“The main difference between a butcher shop and a grocery store is the attention to detail that a butcher provides, starting with a focus on quality,” says Mike Saperstein, co-owner of Sunshine Provisions, a food distribution company in South Florida.
Butchers revealed what meat they would NEVER buy from the store – and give them money!
Butchers say that the following five meat products should not be purchased in supermarkets and other stores, but exclusively in butcher shops.
Minced meat
Ground meat is cheaper than other types of meat and can be used in a variety of dishes, so it is often purchased. “I would avoid buying ground meat products, especially beef and chicken. Most come to the store already ground from large meat processing plants, where the risk of contamination is much greater. This process can compromise the taste and quality of the meat. Butchers grind the meat themselves and use quality cuts,” the butchers said.
Fresh fish and seafood
Unless you’re shopping at a store near the ocean, you should be suspicious of the “freshness” of seafood in the store. “My rule of thumb is, if you can’t drive 20 minutes from the beach to that store, buy seafood from the freezer,” the expert says. If you don’t have a fishmonger nearby, it’s better to buy frozen seafood because “most frozen seafood (as stated on the label) is processed and frozen on board to preserve freshness.”
Offal
“In stores, they are usually frozen or stored for a long time because they don’t sell much and then they are moved from refrigerator to refrigerator, especially if they are on sale,” experts say. However, if you buy it from butchers, the offal will be fresh and stored in proper conditions.
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