat.  When it's exposed to air, it turns into Oxymyoglobin, which is red.  (kind of like your veins have blue blood, but when you're cut and the blood is exposed to air it turns red!).  So...what does this mean for you at the store?  Bright red only means the meat is not wrapped in an airtight container.  Gray/blue/purple means it's either EXTREMELY fresh and not exposed to air, or it's going south (what happens to that bright red color over time).  Only your nose knows, not your eyes!  So check the "sell by" date.  Do yourself and the industry a favor, and help keep costs down - if you're using the meat that night (or day), pick the package that has today's sell by date on it.  Waste not, want not! -For more tricks of the trade, subscribe to http://blog.lulasforlunch.com or visit http://www.lulasforlunch.com