Meat case at the local grocery store

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jd_1138

Sous Chef
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They sure know how to display their offerings to look as appealing as possible. They have various cuts of steak, hamburgers (pre-formed with various seasonings), freshly cut up chicken, chops, ka-bobs already on skewers with veggies, meatballs.

I've been grilling out like 4 times a week all summer long. Yummy. This is at Giant Eagle (chain supermarket here in Ohio). Local mom and pop butcher shop has a similar case.

This is the case where they have to get it out and wrap it up for you. They also have the regular already wrapped meats out in the open cases.

GiantEagleGourmetBurgers.png
 
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Our Kroger has a similar selection. I don't buy prepared items from it because I like to season them myself, but once in a while I splurge on a better cut of meat.
 
I love a true meat cutters counter.. :)


Our area has a small chain called Harter House.. Their meat counter is magnificent and not all that more expensive..



Ross
 
I also don't buy "prepared" meats, with seasonings. And, I make my own kabobs... it's not that much work.

The biggest thing you have to watch out for is thinking that the seafood in a grocery store display is "fresh." It is not. It was almost certainly frozen when it arrived at the store. They thawed it out, put it on ice, and a lot of people think it is fresh.

Unless you live near an ocean, your seafood is unlikely to be "fresh." Not a problem, if it was frozen right after it was caught, and it has not been frozen for a long time.

CD
 
I also don't buy "prepared" meats, with seasonings. And, I make my own kabobs... it's not that much work.

The biggest thing you have to watch out for is thinking that the seafood in a grocery store display is "fresh." It is not. It was almost certainly frozen when it arrived at the store. They thawed it out, put it on ice, and a lot of people think it is fresh.

Unless you live near an ocean, your seafood is unlikely to be "fresh." Not a problem, if it was frozen right after it was caught, and it has not been frozen for a long time.

CD


Occasionally we luck out and can buy fish right off a boat in the local harbor. It doesn't get fresher than that, but that's rare.

Big commercial boats freeze their fish before it ever hits the market, so one way or another, you're buying fish that's been frozen. What I want to know in the market is how long it's been sitting in the case thawed.
 
Occasionally we luck out and can buy fish right off a boat in the local harbor. It doesn't get fresher than that, but that's rare.

Big commercial boats freeze their fish before it ever hits the market, so one way or another, you're buying fish that's been frozen. What I want to know in the market is how long it's been sitting in the case thawed.
I remember fondly visiting the dory fishermen in Newport Beach. Mom and Dad would bundle us up and pack us, and the dog, of course, into the station wagon at about 5 am, and we’d make our way down to the shore where the dory fishers have been launching their boats for decades, if not a whole century. They’d be bringing their boats back in at about 6 am, filled with their catch. I don’t really remember what kinds of fish were prominent, although I seem to recall rock cod and red snapper. Mom didn’t really know how to cook fish (or anything else), so by the time it reached our plates, we may as well just have gone to Mickey D’s for a fillet-o-fish. But watching those dory fishers bring in their rowboats on long wooden rollers, and then watching them gut and clean their catch is a memory I treasure.

They’re still at it, too! If you ever make a trip to SoCal, put visiting the dory fishers on your must-do list!
 
Occasionally we luck out and can buy fish right off a boat in the local harbor. It doesn't get fresher than that, but that's rare.

Big commercial boats freeze their fish before it ever hits the market, so one way or another, you're buying fish that's been frozen. What I want to know in the market is how long it's been sitting in the case thawed.

I used to live in Houston, just out of college, and there were vans along the side of the road on my way home from work that had fresh off the boat fish and shrimp. Some of them were crooked, but once you found an honest seller, you could count on today's catch, and you went back to them every time.

From what I understand, those vans have been shut down. I'm guessing that the crooked ones ruined it for the honest ones. Isn't that how it always goes?

CD
 
I used to live in Houston, just out of college, and there were vans along the side of the road on my way home from work that had fresh off the boat fish and shrimp. Some of them were crooked, but once you found an honest seller, you could count on today's catch, and you went back to them every time.

From what I understand, those vans have been shut down. I'm guessing that the crooked ones ruined it for the honest ones. Isn't that how it always goes?

CD
I could give you another reason they were shut down, but I’d be getting political in an inappropriate venue. I’ll just say what a sorry loss it is.

I think Dad bought a bunch of shrimp from one of those vans once, when he was visiting Houston on USCGAux business. He didn’t stop talking about them, couldn’t stop talking about them. I think, though, the thing that most impressed him was the cost!
 
I could give you another reason they were shut down, but I’d be getting political in an inappropriate venue. I’ll just say what a sorry loss it is.

I think Dad bought a bunch of shrimp from one of those vans once, when he was visiting Houston on USCGAux business. He didn’t stop talking about them, couldn’t stop talking about them. I think, though, the thing that most impressed him was the cost!

Oh, yeah. the price was right. I could stuff myself with shrimp for less than five bucks.

It really wasn't political thing that shut it down. Anytime you have a good thing going, you are going to have sleezeballs take advantage of the situation. Some of those roadside vans were all about making a buck, and not about selling a quality product. Those people would say the shrimp was caught today, even if it was caught last week.

You live in Las Vegas, so you should know all about that. There are some really good places to eat in Vegas, but there are many more bad places to eat. I've had some amazing meals in Vegas, and my one and only experience with food poisoning was in Vegas.

CD
 
That is a nice display of meat offerings, jd. Like others have said, though, I don't buy anything pre-made like that. I'm cheap, and I'll admit it. The idea of spending $8.99 a pound for green peppers or onions goes against my grain. Still, they sure look pretty.
 
Oh, yeah. the price was right. I could stuff myself with shrimp for less than five bucks.

It really wasn't political thing that shut it down. Anytime you have a good thing going, you are going to have sleezeballs take advantage of the situation. Some of those roadside vans were all about making a buck, and not about selling a quality product. Those people would say the shrimp was caught today, even if it was caught last week.

You live in Las Vegas, so you should know all about that. There are some really good places to eat in Vegas, but there are many more bad places to eat. I've had some amazing meals in Vegas, and my one and only experience with food poisoning was in Vegas.

CD

There are still trucks/vans here. I would think that those types would be self eradicating, putting themselves out of business pretty quickly. They shouldn't have caused the good ones to go out of business as most of these, at least the ones here, are word of mouth advertised.
 
Occasionally we luck out and can buy fish right off a boat in the local harbor. It doesn't get fresher than that, but that's rare.

Big commercial boats freeze their fish before it ever hits the market, so one way or another, you're buying fish that's been frozen. What I want to know in the market is how long it's been sitting in the case thawed.
"
<LI class=TrT0Xe>Look for firm, shiny flesh. ... <LI class=TrT0Xe>Sniff the fish. ... <LI class=TrT0Xe>Check the eyes. ... <LI class=TrT0Xe>Check the gills. "


In other words:-

*If the fish still has its skin it should be shiny and not shrunken or wrinkled. And if it isn't still wearing it just ask yourself why. There may be a good reason eg monk fish (angler fish - ugly and a bit un-nerving to look at when wearing its head and overcoat! Delicious though.)

*Does the fish smell of the sea? If the stall smells fishy - walk away.

*Bright eyes that seem to be looking at you. Dull or shrunken? Walk away.

*Bright red gills. Dull and faded? Walk away.

We are lucky in the British Isles as nowhere is more than 75 miles from the sea! We can get excellent fish but there are a few "cowboy" fishmongers.
 
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MC, although I know how to choose fish that hasn't been defrosted too long, it is not fresh fish if it's ever been frozen.


For that reason, I prefer to buy it frozen and not thawed, and that way I can cook it as soon as it's thawed.


By the way, I live 10 miles from the Pacific.
 
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We live close to the ocean, but after centuries of overfishing, there's not a lot of fresh catch landing on the docks. Some exceptions, though.

I can buy "ocean fresh" swordfish at the supermarket for $10 - $12 / lb. I can buy fresh swordfish at the local seafood store for $17 - $18 /lb. There is clearly a huge difference.
 
MC, although I know how to choose fish that hasn't been defrosted too long, it is not fresh fish if it's ever been frozen.


For that reason, I prefer to buy it frozen and not thawed, and that way I can cook it as soon as it's thawed.


By the way, I live 10 miles from the Pacific.

Living in Dallas, I know I can't buy "fresh" seafood, unless I want to spend a fortune. I am perfectly fine with frozen. Like you, I want to buy it still frozen, and thaw it out right before I cook it.

I buy frozen, wild caught Gulf shrimp all the time. I always buy it shell on. It is more work, but if the shrimp is pre-shelled, the texture isn't as good when cooked, IMO.

I am also able to buy fish filets that are vacuum packed and frozen. Those work out well, too. Again, I thaw them at the last minute. They thaw fast.

CD
 
Oh, how I missed real meat department.

I remember as a kid, we got most of our groceries at a big store that offered S&H Green Stamps (who remembers that), but we got our meat from a little meat market. Then, my mom overcooked it. :rolleyes:

CD
 
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