How I tell if meat is fresh

I am a woman who fries cutlets at home and does not want the kitchen to smell of doubt. I choose meat with my eyes, my nose and a finger — calmly, without a performance at the counter. The kettle can wait: from the bag the piece goes straight into the fridge, not onto the table “while it boils”.

Chicken should be the colour of fresh milk with a light cream tone, not grey and not sour-pink. The smell — almost none, a faint sweet rawness, not “wet shop”. If the pack is puffed up and smells sharp, I do not bargain with myself. Pork is springy, not sticky. Beef a deep colour, no rainbow sheen from the film; a rainbow on the cut often comes from air and light, but if the meat also sticks to the finger, it goes back. On the label I look at the date and at how the piece sits: in a puddle of juice or on a dry tray. I do not like the puddle. Mince I take only if I can see it was minced recently and the smell is clean: a grey edge and a heavy smell give old mince away. Bones for broth can look unglamorous, but they should not be rancid or sticky.

If I cook today, I take it out in time so I am not throwing an icy piece into the pan: water runs, there will be no crust. If it is for tomorrow, it sits in a bowl, covered, not in the packet it travelled in. On the board, meat has its own place, not the one where the parsley just lay. I wash the board with hot water and washing-up liquid, hands too — so supper smells of fried onion, not of worry. After cooking I look at the colour: chicken inside should not still look glassy-raw; a knife into the thick part, the juices pale. I do not rush to turn the heat off for a pretty crust on the outside. I am not afraid of frozen meat if the pack is whole and there is no ice coat; I thaw it in the fridge, not on the radiator. Mince after thawing I do not freeze a second time: it has already given its juice and its character.

The piece either goes into the pan or back on the pile. I don’t have a third conversation at the counter. Do you choose meat by smell, by the date on the pack — or do you still trust the same counter every time?