The New Year has its own culinary traditions, which are honored by almost all Russian families: Olivier on the table, tangerines, champagne and sandwiches with red caviar. If everything is clear with the first three, then how to choose the right red caviar? The product is expensive, but before the New Year news comes from all over the country: a cheap delicacy has been “thrown out” on the shelves. For example, now in various microdistricts of Nizhny Novgorod they sell 95-gram jars from stalls for 250-300 rubles. Almost a freebie! Many grab them by the dozen. And only then do they find out that the contents of the tins are either frozen, or not caviar at all.
Leninsky district of Nizhny Novgorod, stop "Engine of the Revolution", a woman stood in the store with a table of red caviar, residents report. - Thank God, we bought only one jar - 300 rubles. Conclusion: turned out to be protein. Please warn parents, acquaintances, if you see - report to the appropriate authorities!
I also bought in a tray from Indigo, such as a mini-market, - Nizhny Novgorod resident Ilya continued the topic. - The caviar was - frozen slurry.
There are so many complaints now that Komsomolskaya Pravda decided to draw up a set of rules on how to choose the right quality red caviar and not get into trouble. Together with an expert from the State Regional Center of Rosstandart in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, Lyubov Malafeeva, we went to one of the largest shopping centers in the city.
point-blank question
Which container is better?
Eyes run wide from the abundance of red caviar in the store. Tin, glass jars, loose caviar… Which one to choose?
Only tin and glass containers can preserve the quality of caviar, - explained Lyubov Malafeeva. - Plastic is a temporary packaging that can be used when buying bulk caviar. But it is impossible to see what is inside the tin can. Therefore, the best option is a glass jar: they will not put bad caviar in it, since it will be visible there how it looks. But glass containers are more expensive.
Rule one. Bank should not gurgle
If you decide to take red caviar in a tin, then shake it near your ear.
If the caviar is of high quality, you will not hear gurgling, - the expert explained.
Rule two. No dents
The bank should not have dents, - said Lyubov Malafeeva. - If they are, then the jar is most likely leaky, which means that air could get in there, the product oxidized and deteriorated. Also, look to see if the jar is swollen at the top and bottom. If swelling is observed, the caviar is spoiled.
Rule three. Caviar should not be cloudy
Alas, you can only appreciate the quality of red caviar from a can at home. But in glass jar you can see every single one.
Good caviar, when turning the jar, should not flow down the walls, - the expert explained. - And it is desirable that there are no bursting eggs.
Rule four. Bulk caviar - only with documents
If you buy fresh caviar, then next to the saucer there should be a sign on which the same information is written as on any jar, - said Lyubov Malafeeva. - Name, variety, caviar of which fish, date of manufacture, and so on.
Rule five. Examine the composition and inscriptions
Often, buyers in a hurry look only at the price, and then resent that they were deceived. But on the container it is usually thoroughly explained what the contents are. We will teach you how to read the jar correctly:
We look at the name: “Grained salmon caviar”, 1st grade, from chilled raw materials, - the expert took the jar. - On the bottom it is written whose caviar it is. In our case, chum. Next, we check how the product is made: according to the State Standard (GOST) or according to technical specifications (TU). The difference is that products according to GOST are made from fresh caviar. With TU, frozen caviar is also acceptable (during freezing, part of the vitamins in caviar is lost. - Auth.). In addition, they can add vegetable oil. Both under GOST and TU, red caviar may contain a preservative. Allowed sorbic acid(E200) and sodium benzoate (E211). Without them, usually caviar is not stored for a long time.
But caviar with the addition of urotropine (E239) should be avoided: decaying, it forms formalin, which can cause cancer or poisoning in humans, accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
Rule six. Pay attention to the dates
The date of production of caviar and packaging should not differ by more than six months. Also remember that salmon fish spawn from July to September - accordingly, red caviar should be harvested at this time. Place of production of caviar - the closer to the place of catch, the less it was still unpacked on the way.
Rule seven. Smell
The main difference between red caviar and imitation is the smell.
When you open a jar of imitation caviar, the smell of fish and herring will immediately hit your nose, - explained Lyubov Malafeeva. - Know - this is an imitation, most likely some kind of gelatin. You can also throw a couple of eggs at hot water. If the caviar is not natural, it will dissolve.
If you were deceived, slipped instead natural caviar protein - feel free to go complain to Rospotrebnadzor.
Bonus. Miser pays twice
And, of course, pay attention to the price. A national delicacy cannot cost a penny. The cost directly depends on all the listed features: whether the caviar is frozen, whether vegetable oil is added there, what kind of container, and so on. And let your New Year's table will be covered in such a way that it will be delicious for ourselves, and not ashamed in front of the guests.
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How to choose the right red caviar: expert advice. Roman IGNATIEV
Red caviar - incredibly tasty and useful product, easily digestible by the body and having great nutritional value. How right?
Types of red caviar
Red caviar is prepared from raw caviar of fish of the salmon family: pink salmon, chum salmon, sockeye salmon, salmon, chinook salmon, trout and coho salmon. Since these fish are very different from each other, the size, color and taste of their eggs will also be different.
Subtleties of choice
The tin can should not have dents and mechanical damage.
Take the jar of caviar in your hands and shake it. Gurgling? Put it in its place and refuse to buy.
The date of manufacture (salting), indicated on the lid of the jar, must be squeezed out from the inside or applied using a laser.
If the salting date is squeezed out on the outside or the inscription is easily erased, refuse to buy - the quality and freshness of the caviar will be very doubtful. Moreover, such a product may well be counterfeit.
Fish of the salmon family spawn from July to September, therefore, high-quality caviar will be packed no later than October.
In addition to the caviar itself, it includes: salt, vegetable oil, additives E400 (glycerin that prevents drying), preservatives E200 and E211.
Avoid cans of caviar containing urotropin E239, which is a strong carcinogen.
The label on the jar must contain information about the GOST or TU according to which the caviar was made, its expiration date and details of the manufacturer.
After opening the jar, the eggs should not stick to the lid, and inside the container there should not be a liquid shapeless mass, but.
High-quality caviar is of a uniform color, without blood clots of films. Too pale color - evidence of overripe caviar, too dark indicates that it was taken from stale fish.
Good luck with your choice and bon appetit!
A stale product is packed in the usual green jars.
My friends from Kamchatka told me that red caviar is a seasonal product.
The height of the salmon fishing season is from mid-July to mid-September, they taught me. - At this time, caviar is the freshest. But, like any product, it has its own shelf life: a maximum of March. After that, it is better not to eat caviar.
Friends living in the middle lane did not even think about this topic, they have to be enlightened. But many wave their hands: they say, a month more, a month less, we won’t get poisoned, and the caviar on the festive table is sacred.
As for the poisoning, they are right: fortunately, completely rotten caviar is a rarity on our shelves. But the old, frozen, treated with many preservatives - no. Therefore, if you are going to spend money on an expensive product, follow a few rules.
Buy and eat caviar only from August to March. Everything that is sold in the remaining months could lie in the freezer for five years. At sub-zero temperatures, caviar does not deteriorate, but shrinks and releases juice (a red liquid, probably seen at the bottom of the jar). The more it is, the longer the product has been frozen. Sometimes up to half a can. But you pay for the full.
The best solution: buy caviar in August-September and freeze in your refrigerator. At this time, the chance to run into old caviar is minimal, and it will lie in the freezer without losing its taste until March. Caviar should be thawed slowly in the refrigerator compartment.
Forget green jars! This is a calculation of cunning manufacturers for nostalgia and habit. As one supplier whispered to me in secret, the factories mainly go to caviar, which has just begun to deteriorate and you can’t sell it by weight anymore. There, preservatives, flavor enhancers and other filth are abundantly added to it, rolled up in green jars and taken to stores.
The only preservative, and indeed an additive that should be in caviar, is salt. How much is a matter of taste. Just keep in mind: more salt is added to keep the product longer, or to unripe caviar - its shell is thin, and without enough salt it will turn into porridge.
Catch a fish, big and small
Fish on the shelves of our stores is all year round. However, commercial species are also caught seasonally. And if in March you see chilled pink salmon on the window, you should know that it is thawed, it would not have lived so long in the refrigerator since September. However, even frozen fish should not be stored for more than six months, and canned fish not eternal. On the banks, be sure to look at the date of production. If it coincides with the fishing season - good, if not, then the canned food is made from an ice cream product.
Red caviar has long been associated with holidays. No one festive table can not do without snacks with this delicacy, especially New Year's. In addition, it has substances valuable for the human body, so it is better to replace sandwiches with a combination of caviar with cucumber or egg white. From the article you will learn how to choose red caviar good quality what to look for when buying.
Types and properties of red caviar
Varieties of red caviar
Red salmon caviar is known all over the world as a delicacy. It has a unique salty taste and is always served cold. Caviar can be divided into several types:
- in chinook, it is the largest (7 mm in diameter) and bright red;
- chum salmon - orange and large (5 - 6 mm);
- in pink salmon - bright orange and medium size (5 mm);
- in sockeye salmon - small dark red (4 mm);
- in coho salmon - burgundy and even smaller;
- Trout caviar has grains up to 3 mm in diameter, yellow or orange.
You can find out the type of caviar by reading the label. Modern manufacturers often mix several types, designating such a mixture on the package as “salmon caviar”.
Nutritional value of caviar
Red caviar has a very high nutritional value. All the nutrients it contains are easily absorbed by the body. At the same time, to compare its calorie content and the calorie content of meat and milk, which are present in the diet more often, an example can be given:
- 100 grams of red caviar contains 270 calories;
- 100 grams of low-fat meat - ½ of the number of calories in caviar - 120;
- 100 grams of milk - only 70 calories, which is almost 4 times less.
Vitamins in red caviar
The vitamin composition of red caviar is rich in components important for the human body:
- iron - for metabolism, saturation of cells with oxygen, for the production of thyroid hormones, maintaining the immune system, general tone;
- iodine - for the normal functioning of the thyroid gland, metabolism, converting food into energy;
- phosphorus - for bones and teeth, for the central nervous system, the conversion of proteins, fats, carbohydrates into energy, cell division;
- vitamins A, B, D, E;
- polyunsaturated fatty acids OMEGA - 3 - they have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, increase immunity, improve the condition of mucous membranes, help with eczema, asthma and other diseases;
- lecithin - important as a cholesterol neutralizer;
- protein - enriched with amino acids.
Red caviar contains all the necessary components that prevent aging.
Rules for buying quality red caviar
Rules for choosing red caviar
When buying red salmon caviar, you can easily purchase a fake or low-quality product. A few tips will help you avoid these troubles.
- Do not buy caviar in cans, prefer glass packaging. There is more liquid in tins and caviar may be stale. In addition, there is no way to evaluate the quality by external signs.
- Purchase caviar from the refrigerator at a storage temperature of no higher than -5 degrees.
- Loose caviar can be tasted and smelled. If we consider the eggs, then quality product they will be clean with a small dot. The smell should remind you of the smell of appetizing fish and must be present. Taste - not very salty, sometimes bitter.
- The container in which loose caviar is stored will indicate the freshness of the contents. A whitish coating along the edge is a sign of sour caviar.
- When buying, do not forget that caviar has a bitter taste. Especially if it's pink salmon caviar. But coho salmon caviar can be called bitter.
- On a glass jar, the date of production and packaging should be indicated with a difference of no more than six months. In this case, the harvesting date is no later than October.
- Turn over the glass jar. If the eggs immediately crawl down, or even fall together, do not take it.
- Check the glass jar against the light. It cannot contain unnecessary components and damaged grains.
Selection of high-quality caviar by weight
This rule applies to tin cans. Usually, the weight of caviar is 130 - 140 g. If you weigh it on a scale, you should get at least 180. However, most often you will not find 15 or even 25 g - up to 20% of the weight of the contents. This is one of the ways to reduce the cost of a product, which means to increase competitiveness.
A glass jar weighs about 90 g. Shake it and visually evaluate how tightly the caviar is in it.
Choice of red caviar producer
Jars with caviar should contain comprehensive information about its manufacturer and address of sale. In addition to Russia, the delicacy is made in Israel, the United States and Canada. Choose jars that say "Made in Russia (Israel. Canada, USA)".
Composition of red caviar
In addition to salt, caviar contains:
- oils - corn and sunflower;
- preservatives;
- glycerol.
Perhaps they will be written on the packaging quite imperceptibly, but this is not a reason not to buy the product. Look for an indication of compliance with GOST or other regulatory documents. But TU may well say that the product is made from frozen caviar.
Red salmon caviar is a unique valuable product. It is best if in small quantities, but in high-quality performance, it will be constantly present in the diet. Take the time to choose caviar, because its benefits to the body and your health depend on it.
In Russian stores you can find caviar different fish. It differs in color and size.
- Chinook: large eggs (up to 7–9 mm in diameter) of red-orange color with a delicate shell, taste with a point.
- Keta: large eggs (up to 5–7 mm in diameter) of rich amber color with a dense shell, creamy aftertaste.
- Pink salmon: eggs of medium size (3-5 mm) are bright orange in color with a soft shell, the usual taste.
- Coho salmon: small eggs (2–3 mm) of bright red color with an elastic shell, bitter taste.
- Red salmon: small eggs of dark red color with an elastic shell, bitter taste.
- Trout: the smallest eggs (up to 2 mm) are light orange in color with an elastic shell, bitter aftertaste.
Traditionally the best palatability caviar of chum salmon and pink salmon is considered.
Who determines what quality caviar should be?
A document adopted at the federal level. This is GOST "Grained caviar salmon fish" approved in 2004. According to him, red caviar is of two varieties.
The eggs of the first grade should be of the same color and size, moderately elastic, without foreign impurities, from fish of the same species, the name of which is indicated on the bank. The second grade allows a mixture of caviar different types fish. In this case, the bank does not write from which ones.
Also, manufacturers can work not according to GOST, but according to TU (technical specifications). It happens that caviar cooked according to specifications turns out to be better and tastier. But it is important to remember that here the manufacturer is free to make the recipe himself.
GOST establishes rather strict requirements for salt content: from 4 to 6% of the caviar weight for the first grade and from 4 to 7% for the second grade.
Even tougher is the Roskachestvo standard, the sign of conformity to which manufacturers receive voluntarily. Salt in such a product should be no more than 3.5–5% of the total mass of caviar, regardless of its variety. The addition of antibiotics is strictly prohibited.
Is it possible to identify good caviar by a can?
Can. Read, shake, check:
- The bank must necessarily indicate the manufacturer, GOST or TU, type of fish (if the caviar is of the first grade), composition, expiration date (without the use of additional preservatives - from 8 months to a year). It is good if the manufacturer is close to the place where the fish are caught.
- The ideal composition is as concise as possible: caviar, salt. The content of vegetable oil and the minimum content of preservatives are allowed. It is better if it is only sorbic acid. If there are no preservatives in the product, then the caviar is pasteurized, which is much healthier.
- The marking on the lid of the can should be convex, not concave (the latter is a sign of a fake). Look for three rows of characters: the date of manufacture of caviar, the assortment mark "IKRA" and the plant number with the shift number and the index of the fishing industry "P".
- The tin should not be dented or swollen.
- If you buy caviar in glass, you have a good opportunity to examine the eggs. Ideal - clean, identical in color and size, with a minimum amount of juice or without it.
- The amount of juice in a tin can be determined by shaking it. It's bad if you feel the splashes and movement of the caviar inside.
- For caviar packed in a plastic container, the same rules apply. The package should contain all the necessary information.
- Caviar in the store should be stored in the refrigerator.
And what about buying caviar by weight?
If you do not buy from dubious sellers in the market, but in specialized fish departments in supermarkets, why not? But remember that sometimes substandard caviar is sold this way.
Bulk caviar deteriorates faster. It is not protected from external influences, including harmful bacteria.
Salmon spawning and fishing usually take place in July-August. That's why cru by weight is recommended to be purchased until November inclusive.
Quality caviar should be crumbly. A simple test: it's good when the eggs fall one at a time from a spoon, it's bad when they fall in a big lump.
How to recognize a fake?
Artificial caviar is made from eggs, milk, gelatin, using dyes. The taste and usefulness of this product cannot be compared with the original. But outwardly, they can look very similar.
You can recognize a fake like this:
- Try crushing the caviar with your finger. The real one is easily crushed, the artificial one is difficult, it is very dense.
- A fake has a sharp fishy smell, reminiscent of.
- If you throw caviar into water, it will turn orange.
- There are no embryonic eyes in the eggs.
- Fake sticks to teeth.
- Low price. Even if the seller says that this "offer of unheard of generosity" is only in honor of the holiday, it's better not to risk it.
And how to determine spoiled caviar?
As a rule, it becomes very dark and acquires an unpleasant pungent odor.
If you can hardly bite through the eggs, they burst in your mouth with a characteristic click, which means that the caviar is overripe. Often it is mined already at the spawning ground by poachers.
Spoiled (not only expired, but also cooked in violation of sanitary standards and technologies) caviar can lead to. Pathogenic bacteria develop in it, including E. coli and staphylococcus aureus.
