How to choose fresh and safe food

Chef Phan Anh's tips on choosing quality food below will help housewives protect the health of their loved ones.

How to choose fruits and vegetables?

The biggest concern regarding vegetables is how to distinguish between Chinese and Vietnamese vegetables. Da Lat vegetables may not look as appealing, but they are tastier and absolutely safer. Chinese vegetables stand out with their large size, vibrant green color, and crisp texture, but they are bland, not tasty, and not safe for health.

Here are a few ways to distinguish between these two types of vegetables.

Dried onions: Chinese onions have large bulbs, usually only one clove, are pale red in color, lack aroma, and have thin skins, while Vietnamese onions usually have several cloves per bulb, are fragrant, and have thick skins.

Ginger: Vietnamese ginger has a dull-colored skin, many roots and rough nodules, and when broken in half, you can see veins on the outside. Chinese ginger, on the other hand, is light yellow, has a shiny, plump skin, and is large, uniform, and clean.

Cabbage, Chinese cabbage: Chinese cabbage looks very round and smooth, often wrapped in a mesh bag with a darker green skin, while Vietnamese cabbage is white, large, and tightly packed.

Broccoli: Da Lat broccoli has complete leaves and stems, uneven florets, and a rich, sweet flavor. In contrast, Chinese broccoli has its stems cut off, is wrapped in white foam, has tightly packed, evenly shaped florets, stays fresh for months without spoiling, and has a bland taste.

Be careful to distinguish Vietnamese vegetables from Chinese vegetables.

Choose meat that is dry and has a bright red color.

Choose meat that is dry, not injected with water, and has a bright red or dark red color. The cut surface should be normal, bright, and dry. Avoid meat that is pale green, slightly dark, or even black, dull, and has a slimy outer membrane. Fresh, good quality meat should be firm and elastic; when you press your finger into it, it should not leave a dent when you remove your finger and should not be sticky. Absolutely fresh and clean meat should not have any strange odors, rancid smells, or antibiotic smells.

How to choose fresh and safe food

Fresh, high-quality meat should be firm, elastic, free of water bubbles, and have a bright red or dark red color.

When choosing chicken or duck eggs, select those with light-colored, slightly rough shells that still have a powdery coating, without any dark gray spots or cracks. Avoid smooth, shiny eggs as these are old. Fresh, good quality eggs are usually pink and translucent when held up to the light.

What constitutes fresh and delicious fish and seafood?

When buying seafood, pay attention to the color.

For fish and seafood, it's best to buy live fish and shrimp. Fresh fish have tightly closed mouths. The body is firm and elastic, leaving no finger marks on the flesh. The scales are shiny, firmly attached to the body, and free of mucus and unpleasant odors. The gills are reddish-pink, not slimy or foul-smelling. The anus is recessed, pale white, and the belly is flat.

According to Zing.vn