My raw hamburg is brown in the middle.. is it bad?

Question

Ok this is my first time cooking on my own and I obviously dont want to eat bad food. The outside of the hamburg is bright red, but there are places on the inside where its brown. Theres no peculair bad smell to it.. is it still good to eat?

Excuse me, Laian. I just picked it up that afternoon and posted this question 20 minutes after doing so. It was not sitting in my fridge. Please dont jump to conclusions

Answer 1

It's perfectly fine to eat.

Believe it or not, raw meat (at least beef) is actually brown, and not pink. I've read somewhere that we add coloring to make it pink, which is actually more appealing than the brown color.

I have on plenty of occasions, have had ground beef in my freezer for months on end that have turned back to the brown color, but were still good to eat.

Just a question for you though, did you just buy it? Or has it been sitting in the fridge for a while? If yes to either of those questions, check the expiration date on the package (if it's still wrapped in the original wrapping). If it's way past the expiration, then you shouldn't eat it, unless it's been in the freezer and you just took it out and thawed it.

Answer 2

Actually, it's better than the red meat on the outside.

Butchers hit their meat with oxygen. This turns the hemoglobin in the blood, which is brownish, to oxyhemoglobin, which is bright red.

However, surplus oxygen causes meat to oxidize and prematurely age.

If the meat is "slick", or if it develops a bad odor, then it's bad meat. And if you ever develop concerns about the meat you're buying, you shouldn't just toss that meat in the garbage, but get rid of that butcher as well. Better meat is a bargain compared to the cost of doctors.

Answer 3

No: hamburger shoulnd't have brown spots.

Next time, don't let it sit in the fridge so long before you decide to cook it. If you're not going to eat it within a day, then put it in the freezer.

Answer 4

The color in your meat just means that air has gotten to it at some point if it does not smell bad and it smells clean it should be just fine.

Answer 5

its been turned.
its discoloration from the light. It happens within 24 hours on the shelf.
Smell it.
If it does not smell bad, it is still safe to cook.
It must be heated though at 165 degrees to kill any residual bacteria that may be there.

Answer 6

No it's probably not bad. The meat turns that color when exposed to air.

Answer 7

if the meat has no bad odor then it should be fine, but if it has any smell to it, I would pitch it.

my mother alsways told me "when in doubt, throw it out"

Answer 8

yes, as long as it still smells good it's fine. I would complain to your grocer about them wrapping old meat in new meat to get rid of it though!!! They are not supposed to do that!!

Answer 9

well its not the freshest, did could be used in a meatloaf or meatballs