Sausages are a fairly common product all over the world. Unfortunately, not all of them are equally tasty, and are made from low-quality raw materials. Therefore, in order not to harm your health, you need to know exactly how to choose this product.
Instructions
Step 1
Look at the price. A kilogram of natural sausages should cost no less than a kilogram of meat, because it should be the main ingredient in the product. Therefore, a too cheap price of sausages should signal a low content of pork or beef. They usually replace them with cheaper poultry meat or soy substitutes.
Step 2
A natural quality product can be consumed "raw" due to the specifics of its preparation. Sausages are slightly dried, smoked and boiled at a temperature of 71 degrees. Thanks to this, they are completely ready for use and do not contain microorganisms that can cause poisoning.
Step 3
Read the ingredients of the sausages carefully. The GOST sign on the package indicates the standard composition: beef or pork, water, protein, cream, egg powder or eggs, milk, spices (usually sugar, salt, nutmeg, ground allspice and black pepper) and sodium nitrite.
Step 4
A little sodium nitrite is added to make the product turn pink. The natural color of sausages is grayish, which does not look very appetizing. Don't confuse sodium nitrite with toxic nitrate. Sometimes nitrite salt is used instead of this substance to avoid overdose. This salt is absolutely harmless.
Step 5
In some cases, TU is indicated on the packaging instead of GOST. This is not a sign of poor quality, just a new one was added to the standard set of ingredients. Usually it is another seasoning, cheese or mushrooms. Just read the ingredients carefully. It should be free of flavors, thickeners, modified starch and dyes; high-quality sausages do not need them.
Step 6
Pay attention to the sequence of ingredients in the composition, they are in descending order of their quantity in the product. That is, the component with the greater mass comes first.
Step 7
Be sure to look at the expiration date, take the freshest sausages. Products by weight have a low shelf life - three to five days. Sausages in a protective environment or vacuum packaging can be stored for 15-20 days.
Step 8
The shell of the product is of no small importance. It can be cellophane, natural or artificial opaque polyamide film. Films of all these materials are the cheapest, so there are usually low-quality sausages inside. There is no difference between a natural casing and cellophane, just a natural one is more expensive.
