With rising costs of living one must be wise to stretch every “ringgit” or dollar to get the best value when doing one’s grocery marketing. And it’s always you housewives who actually experience these price fluctuations. That’s why I’ve attempt to supply you with tips to help you pick good and fresh food stuffs, whether it’s fruits, vegetables or fruits in supermarket or wet market.
How to choose beef
Beef these days is expensive, how do you get the best value for your money?
You should check the beef you buy. All fresh beef should be deep in colour and appear “juicy” and wet on the butcher’s table. Dry, dark red beef has been exposed to the air far too long. “Marbling” is the term used to describe fat funning through the meat. This give the meats its flavour and tenderness. Also, beef fat should be creamy, and not yellow in colour.
How to choose mutton
If you’re working in the morning and only have time to go to supermarket to do your marketing during lunch hour. How to tell whether your mutton you buy is still fresh?
Actually shopping for mutton after lunch can be tricky, but you can still get a good cuts. Local ‘kambing’ (or mutton in English) should always be deep in red while the fatty tissue in white and creamy.
Meat with a yellowish colouring is from an aged animal.
Imported lamb should be slightly pink if it is from a young animal. As the animal gets older the flesh becomes light to dark red. The fat of imported lamb is white and firm.
When choosing lamb always avoid brittle fat which means the meat has been freezed too long. Then one should also look for plumpness in the legs and shoulders.
How to choose a good chicken
To select a healthy live chicken, feel the chicken’s breast for firm and thick layer of meat. It should also have bright, clean and alert eyes. There should be no open wounds on the body and the bishop’s nose should be clean.
If choosing a pre-slaughtered chicken, make sure that the skin is white and the bird has a fresh shine all over. Do not choose one with the pored dried and slightly yellowish or with bruises on the skin.
How to choose fish
The fishmonger always assures you that the fish you bought from him is the freshest in town, how to tell whether it’s true or not
Here’s the way to find out.
All fresh fish have a firm gill cover which, when gently lifted, reveals a slimy, tidy and well formed gill. Fresh blood in the gill does not guarantee freshness of the fish as it may be merely a fishmonger’s trick to hook one who does not know.
Eyes which are intact, with a shiny cornea under which the eyeballs can be clearly seen, indicates freshness, so do fins, tail and scales which appear firm and neat.
How to choose prawns
Often when you buy prawn your family members complains its’ smelly. How can you differentiate a fresh prawns from the bad ones.
Don’t buy prawns which yield too strong a smell. There are not fresh.
Prawns with heads separated from the bodies, their legs missing or are soaked in a chalky water are not worth anything.
Fresh prawns should always be complete, with shiny shell and firm to the touch.
How to choose crabs
How can you tell whether it’s a female or a male crab. And which one is a good buy for frying and which one good for steaming.
Female crabs are often preferred to male crabs.
Female crabs have round tail ends while male crab have sharp and pointed tail ends.
Female crabs contain a great deal of eggs under the hard shell. This portion turns golden when fried and is a gourmet’s delight.
The male crab on the other hand is meaty and good for steaming.