Should meat be boiled in boiling water or cold water?

When boiling meat, many people have the habit of boiling the meat first or using boiling water to blanch it to remove chemicals. Another way is to put the meat in a pot of cold water and then turn on the stove to boil the water and meat together.

According to Dr. Tu Ngu, General Secretary of the Vietnam Nutrition Association, in fact, these boiling methods all cook the meat and make it edible. However, each method has its own effect.

If you first put the meat in cold water and then boil it, the residue will escape during the boiling process. Then, you have to skim off the foam and dirt that floats on the surface of the water. The meat boiled in cold water is not as delicious, but the water is very sweet and rich. This way of boiling is suitable for those who want to have a delicious soup.

Meat boiled in boiling water will retain nutrients because it will not decompose when boiled for too long. "A piece of meat boiled in boiling water is more delicious than a piece of meat boiled in cold water," said the doctor. However, this boiling method does not remove many impurities and toxins in the meat, so in the long run it can affect the health of the user. The reason is that the nutrients in meat are mainly protein (existing in the form of muscle) and fat; vitamins and amino acids are mainly located in muscle protein cells.

"Therefore, meat put in boiling water is easily denatured and shrinks, absorbing more chemicals and dirt, making it unsafe," explained Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh, Institute of Food Technology, Hanoi University of Science and Technology.

According to experts, before choosing how to boil meat, the most important thing is to choose a clean piece of meat. Clean meat, free of toxic substances, no matter how it is boiled, is very nutritious and safe. You should buy meat at a reputable place, the meat has a bright pink color, the meat is firm and elastic when pressed down, the fibers are even, the cut surface is dry.

Before boiling, you need to remove dirt and chemicals that may remain in the meat by rinsing it several times with clean water. In addition, you can use a little salt dissolved in water to wash the meat, because diluted salt water also has the effect of removing dirt from the meat.

The exact time of boiling meat cannot be determined because it depends on the size and thickness of the meat. If the meat is thick and large, the boiling time may be very long and the inside may not be cooked. In this case, you should use a knife to split or score the meat to make it easier to cook.

When boiling meat, if there is foam, you should remove it frequently. When you see the fat is slightly clear, and when you pierce a chopstick through the meat and do not see red liquid coming out, it means it is cooked.