If You See This, It's Time To Toss Those Frozen Steaks

Some people have the overall impression that fresh food is better than frozen. But the freezer can actually be an excellent way to preserve the flavor and texture of steaks. However, one thing that might appear when thawing can be an immediate sign that a frozen steak is too far past its prime.

As you thaw the steaks before cooking, if a pink-red liquid begins to pool around the meat, it's time to toss them. It's not blood, nearly all of which is removed during slaughtering, but instead a mixture of water and myoglobin, a protein that gives red meat its color. The beef industry term for this liquid is purge.

A little bit of purge is normal. It's a byproduct of red meat beginning to break down after the slaughter. Retailers often package red meat, including steaks, with absorbent pads to soak up purge and other liquids. In cooking, purge sometimes appears as the pool of "blood" around a rare steak. But if an excess of it appears spread around your freezer, it's one of the guaranteed signs that frozen steaks have gone bad.

Purge isn't just a warning sign for frozen steaks; it can be a major red flag for an entire grocery store's meat department. If steaks and other red meat are swimming in purge at the store, it likely means the meat has been sitting on that refrigerated shelf for a long time, even if it isn't past the sell-by date yet. Don't bother freezing old steaks for later, and source fresher cuts instead.

If you already have frozen steaks on hand, though, the best way to thaw a steak is overnight in the refrigerator, and here you can begin to prepare for the possibility of excess purge. Leave the steaks in their packaging and place them on a dinner plate or in a plastic bag to catch any leaking liquid and potentially avoid a fridge cleanup.

If any purge proves your steaks are no good, be careful when disposing of them. Meat purge stains surfaces easily, including fabrics and porous kitchen countertop materials like wood or marble. The dinner plate or plastic bag you used to thaw it can also be used to toss it in the trash, without leaving pinkish-red stains on your clothes or kitchen.