Yahoo Lifestyle 
Best meat cuts to buy and those to avoid from Aldi, Coles and Woolies
You can get a great deal on meat from the supermarket — but some are better bought from the butcher.
It’s no secret that in the current cost of living crisis, shopping for basic needs has never been so expensive and shoppers are looking for ways to make their money go further. Meat is a great example of this as people weigh up whether shopping at their local butcher or supermarket is the best way to go.
You can certainly find some great quality items from supermarkets such as Aldi and Coles for a fraction of the market price. However, because it can be hard to know exactly what to look for, we chatted to some experts about the cuts of meat you should buy and avoid at the supermarket.
Best quality meats at Aldi, Coles & Woolies
Chef Amber Merlo, a former contestant on New Zealand cooking show Cooks On Fire, told Yahoo Lifestyle Australia that cuts like chicken and pork were usually good value at the top supermarkets here in Australia like Aldi, Coles and Woolies.
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“They’re usually priced well and of a decent quality,” Merlo explained. “These cuts are also super versatile, and the supermarkets always have great stock levels. You’ll often find that similar quality cuts will be much more expensive at the butcher.”
She added that while supermarket meat may not always match the highest standards of specialty butchers, it generally meets expectations for everyday cooking in terms of practicality as the cuts are often uniform in size and portioned for convenience.
Merlo would also recommend purchasing any mince or ground beef products from the supermarket due to their affordability and quality. Dishes using minced meat (think lasagna or meatballs) also typically make up what the meat lacks in flavour with spices and flavouring.
Pre-marinated meats like chicken skewers or pork cuts are another great option from the supermarket as the quality is always pretty good and at a decent price point, Merlo explained.
Gut health coach Charley O’Halloran also highlighted in a recent Instagram video analysing Coles meat products that there were a lot of good quality cuts available at the supermarket giant — if you know what to get.
Cleavers organic and grass-fed beef mince, sausages and other mince-based products are a great example, although O’Halloran noted that the brand was not available at all Coles.
“They’ve also got venison and kangaroo, both of these are wild meats so they’re going to be fed a wild diet, (meaning) they will be really good quality,” he said, while also recommending the grass-fed lamb legs at Coles
If you’re game, he also suggested trying the Coles lamb’s fry (AKA a mix of liver, kidney and hearts). While not grass-fed or organic like O’Halloran typically suggests, he said they were a good, affordable option to the pricier butcher cuts that might not be accessible to everyone.
Meanwhile, food scientist and founder of Renovatio Bioscience Vincent Candrawinata said when hunting for the best quality meat from the supermarket, look out for meats that are fresh and have a bright colour.
Meat to avoid at the supermarket
When it comes to what not to buy from the supermarket, Merlo recommended avoiding things like premium cuts of red meat — your sirloin, T-bone, eye fillet and tomahawk steak cuts, for example. She prefers buying these kinds of cuts from a butcher as the quality is “far superior”.
“Steaks in the supermarket are cut very thin, which makes them easy to overcook,” Merlo added. “They can be lacking in flavour, and often be a little fatty.”
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She also said to be wary of the ingredients in supermarket sausages, or better yet, to always get your snags from the butcher. They’ll be full of flavour and you’ll know exactly what’s inside!
But despite Merlo’s aforementioned tick of approval for supermarket chicken and pork, O’Halloran said that he avoided buying these types of meat from Coles.
“I do think quality matters with these,” he said. “Even the free-range chickens are going to have been fed a pretty poor quality diet. When it comes to chicken, I want it to be that organic, free-range (quality) which you can’t really get at most Coles.”
It’s understandable, however, that it can really come down to a matter of convenience — and cost — when choosing where to purchase groceries. Candrawinata says that if you’re buying from the supermarket, make sure to check expiry dates and anything that could indicate unsanitary conditions.
“If the store appears unclean or unsanitary, it’s best to avoid purchasing meat from there as it may increase the risk of contamination,” he added. “Trust your instinct.”
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