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COOKING GUIDE
For tender cuts,
dry-heat methods such as grilling, pan-broiling,
broiling, roasting and stir-frying are best. Moist heat,
undercover cooking methods — braising, pot roasting,
stewing — are better choices for less tender cuts.
Once you've selected a cooking method, follow these
helpful tips for tender, juicy, flavorful beef dishes.
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Do
not overcrowd beef when cooking. Overcrowding
prevents the browning of beef, which caramelizes
the proteins to create intense flavors and
aromas found in many of your favorite beef
dishes (commonly known as the Maillard
Reaction).
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High
heat can overcook or char the outside of beef
cuts while the interior remains underdone. For
tender beef, cooked to the desired doneness, use
medium-high heat for stir-frying, medium heat
with all other dry-heat cooking methods and low
heat for moist-heat cooking methods.
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Turn
steaks and roasts with tongs, not with a fork. A
fork pierces the beef, allowing flavorful juices
to be lost.
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Turn
ground beef patties with a spatula. Do not press
patties. Pressing causes the loss of flavorful
juices and results in a dry burger.
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Cooking
times for gas and electric ranges are
comparable. However, since individual ranges
perform differently, it's important for you to
become familiar with your own range and adjust
cooking times as necessary.
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Charring
meat, poultry or fish is not recommended. Grill
over medium to medium-low coals. Never grill
while the coals are still flaming; wait until
the flames subside and the coals are covered
with gray ash.
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Grilling
times and timetables on this site are based on
charcoal grilling. Because gas grill brands vary
greatly, it's best to consult your owner's
manual for grilling guidelines and use an
instant read thermometer to determine doneness.
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It's important to be able to recognize the various
stages of doneness in beef by appearance.
• Medium rare beef is very pink in the center,
slightly brown
toward the exterior.
• Medium beef is light pink in center, brown
toward the
exterior.
• Well done beef is uniformly brown throughout.
A thermometer is essential for determining the doneness
of beef oven roasts and meat loaves. It can also be
useful when cooking burgers and steaks.
STEAKS
The National
Cattlemen’s Beef Association Culinary Center
recommends cooking steaks just to medium rare
(145°F) or medium (160°F) doneness; do not
overcook.
The most accurate way to determine doneness of
steaks is with an instant-read thermometer. This
is especially recommended for steaks more than
1-1/2 inches thick. Insert the thermometer
horizontally from the side, so that the
temperature sensitive part of the thermometer
penetrates the thickest part or the center of
the steak, not touching bone or fat.
To determine doneness visually, make a small
slit near the bone, or near the center for
boneless steaks, and check the color.
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GROUND BEEF
Ground beef should be cooked to medium (160°F)
doneness, until not pink in center and juices show no
pink color. The most accurate way to determine doneness
of ground beef patties and meatloaf is with an
instant-read thermometer.
The temperature-sensitive part of the thermometer should
penetrate the center or thickest part of the meatloaf or
patty. To test patties, insert thermometer horizontally
from the side into the center.
Due to the natural nitrate content of certain
ingredients often used in meatloaf, such as onions,
celery and bell peppers, meatloaf may remain pink even
when a 160°F internal temperature has been reached.
Always check the internal temperature of meatloaf using
a meat thermometer or instant-read thermometer to be
certain it reaches 160°F.
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| Pot Roast and Beef for Stew
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Due to the nature of moist-heat
cookery, pot roasts and beef for stew will always be well done.
Simmer pot roasts and beef for stew until the beef is
fork-tender. To test, insert a double-pronged utility fork into
the thickest part of the beef. When the fork can be inserted
without resistance and releases easily when pulled out, the beef
is done.
Can you overcook a pot roast? Absolutely! Pot roast cooked
beyond the fork-tender stage may begin to fall apart and seem
more tender. Actually, it is losing moisture, becoming dry,
tough and stringy. Do not overcook! |
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| > Quick and Easy Recipes |
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| > Quick Facts |
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Lean beef cuts trimmed of exterior fat can provide as few as 4
grams of fat in 3 ounces.
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