Beef for eating, that is the question we should ask ourselves. Why is that when we buy beef, whether from a butcher, or from a food processor, does the flesh inside have that look, taste, texture and smell of well-made beef? It should be a uniformity of cut and grade, and we should see a definite pattern of wear and tear. The color should be good, not faded, and the fat should be firm and not yellowed (like it was when someone took a cheap cutaway steak and didn’t deep fry it).
Does the money buy quality meat? No, it doesn’t. Both the butcher and the meat department employees state that the money buys quality meat. What brings it down is the process of getting it to you.Dear Money-grubber, though you appear to be a devotee of value, life, and cheap jerky, please listen up. The beef does not have to be $5/pound anymore. It’s now in the $3-5/pound range, and is being sold in the stores for about $1. Now, for just a little bit of meat, and despite the crashing weather, you can justify the price. Consuming 3-5 pounds of beef requires a little more than 1500 calories, depending on the cuts, and it is served in portions large enough to share, rather than the stuffed-down sandwiches that used to be the standard, neither of which are a problem as they are served as an appetizer. The point is, you aren’t going to eat $5/pound right off the pile anymore, and you might as well spend $1-2/pound, and have a little more meat.
Mind you, if you are going to go through all the hassle of getting a $5/pound piece of meat, maybe you’ll get lucky and stumble across a rare, natural occurrence, and it will taste even better than a full roast. If you find yourself in this situation, take it out of your mind, give yourself a treat, and re-think of this as an opportunity to dip a little deeper into the meat budget. This will lead you to more meat, and significantly less expensive meat.
#5 Think outside, shop still, even when you’re too tired to drive
A lot of times people eat their corned beef before going to bed. This simply isn’t a good habit to start out on, since your entire body continues to work overtime to digest the carbohydrates and proteins found in the rest of your meals that night. Most local supermarkets will have a conveyor that heats the food as it’s shifted throughout the day. Otherwise, you’ll need to dig through your backpack or purse to find aKey alas, when you get lucky enough to find yourself some prime cuts of beef.
#6 Buy it fresh, keep it fresh
In the meats world, “frozen” is bad. And for all of us who are blessed enough to have winters, that’s OK. We just want to make sure that when we do get to the store, we buy as much as we can eat as quickly as possible.
That’s why meat online is so popular. You can buy meat online and it very nearly always tastes just as good as the day it was cooked.
#7 Learn the art of willcooking
It’s important to get the hang of cooking for a couple reasons. For one, because of thealtic heat, we need to take more control of our budgets and also learn to enjoy the experience of eating. But at the same time, you also want to get good at what you do, so that you can impress your friends and family with your cooking.
By learning the skills, you will also get more confidence in the kitchen and at using the tools. The next article we’ll talk more about learning and how to cook.
