How to choose all kinds of pre-processed foods but still ensure nutrition

Advantages of pre-processed foods

Concept of pre-processed food

The pre-processed food business is a model originating from Sweden. Fresh foods (meat, seafood, vegetables, fruits, etc.) will be pre-processed by suppliers in 2 ways:

Rough processing: remove inedible parts of food (shell, organs, etc.) and then clean the ingredients.

Pre-processing: cutting, grinding, marinating with spices for each specific dish. After pre-processing, they will be packed in trays, wrapped with plastic wrap. Or some types are canned/vacuum-sealed to ensure freshness.

Pre-processed foods are a very familiar item for busy housewives.

You can distinguish between semi-processed and processed foods by looking at whether the product has been heat-processed or not.

Pre-processed foods are only cleaned and sliced. Before eating, you will stir-fry, cook, steam, grill… according to the recipe. Cooked foods can be eaten immediately without having to reheat.

Benefit

Save time

Preparing a meal is not always easy because it takes a lot of work. Instead of going to the market, choosing ingredients, washing, cutting, and marinating, with pre-processed food, you just need to cook it.

Easy to prepare

Pre-prepared foods are very easy to prepare. Many types also come with recipes, instructions and are seasoned properly by professional chefs. Therefore, even if you do not have much experience or are clumsy in the kitchen, you can still quickly create delicious dishes in a simple way.

Cost savings

The supplier has also carefully calculated the quantity for each tray of food to suit each portion. This helps you save more money than buying all the ingredients to cook yourself and also avoids waste if you don't finish it.

The most popular types of pre-processed foods today

Soup: Sour snakehead fish soup, taro soup, lotus root and rib soup, bitter melon stuffed with meat soup, sweet red tilapia soup.

There are dozens of pre-prepared foods to choose from.

Savory dishes: Meatballs in tomato sauce, braised snakehead fish in clay pot, stuffed squid with meat in tomato sauce, braised fish sauce – boiled vegetables, chicken curry, braised pork and eggs, fried spare ribs with fish sauce and lemongrass,…

Hot pot: Crab beef hot pot, green pepper stewed tripe hot pot, beef hot pot with vinegar, duck cooked with fermented bean curd, fish sauce hot pot, chicken hot pot with chili,...

Tips for choosing pre-processed foods

Pork

Choose light-colored pork, light pink or light red, with slightly ivory white fat. Avoid choosing meat with strange colors, pale or too dark. The surface should be dry, the skin soft, moist and shiny.

If you press your finger into it and it doesn't leave a mark, it means the meat is fresh and has good elasticity. Don't buy meat with a shiny surface or if you feel slimy when touching it.

Beef

Choose a piece of meat that is bright red, with white veins and bright yellow fat. If it doesn't stick when pressed, it means the meat has good elasticity.

Poultry of all kinds

You should buy meat that is bright pink, has white or slightly yellow skin, and pale yellow fat. The meat or skin should not have bruises or blood clots.

Avoid buying birds that are pale or dark gray in color because those are birds that have died before being slaughtered.

Goat meat

Fresh goat meat usually has a distinctive smell, red color, moist and shiny meat. The meat fibers are firm, the skin is thin, and mostly lean meat. When smelled, it does not have a strange smell and does not stick to the hands.

Lamb

Good lamb is pink to deep red in color. The meat is still fatty and white. Avoid buying dark purple meat with ivory-white fat because the meat has been stored for a long time or the lamb is sick.

Types of fish

You should buy meat that is firm, elastic and has no strange smell. You should not buy meat that is soft, loose, grey or slimy.

The secret to keeping pre-processed foods fresh for a long time.

Seafood

Choose whole seafood with no strange smell. Avoid the type that is soft and mushy when pressed and has poor elasticity. Check to see if the mouth of the bag is intact.

Vegetables, tubers, fruits

You should only buy fresh, intact vegetables and fruits that are not scratched or wilted. When you pick them up, they should feel firm, not bruised or soft.

How to preserve pre-prepared foods

For raw meat and fish: If you want to use it within 1-2 days, store it in the refrigerator. If you want to keep it longer, put it in the freezer.

For vegetables: If not seasoned, they can be kept in the refrigerator for about 2-5 days. If you do not use them all, you need to package them carefully to avoid spoilage and mixing smells with other foods.

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Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/cach-chon-tat-tan-tat-cac-loai-do-an-so-che-san-nhung-van-dam-bao-dinh-duong-17225040622562784.htm