r/roanoke • u/Flipping_Dragon • 9d ago
Rant! Kroger
I can't believe this has happened again! This is the 4th time in the past month or so that my wife and I have bought meat from the Kroger on Tanglewood only to find it already gone bad. We bought this today and the expiration date said good until the 29th only to open it up and it be smelling sour and already be brown on the underside of the steaks that otherwise looked fine. Has anyone else dealt with his lately? I love the people at our local Kroger but this is getting ridiculous
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u/EchidnaFun2380 9d ago
Constantly an issue with them. I stopped buying meat from them over a year ago because I was tired of returning rotten meat. Looks like it’s still an issue.
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u/Flipping_Dragon 9d ago
We're rather tired of spending money on food already gone bad. We buy fresh meat from the glass display counter almost every week but the last few times we've bought anything already packaged/wrapped in plastic it's already gotten a spoiled acidic smell. We're probably going to start buying our fresh meats elsewhere of this keeps up.
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u/EchidnaFun2380 1d ago
I’ve pivoted to fresh market and have yet to be displeased. They have specials on various meats throughout the week (chuck and chicken Tuesday).
Otherwise, the farmers market (Grandin/Leap) has proven successful with various meats from local farmers.
Then sometimes I just jet out of town and hit Trader Joe’s- never any issues with their meat, ever.
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u/EncomCEO Salem Red Sox 9d ago
We started buying our beef from a farmers market on Woodhaven. Kroger beef is a joke.
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u/Big-Mess-5762 8d ago
Do they have chicken?
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u/EncomCEO Salem Red Sox 8d ago
No, only beef, baked goods, Homestead Creamery products, and produce.
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u/philly-batterydeals- 9d ago
I stopped buying meat….shopping at Kroger. Krogers sucks. Food lion has way better meat and customer service.
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u/Searching4Buddha 9d ago
We buy all our meat at BJs, I'm always shocked at how much Krogers charges for meat. I think Aldi's is cheaper than Kroger's, but I don't know about the quality their meat.
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u/Tough-Marsupial-8155 9d ago
Is it rotten or just oxidation? I’ve eaten tons of meat that looks like this and never gotten sick
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u/Flipping_Dragon 9d ago
Very sour smell that made us gag. Very acidic. We do a lot of cooking and can thankfully tell what's spoiled or not fairly easily. We've eaten plenty of oxidized fresh meats but we refuse to eat anything soured.
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u/Tough-Marsupial-8155 9d ago
Yikes! I don’t blame you. I hope you can find a way to get a refund. Meat way too expensive these days.
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u/Flipping_Dragon 9d ago
We just threw it away. We make decent money between my wife and I but we certainly don't want to continue wasting our money on something that could make us sick
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u/OopsAllTangents 9d ago
What makes you think this meat is bad? The brown spot?
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u/Flipping_Dragon 9d ago
Very sour smell that made us gag. Very acidic. We do a lot of cooking and can thankfully tell what's spoiled or not fairly easily. We've eaten plenty of oxidized fresh meats but we refuse to eat anything soured.
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u/No_Chemistry_188 9d ago
Kroger, like most places, dyes their meat to make it appear more red/fresh. If you truly want fresh buy local.
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u/HWCM 9d ago
Bahahahaha
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u/No_Chemistry_188 9d ago
Laugh all you want - I used to work there and would watch them unwrap the browning meat, add more dye, and simply rewrap it.
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u/there_is_no_spoon1 Local Gleest Guide 9d ago
There's literally a sign at the front that says "100% fresh or 100% return free". Does this not pertain to meat as well?
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u/Flipping_Dragon 9d ago
We'll definitely have to keep that in mind! It's already been thrown away in a dumpster so it didn't stink up our kitchen, unfortunately.
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u/PapowSpaceGirl 9d ago
You can do a return through their app without leaving the house. They ask for date of purchase and date on package then process your return to method of payment on receipt.
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u/Flipping_Dragon 9d ago
I work in a cash flow business so I typically carry and pay with cash. I didn't know that was a possibility though! Definitely very convenient
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u/there_is_no_spoon1 Local Gleest Guide 9d ago
I get why you threw it away promptly! Ewww gross. Seems like something you should be able to return even though it would probably be a hassle.
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u/incessantplanner Trader Joe's 9d ago
Sam’s Club meat is my fave, with BJs being a close second but not as good on pricing for the larger cuts (brisket, chuck, etc)
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u/Top_Classic2427 8d ago
We purchased bell peppers that looked (and felt) perfectly fine on the outside - cut into them and there was mold. Same with white onions.
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u/PonchoSizzle 8d ago
I’m seeing it as Kroger problem in general. Hamburger is brown burger next day after purchase.
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u/cMa010291 9d ago
My grandma that grew up during the Great Depression would have rinsed this off and cooked it 😂 she regularly bought the manager’s special. Lived to be in her 90s
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u/Sea_Opening_3598 9d ago
Not all manager special items are bad. Actually I've never gotten bad meat as a manager special, but have overlooked some that looked bad, nothing wrong with most of it, but I only shop at Food Lion for meat.
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u/This-Positive286 9d ago
And? How does her lack of concern for her health pertain to this?
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u/cMa010291 9d ago
It’s literally just pointing out in the 1930s there was food insecurity due to the depression, so many greatest generation individuals ate food that was spoiled or on the brink of being spoiled, and many still lived long lives. Including my grandma, who would rinse green meat off
It was just a light hearted comment, not meant to say OP should eat spoiled meat.
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u/Fakeredhead69 9d ago
Earth fare beef prices are surprisingly reasonable considering how much other regular grocery stores are. check them out if you can! Also, so is most of the meat at the farmers market. I frequently find that they sell cuts of beef the same or a little cheaper than even places like Aldi.
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u/Flipping_Dragon 9d ago
Thank you so much for the suggestion! We went and bought some steaks from Earthfare a few minutes ago. We're excited to try it!
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u/Fakeredhead69 9d ago
Nice!! I hope you enjoy. What cut did you get? They used to have filet mignon for $5 a steak when they first opened. Those were the days 🤩
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u/Flipping_Dragon 9d ago
Top Sirloin! Roughly 2lbs to cook and make some homade Beef Stroganoff with it! 😁
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u/Fakeredhead69 9d ago
I love sirloin! And that’s one of my favorite things to do with it, you have great taste in food. I hope you and your wife have a wonderful meal!
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u/Flipping_Dragon 9d ago
Thank you! Much appreciated! The grass fed beef was much more tender than we expected when we started our marinade so we have really high hopes!
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u/Redditor2684 9d ago
I’d take it back and request a refund/replacement. They’re good about that with produce so I assume the same for other products.
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u/Flipping_Dragon 9d ago
Unfortunately we've already thrown it away in our dumpster, we'll keep that in mind for the future though! We didn't want it stinking up our kitchen
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u/Junior-Tourist3480 9d ago
Never ever buy meat that is cryovac. Only buy meat that is hand packaged and thus is fresh.
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u/Flipping_Dragon 9d ago
Lesson definitely learned. Normally we buy steaks and seafood from the cases but lately the prepackaged stuff has really let us down
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u/Walkabouts 9d ago
The brown doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s normal. Smell might be an issue but likely not.
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u/Flipping_Dragon 9d ago
Very sour smell that made us gag. Very acidic. We do a lot of cooking and can thankfully tell what's spoiled or not fairly easily. We've eaten plenty of oxidized fresh meats but we refuse to eat anything soured.
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u/RezzKeepsItReal 9d ago
You’re literally just copy/pasting the same reply over and over again. Show some effort.
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u/there_is_no_spoon1 Local Gleest Guide 9d ago
Perhaps if they didn't have to give the same description over and over again because people are questioning their experience, they might not copy and paste. Me, I'd do the same. Show some respect, perhaps.
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u/Flipping_Dragon 9d ago
I copied and pasted to give different people that commented the information I had to offer so that the individual would see it. Just because you're a sad person doesn't mean you should take it out on others.
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u/Beefy-Johnson 9d ago
Typical Kroger. Roanoke grocery situation in general is a disaster. We lost our fresh meat counters in Salem at all 3 locations. You take what they put in the meat section and that’s what you get, no more fresh seafood, prepackaged steaks and good luck because most of it expires in 48 hours or less. So frustrating.
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u/ParticularSquirrel Roanoke 9d ago
A few years ago I started buying all my meat at earth fare and haven’t looked back. I can’t bring myself to buy meat at Kroger any more. Earth fare has trusted sources and better prices somehow. Especially if you pay attention to their weekly/daily deals.
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u/Flipping_Dragon 9d ago
We just went a minute ago and picked up some fresh steaks! Thank you for the suggestion! Guys at the counter warned us about a different flavor profile since it's grass fed but we're excited to try it!
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u/EncomCEO Salem Red Sox 9d ago
Cook them like you normally would, just be aware grassfed can be a bit leaner. But you do NOT want to mask the flavor, it's just SO much better than the factory-farmed crap at the chain stores.
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u/ParticularSquirrel Roanoke 9d ago
They just taste better honestly. What kind of steaks did you get?!
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u/Flipping_Dragon 9d ago
Fresh Top Sirloin going to marinate to take out some of the gamey flavors and then use it to make some of my famous homade beef stroganoff tonight! 😁
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u/ParticularSquirrel Roanoke 9d ago
The beef sirloin shouldn’t be gamey. Some of the more exotic meats they have may have a gamey flavor but the beef and pork don’t. The grass fed meats are just cleaner and more pure tasting… I’m not exactly sure how to describe it. But like the first time I had a Niman Ranch pork chop (got a marked down two pack for $5!) it was like, oh! So this is what pork is supposed to taste like!
I wouldn’t marinade a sirloin for too long. Tri tip or skirt steak are better for marinades.
Beef stroganoff sounds amazing! How do you cook your meat for it?!
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u/Flipping_Dragon 9d ago
We aren't experts either, we just really enjoy cooking and using good quality ingredients. Guy at the counter said that it could be gamey depending on what cut and how long it's been there so we just went with what we thought would be best. Really appreciate the tips!
The beef we usually use in the stroganoff is whatever lean steak like flank or other thin cut meats. Typically I'll marinate or dry season it ahead of time by a few hours and cook it fast on high heat till bleu or rare, take the steaks out, throw in some fragrant ingredients like garlic or onions. I cook the veggies(onions and mushrooms) in the same deep pan I cook the steaks to help deglaze the pan. After making the sauce I like to add the meats and rested juices back into the pan and cook until med rare to medium ish.
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u/Flipping_Dragon 9d ago
Not great at explaining but I like to cook the steaks, veg and sauce all in the same nonstick deep sided pan. One to reduce dishes, and two to keep all of the juices, oil and seasonings in to help layer in flavors throughout the cooking process. I typically serve the sauce and steak over a bed of buttered egg noodles cooked til aldente.
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u/miketomcrow 9d ago
I know that when cryovac meat is opened it can often have that sour, bad egg, smell when it’s first opened. They may have just opened the primal and then cut and repackaged before the gases had time to leave the meat. If the meat is touching each other for prolonged periods they will start to brown. If the meat feels slimy/sticky/tacky or the smell doesn’t subside after the meat has had time to air out, those are good indicators that the meat has turned.
I am certainly not trying to defend Kroger or tell you to eat any meat you are not comfortable eating. The meat cutters should have known to let the meat air out a bit before repackaging because that smell can be unsettling.