Over two years ago, I backed a crowdfunding campaign for FoodSniffer, an electronic “nose” for detecting raw meats/seafood gone bad. One of my friends had gotten really sick from consuming bad ground turkey, so I knew this would be a device that my friend would absolutely use.  I purchased the product, but by the time the FoodSniffer arrived, my friend had moved away. Mine! All mine! 🙂

With some ingredients, like ground beef, it’s pretty easy to tell if it has gone bad (discoloration and smell). Sometimes, it’s really hard to tell if your steak is past its prime, or if the salmon you had in your refrigerator is still good.

We rely on our eyes, nose and the printed date on the package, but how accurate is that? Just one mistake will land you into hours of pain and illness. Sometimes, it can even be fatal. This is my Food Sniffer review, after 2 years of use.

Food Sniffer Review

FoodSniffer sent their latest model to try out, but there’s not much of a difference between the new and the older version that I had bought years ago.

The FoodSniffer measures levels of volatile organic compounds (like ammonia) in the meat by electronically, while also taking into account temperature and humidity.

I had a cornish game hen in the refrigerator – let’s test it out.

First, cover the meat in question with plastic wrap or in a plastic container with lid. Leave it for a minute or so. This will help trap the gasses for a more accurate reading. However, I don’t have to do this step anymore…the new version of the FoodSniffer comes with a removable nozzle that you can touch the meat with (just remove and wash when done).

Choose between pork, beef, chicken, lamb, fish or other seafood. By the way, I’m installed the app on my iPad mini so that I could take pictures with my phone.

I chose poultry. As I mentioned, there’s no need for covering the meat because the FoodSniffer has a nozzle. But, just out of habit, I did cover the meat with a plate…old habits die hard!

The FoodSniffer analyzes the gasses emitted.

And in about 5 SECONDS it’s done. My cornish game hen is fresh.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any spoiled meat on hand to show you other readings, but here’s a news station that did:

FoodSniffer Recommendation

In my reviews, I usually have PROs and CONs. There are really no CONs to the FoodSniffer. I think the price of $129 is reasonable. The battery is rechargeable via USB. It’s super light and small enough to bring with you to the supermarket. It’s so handy – I never have to trust the “sell by” date on the package. It’s super easy to connect to your smartphone. No complicated buttons (there’s only 1 button on the device and only a few setting on the app), no big learning curve. Turn on, calibrate, point, sniff. I’ve never had any connectivity issues.

Once, I brought the FoodSniffer with me to 99 Ranch Market (an Asian supermarket) and bought some pork belly. I don’t tend to trust the butchers at my Asian markets. I don’t speak Chinese, and sometimes they don’t give me the freshest cuts. The butcher bagged up my pork belly, and before he closed the bag, I used the FoodSniffer to scope it out. BAD PORK! Gave it back to him and scolded him for selling bad meat.

Other than “Fresh” or “Spoiled” alerts, there is also “Okay to eat as long as you cook thoroughly.”

I highly recommend the FoodSniffer (Amazon link)

Thank you for supporting Steamy Kitchen!

FoodSniffer Giveaway

FoodSniffer provided model for testing and one for giveaway.