Reusable bags for supermarket uncooked meat

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183 posts

Master Geek
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#3098913 3-Jul-2023 11:15

There is considerable debate about what supermarket butchers do and don't do with meat compared to a local butcher, but it does seem that supermarket meat somehow does have more juice coming out of it and when packaged up. Perhaps they're just moving more quickly and it doesn't have as much time to dry/drain? I know it's repeatedly stated that no butchers add extra liquid to increase the weight, so it's likely some other reason.

tweake

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#3098961 3-Jul-2023 12:40

i suspect its probably the time its hung. you typically have to pay per day its hung, so i guess the cheaper stuff is just put through as fast as possible.

MikeAqua

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#3099061 3-Jul-2023 14:18

tweake:

i suspect its probably the time its hung. you typically have to pay per day its hung, so i guess the cheaper stuff is just put through as fast as possible.

As someone who grew up hunting and farming, homekill and hunted meat was always hung for a several days prior to butchering. It was never drippy/wet like supermarket meat often is.

Maybe the breed has a bit to with it as well. We had Highland cattle growing up and homekill has been black Angus or belty. All well regarded beef breeds. ?For all I know NZ supermarkets are full of dairy cull Friesian and Jersey?

A tip for dealing with wet beef is to pat it dry, then liberally salt it with coarse salt, rub that salt in firmly and put it on a wire rack inside a tray. After an hour, wipe the salty-goey-exudate off the beef, massage in oil and cook. I do all of this at room temp, because I want my beef to be room temp for cooking. However, best practice is probably to put it in a fridge.

I know my steak is going straight onto a BBQ with the controls set for the heart of the sun, so any microbes on the outside are toast.

Mike

mattwnz

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#3099087 3-Jul-2023 15:12

My local supermarket allows people to bring in their own containers, but they must wash them before they can be used for food safety reasons. They apparently use ecostore detergent which is good to see.

Canuckabroad

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Master Geek
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#3099089 3-Jul-2023 15:19

The store has to wash your containers before they let you use them? I understand their reasoning wanting to protect themselves from an accusation the food was at fault - but is it sustainable if this were to grow and 50% of customers started bringing in reusable containers - that they'd have a washing station for washing people's containers as they enter the store?

Handle9

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#3099398 4-Jul-2023 00:44

MikeAqua:

tweake:

i suspect its probably the time its hung. you typically have to pay per day its hung, so i guess the cheaper stuff is just put through as fast as possible.

As someone who grew up hunting and farming, homekill and hunted meat was always hung for a several days prior to butchering. It was never drippy/wet like supermarket meat often is.

Maybe the breed has a bit to with it as well. We had Highland cattle growing up and homekill has been black Angus or belty. All well regarded beef breeds. ?For all I know NZ supermarkets are full of dairy cull Friesian and Jersey?

A tip for dealing with wet beef is to pat it dry, then liberally salt it with coarse salt, rub that salt in firmly and put it on a wire rack inside a tray. After an hour, wipe the salty-goey-exudate off the beef, massage in oil and cook. I do all of this at room temp, because I want my beef to be room temp for cooking. However, best practice is probably to put it in a fridge.

I know my steak is going straight onto a BBQ with the controls set for the heart of the sun, so any microbes on the outside are toast.

It's even better if you leave it with the salt overnight in the fridge. The salt solution reincorporates into the meat and tenderises and seasons the whole way through.

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MikeAqua

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#3099417 4-Jul-2023 07:10

Handle9:

It's even better if you leave it with the salt overnight in the fridge. The salt solution reincorporates into the meat and tenderises and seasons the whole way through.

I dry brine sometimes, as a treat. But I've got a low tolerance for sodium so I usually wipe the salt off after an hour or so.

Mike

alisam

878 posts

Ultimate Geek
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#3099447 4-Jul-2023 09:20

RunningMan:

Use a plastic resealable box instead of a bag. Can go in the dishwasher or be washed out.

A clear plastic container seems a good option, and I will need to measure the meat trays after our next shop.

Sistema have plenty of different sizes (a few are leak proof) and as long as the container remains horizontal in the car and being carried then I think this may be my best solution.

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Canuckabroad

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Master Geek
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#3099479 4-Jul-2023 10:20

Systema are certainly an option here - the challenges are how the meat is made available to customers if there aren't physical butchers present and they aren't individually-packaged and sealed first. Is there going to be a big tub of meat and you use tongs and grab your own like a refrigerated bulk bin? How does the store manage food security?

Second question is around food safety. Someone suggested their local supermarket will let you put meat into your own container, but they have to wash your container for you first, presumably to cover themselves from risk of customers with infected containers pointing fingers at the store. How would this work at scale if this were to be adopted? Do they have their own supply of pre-sanitised containers and you pay for the container which is reimbursed when you return it? (This is how fizzy drink bottles were done when I was young - you return the crate and bottles for a refund applied to your next purchase).

Swamphen

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Geek
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#3099701 4-Jul-2023 15:26

We have two reusable bags that are specifically for meat, they're a different colour than all the other ones. In the boot there's a sistema (I think 7.5L? Maybe 10L) to put the bag in, along with anything else that might leak. If it leaks/gets dirty, we throw the bag(s) in the laundry (like any other reusable bag that gets dirty) and the container in the dishwasher or just wash it in the sink. I don't buy/eat that much meat though, so it doesn't feel all that annoying.

The thing I find more gross is when they're gross on the outside even if they're not leaking (or something's leaked on top of them). I hate picking a leaky one up and then trying not to touch anything else in the supermarket the rest of the trip. I wish they put the meat closer to the tills for that reason.

Canuckabroad

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Master Geek
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#3099734 4-Jul-2023 16:01

Swamphen:

The thing I find more gross is when they're gross on the outside even if they're not leaking (or something's leaked on top of them). I hate picking a leaky one up and then trying not to touch anything else in the supermarket the rest of the trip. I wish they put the meat closer to the tills for that reason.

There are certainly better ways they can do things than the present, where they shrink-wrap each serving of meat on top of a single-use plastic tray that is both wasteful and not always very sanitary.

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mattwnz

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#3099831 4-Jul-2023 18:30

Canuckabroad:

The store has to wash your containers before they let you use them? I understand their reasoning wanting to protect themselves from an accusation the food was at fault - but is it sustainable if this were to grow and 50% of customers started bringing in reusable containers - that they'd have a washing station for washing people's containers as they enter the store?

I haven't witnessed it but it is described here. https://www.freshchoice.co.nz/sustainability/bring-your-own-containers/

My issue with many reusable containers, is that people often don't remove and clean the seal in the lid, so you can often get a build up of black mould in the crevices of the lid.

mattwnz

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#3099879 4-Jul-2023 18:34

Canuckabroad:

Swamphen:

The thing I find more gross is when they're gross on the outside even if they're not leaking (or something's leaked on top of them). I hate picking a leaky one up and then trying not to touch anything else in the supermarket the rest of the trip. I wish they put the meat closer to the tills for that reason.

There are certainly better ways they can do things than the present, where they shrink-wrap each serving of meat on top of a single-use plastic tray that is both wasteful and not always very sanitary.

What did they do before plastic? They do use polystrynene for some, and there are cornstarch or similar biodegradable versions. What annoys men about these laws around banning plastic bags, is that they don't appear to be allowing new technology biodegradable material alternatives apart from paper.

You can also get reusable silicon bags which could be an option for meat.

Canuckabroad

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Master Geek
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#3099905 4-Jul-2023 20:16

I guess the government is setting the rule to stop having single-use plastic, and leaving it up to the industry to figure out what they're going to do as a replacement. We've proposed a couple alternatives in this thread, but who knows which makes the most sense to those who have to do it at scale.

SepticSceptic

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#3099995 4-Jul-2023 22:48

Guess I'll be bringing along a few medium size plastic freezer bags to slip the meat trays into next time I'm out grocery shopping.
It's kinda gross to have leaky chicken juices dripping into the trundler mesh, and knowing that possibly the next person will placing their carefully selected vege directly onto the leaked chicken juice.

Or perhaps a nice paperbag to protect your veg.

As if a paperbag presents any kind of bacterial protection, especially if wet.

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