Tips for selecting the right beef cuts for your meal and budget

When we stand at the butchers counter, most of us may wonder what is the difference between a top sirloin and a porterhouse. If you ever come across a good beef cookbook, you will be able to appreciate a good diagram of beef cuts. Beef is the widely consumed animal protein through out the world when compared to any other meat. Hence it is important for a good steward to select a good piece of beef for his wonderful recipe. Grading of beef cuts The beef is usually graded into three categories based on its quality by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Grades are specified after taking into consideration the color, appearance, meat’s consistency and last but not least the amount of marbling in the beef. The Graded beef is classified as follows: Prime meat Choice meat Select meat Prime Meat The meat, which is having more marbling, is termed as Prime meat. This is usually found in fine restaurants. Select Meat The select meat consists of less marbling, which means low fat and less calories. But it won’t be as tender as that of prime and also contains less juice and flavor. Choice Meat Choice meat consists of more marbling than Select meat but less marbling than Prime meat. But it is somewhat tender than Select and also juicy and flavor than select. Beef Cuts The names of the beef cuts vary between countries. Sometimes it varies within the regions of the country also. The rear section of the carcass is termed as Rounds in US, but in Canada it is called hip. Here is a break down of some common cuts of beef: Rib eye This is the top cut preferred by most of the beef connisieurs. This is characterized by abundant marbling. When you cook this beef cut, the rib eye gets melted into the meat and produces a juicy tasting recipe. The Rib eye steak is called an Entrecote in French. Top Sirloin Lesser grade cut but this is the largest beef cut when compared to other beef cuts. In layman’s terms, a family of four can complete their dinner with one top sirloin. Always prefer to buy prime grade rather than choice and select grades. Porterhouse As the name suggests, it is not concerned with any kind of house. This beef cut has ample marbling. It is a top loin with good flavor. It has the largest eye and tenderloin. This is being usually used in restaurants with challenge for their customers. They will give entire meal free for those who took all of their 26-ounce steak. Chateaubriand This has been cut from the butt end but should weigh around 24 ounces. A six inches long chateaubriand will weigh around 24 oz. A chateaubriand with Bearnaise sauce served in a dining table is a wonderful delicacy. Filet Mignon A well worth costly choice beef cut, if you cook it with pot-roasting. This is most soft with less water beef cut. This don’t have intense flavor as that of rib eye and porterhouse. New York Strip This is one of the cost-effective beef cut parts. This cheap cut is a t-bone with the tenderloin and also a good quality cut. T-bone This is also one of the cheapest beef cuts. This consists of a full loin eye and medium sized tenderloin. A couple for few delicate bites always prefers this. This smaller tenderloin is not always suitable for heavy meals. For heavy dinner, the customers usually prefer New York Strip. Ground Beef Ground beef should not be less than 70% lean. The package will usually indicate whether it is from ground sirloin, or ground round. Suitable cooking methods Loins and ribs are the most tender cuts of beef. The loins and ribs should be cooked with high heating methods to improve its taste and tenderness. Broiling, grilling, roasting, sautйing, and frying are the common methods employed for cooking the loins and ribs. Pot-roasting, stewing, and steaming are the most preferred methods of cooking the cuts from the round, plate, brisket and flank. Selecting beef cuts based on cooking methods Apart from selecting a good beef cut from butcher shop or grocery store, the beef cuts can also be selected based on the method of cooking you preferred to perform. If you want to cook the beef on a grill, it is always advised to go for tenderized meat rather than tougher cut from the rounds. A beef with minimum of 2 inches thick may require oven roasts. A very tender cut such as loin and rib primal cuts can be oven roasted for better results. If you want to do Pot roast, it is always to select the beef cuts from round and chuck. Pot roast is the method of boiling the beef in a pot containing liquid in the stove. Standing rump, eye roast are the best pot roast products. Tips to select better beef cuts Before shopping for a good beef cut for a particular recipe, you should learn about the various cuts available in the market. The following tips may help you in selecting good beef cuts: 1. Try to locate the origin of the cuts from the body of the carcass. 2. This will help you to identify the names of the cuts. 3. Look for the tenderness and leanness of the beef cuts before procuring it. 4. Inspect the "Sell-by" date in the packaged beef. You should buy your beef cut either before or on the "sell by" date. 5. When selecting the beef cuts from cold storage cases of the grocery stores, the packages chosen for your use should have no excess liquid at all. If it is not too cold, then it has been stored above 40 degrees and taste may be questionable. Inspect thoroughly the coolness of the pack and ensure that it has not been damaged. 6. Firmness of roasts and steaks should be checked. Avoid the purchasing of soft roasts and squishy steaks. 7. Always select the beef cuts that are bright red in color with thin creamy white fat evenly distributed throughout the surface. But if you are selecting veal, the color should be either white or light pink. 8. Beef injected with flavorings should be avoided because flavoring makes your beef break down and may be easily overcooked. 9. Always try to avoid buying tenderized beef because during the procedure, the butcher pierces the beef to push the juices and flavor out of it and produces tough and bad flavored beef. 10. Be friendly with the butcher to get ideas about the perfect beef cuts and sometimes he will offer you fantastic recipes too!

Italian wine making

Every year it is very common for Italian wine to be at the top of the pile when it comes to good ranking, not the least of which ranks it as the biggest producer, exporter and consumer of wine in the world. If you consider that Italy is only a few hundred miles smaller than the state of California then this fact here is far more interesting. Even though Italy produces close to 8,000,000,000, bottles of wine every year, the vinters have kept to the same high quality standard of making wine that has a legacy of over 4,000 years. As a result of this Italy has some of the most unique and quality wines on the globe, as well as having the most grape varieties that are locally produced than any country in the world. One of the bigger deliberations with Italy's unique wine style is the wide scope of assorted cultures that exist all the way through its 20 wine regions. Each of these cultures has a vigorous sense of pride that translates openly into wine production. At the height of it understanding Italian wine making is hard enough, but to those who’s knowledge is rather limited, it is practically impossible. Like any journey of consequence it's best to take it step by step. While Italian wine is both vastly complex and inconsistent, there are some concrete starting points. First, let's take a look at the general qualities of Italian wine: Italian wines have a tendency to be very acidic, this is mainly because wines that contain high levels of acidity are well suited with food. It is hardly then that the prominent food cultures in the Italian society have opted for wine that compliments their astounding commitment to cuisine! This means white wines are inclined to be brusque and red wines are more likely to be firm. Submissive, earthy aromas - One of the paramount qualities of Italian wines is the touch of the land that one can smell and taste in every bottle. The nose might have hints of mushrooms, soil, minerals and grass. These merits are usually referred to as an earthiness that stops the wine from competing with food. Medium Body - Though there are quite a few wines that are heavier (such as Barolo), the majority of wines are medium bodied in nature. Again, more appropriate to the wide selection of food dishes that achieve better when not weighed down by heaviness. Distinctly Italian Grapes – While most of the grapes found in the world are grown in Italy, it also has many grape varieties that are only grown in the wine regions of the particular regions. Nebbiolo, is a good example, this is the grape that used to formulate Barolo and is only ever found in Piedmont and Lombardy regions. Because of the climate in Italy is so perfect for cultivating grapes, much of the grape varieties have been evolving over the last several thousand years. It is because of this that trying to transplant vines to other regions proves immensely difficult. Major Red Grapes There are over 20 key varieties of red grapes growing in Italy, but we are going to start with what are debatably the most significant 3: Sangiovese (san joe VAE sae) - Planted in many vineyards throughout the Italian country side, particularly in Tuscany and Umbria, this is the main grape in the making of Chianti and the ever popular Super-Tuscan wines. Medium in body, the wine will then posses high levels of tannins and strong acidity with flavours of herbs and cherries. Nebbiolo(nehb be OH loh) - explicit to the Piedmont district, this varity of grape produces 2 of infamous Italian most wines: Barolo and Barbaresco. For anyone who is considering starting up there own wine cellar these 2 wines are the must haves. The grape is intense with elevated levels of acidity and high tannin levels, calling forth flavours of strawberries, mushrooms and truffles. Barbera (bar BAE rah) - This grape runs side by side with Sangiovese as the most popular grape variety in italy. This particular grape is a good bit lighter than its partner, the tannin levels are a good bit lower while it still maintains it high acidity levels. The fruity flavours are inclined to be more distinct than in other grapes, it is for this reason that this wine is excellent when enjoyed in the summer. Important Italian Whites Pinot Grigio(pee noh GREE joe) - The Italian version of Pinot Gris, this grape in particylar has been haled all around the globe. Although the pinot grigio grape is not as flavourable as it French cousin, it boasts a high acidity with mineral flavours and peaches. Trebbiano (trehb bee AH noh) – This grape is very familiar in Italy, it has also suffered from casual growing habits. This white grape variety is known for its production of lower class white wines, it is known for its proclivity for producing bland and highly crisp wines as well. Tocai Friulano (toh KYE free oo LAH no) – For those pinot grigio lovers out there, you will like this grape variety. With the attributes of freshness and bitterness associated with Italian grapes, it can also bring rich and full textures that are more intricate than is usual for whites of this class. It grows for the most part in the Friuli province. Verdicchio and Vernaccia - These grapes have some of the same body, crispness and acidity as Trebbino, but with a bit more life. Richer flavours and aromas including hints of lemon and sea air are common. They are usually un-oaked. A person could easily spend an entire lifetime studying this grapes and wine of the Italian country side, especially when these wines are associated with certain foods in there respective areas.

Strawberry jamming

We’re jamming……strawberry jamming. Musings on small farm living. So why am I standing at the kitchen counter, blurry eyed at 9 o’clock at night, sorting and chopping organic strawberries, when I should be tucked up on the sofa falling asleep over the latest Katie Fforde? ( I also have several highbrow novels and some very interesting and challenging metaphysical reading lined up, but Katie Fforde wins out after a normal day with three children, four dogs, three cats all needing various forms of attention). Well, leaving the city for the country life and a bit of land, you decide to grow something, 'cos otherwise you’re just a city slicker pretending to be a country person - like “all the others are tourists but I’m a cultured visitor “ mentality. Anyway, so twelve strawberry plants, four years on have now become a commercial (sort of) organic growing business and, two months of the year, my evenings are spent making jam. The best strawberries get sold straight, no probs, but there are half as much again that are rejected due to no fault of their own, a peck mark, slight deformity or whatnot, and what am I going to do with them. The trouble is living on a farm somehow brings out all the traditional frugal qualities of our ancestors – waste not want not – everything must be preserved, frozen, used profitably or else why did you put so much effort into growing them in the first place. So you can’t lob 3 kilos of seconds into the bin, put it out for the rubbish collectors and forget about it. For a start there are no rubbish collectors, it’ll sit there reproachfully until composted, attracting fruit flies, or else the chickens will get drunk on fermenting fruit……… so yummy delicious strawberry jam is the result. So chopping strawberries, brain disengaged, do I think how lucky to be surrounded by so much luscious, decadent, fragrant fruit, or that I could never get excited about them again? Are the chickens going to start laying strawberry flavoured eggs soon from all the rejected rejects, and if so should I start making strawberry soufflй? Looking at the chakra pages on aflowergallery where a red flower is the first chakra, is the strawberry the first fruit chakra? And if so what are all the others….orange – oranges, easy….yellow – lemons or bananas….green – apples ….we’re doing good…..now it gets harder….blue…hmmm..clichй blueberries (definitely not Smurf blue but still blue)….indigo..are damsons indigo? Or mulberries (my fingers and the children’s clothes usually turn more of a burgundy colour after harvesting them)…what about violet…I’m getting stuck now and rambling madly off the subject, what was it? Strawberries and chakras, which leads to health – what did Margaret Roberts say strawberries were good for…skin…well my two year old daughter used to help pick strawberries last year, until two weeks into the season she came out in a massive skin rash due to excessive overindulgence causing an allergic sensitivity, so I won’t be rubbing strawberries into her skin. Rich in antioxidants, killing viruses, lowering blood pressure, helping fight cancer – sounds like a miracle fruit to me. I think I need to be more respectful of them, after all, who can complain of evenings spent in such worthwhile company. Copyright Kit Heathcock