The pinkish juice leaking from red meat, both cooked and raw, is actually a different substance. (iStock)
While many of us love munching on a medium-rare, juicy steak, others balk at the idea of it.
Admittedly, seeing blood-like liquid oozing out of the meat when you cut into it isn’t always the most appetizing of sights.
It also looks pretty grim when you buy it, as it’s usually swimming in a ghoulish pool of red fluid.
THE BEST WAY TO COOK A STEAK? GO AGAINST THIS INSTINCT
But we have news for you — the liquid present in the meat packaging, and the stuff that trickles onto your plate once it’s cooked, is not actually blood.
If you think about it, steak doesn’t taste like actual blood — if it did it probably wouldn’t be such a popular dish.
The red liquid is actually myoglobin, a protein that’s only found in muscle tissue.
Myoglobin carries oxygen through the muscle and contains a red pigment, which is why muscle tissue is red.
As a steak is cooked, the myoglobin darkens, which is why the more “well-done” the meat is, the more grey it looks.
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS
Interestingly, commercial meat packers sometimes treat raw steaks with carbon monoxide to “lock” in the myoglobin and keep it looking a nice, fresh red color.
Do rare steaks look a little more appetizing to you now?
Earlier this week, it was revealed that KFC has added a brand new flavor to its U.K. menu, and there’s also a KFC loyalty card that can get you free chicken.
Fun stories about food, relationships, the great outdoors and more.