MEAT/SEAFOOD BUYERS CHECKLIST

There’s nothing more exciting to a meat lover than finding freshly procured, freshly cut meats and seafood available conveniently via an online meat delivery platform. Making that excitement possible with fresh meat online any day any time is what TenderCuts has been doing since inception.

Here’s the online meat and online fish buyers’ cheat sheet to confirm that they are indeed buying the freshest meats and seafood.

First, the three golden rules any meat seller has to meet for freshness:

1. ? ? ? The meat and seafood must be sourced daily farm fresh, locally. The less distance they travel from the source to you, the fresher they are.

2. ? ? ? Meats and seafood should not have been frozen. They should be sourced daily fresh. It is important that the meat and fish you buy online? are FRESHLY CUT ONLY and not pre-cut or pre-packed. As per FSSAI directive, all meats are to be kept chilled at minus 4 degree centigrade to retain their natural texture and moisture and NEVER frozen.?

3.? ? ? Meats have to be freshly cut as close to cooking time as possible and be never pre-packed/frozen requiring thawing. Chilling meat at minus 4 degree centigrade as we do at TenderCuts ensures that they are perfectly suited for cooking - fresh, juicy, tender and tasting natural, as against meat that needs thawing where all the natural qualities of the meat are lost.??

Apart from the hundreds of other rules, regulations and protocols at TenderCuts, these are the three golden rules we follow with absolute zero compromise be it for in store shoppers, online orders, pick-ups-or online meat delivery.

Now, let’s look at how to identify and buy the freshest meats you love whether you buy meat online or at the store.

CHICKEN

1. ? ? ? When you buy chicken online or at the store, make sure it is not frozen. It should only be kept chilled. The ideal FSSAI prescribed healthy temperature for meat to stay chilled is zero to minus 4 degree centigrade.??

2. ? ? ? Chicken should be tender to touch.

3. ? ? ? Meat that bounces back when pressed is a sign of freshness.

4. ? ? ? Meat should be mild pink and smell fresh.

MUTTON

1. ? ? ? Mutton should be tender to touch.

2. ? ? ? Meat should bounce back when pressed as an indicator to freshness.

3. ? ? ? Mutton should not be frozen. It may be kept chilled at zero to minus 4 degrees.

4. ? ? ? Mutton should be a good shade of dark pink.

FISH

1. ? ? ? Smell is the top differentiator among fresh and old fish. Fresh fish will smell less fishy and more sea.

2. ? ? ? Fish should not come frozen. A fish held in hand should bend and not be frozen stiff. Seafood should be kept chilled at zero to minus 4 degree centigrade upon procurement to retain its freshness.

3. ? ? ? Fish preserved with formalin will be stiff, with hard scales, very pungent smell (no fishy smell) and no flies around.

4. ? ? ? Clear eyes of the fish means it is freshly caught.

Use these tips to ensure that you are buying the freshest meats and seafood always. Order fresh meat online on the TenderCuts App.