Bone Up on Beef (page 2 of 2)

Cooking It Right

Once you select the cut of beef, it's time to get cooking. While almost any meat can be prepared with any cooking method, cooks will find the results more satisfying when the appropriate method is used. The "right" method is determined by the tenderness of the beef cut.

Tender cuts are better prepared by dry heat methods such as roasting, broiling, outdoor grilling, pan-broiling, pan-frying and stir-frying. These methods are suggested for tender cuts of meat from the rib, loin, round and flank regions of the animal. Examples are rib roasts, rib eye steaks, T-bone steaks, tenderloin and top loin steaks, sirloin steaks and top round steaks.

On the other hand, less tender cuts are better prepared by moist heat methods such as braising and cooking in liquid. Slowly cooking the meat with steam or hot liquid softens the connective tissues for a more tender product. These methods are recommended for less tender cuts of meat from the chuck, round, brisket, plate and flank regions. Examples are arm steaks, blade pot roasts, short ribs, stew meat and brisket.

Some cuts from the same part of the animal, such as the round and flank, can be prepared different ways. For example, round and flank steak can be braised (a moist cooking method) or pan-fried (a dry heat cooking method) with good results.

Start with the right cut, use the right cooking method, and your family is sure to enjoy the results!

From Taste of Home

 

• Family Dinner
• • Cooking Tips
• • Beef Recipes

• Enjoy Beef Tonight
• Good cooks share family favorite recipes for beef roast, beef stir-fry, and grilled steak.
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• Choose the Best Beef
• Here's a handy chart of beef cuts and their common retail names.
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• Succulent Steaks
• Planning to grill steak? This is the go-to guide for grilling the tastiest steaks.
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• Best Burgers
• Your guide to grilling the best-tasting burgers.
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• Summer Grilling Recipes
• Delicious, summer recipes for burgers, kabobs, seafood, sides and desserts.
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“ Use your knuckle to rub your eyes. It's less likely to be contaminated with viruses than your fingertip. ”

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One October my wife and I spent a vacation on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. We were eager to visit the rain forests near the coast, but we heard that snowslides had made some of the roads impassable. Although apprehensive about the conditions we might run into, we drove on. Sure enough, we had gone only a short way up the Hoh Rain Forest road when we saw a sign: "Ice 10 miles." Five miles farther on there was another: "Ice 5 miles." The next one was: "Ice 1/2 mile." We practically crept that half mile. Then we came to the last Read More

-- Gifford S. Walker