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, sautéing, 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!

Who doesn’t love low carb cheesecake? The Low carb cheesecake is now one of the recommended products for low carb dieting which will greatly contribute a big part for the quick and successful results with the diet.

There is no doubt that due to the increased number of people who love low carb cheesecakes for their low carb diet, many food companies are now offering so many flavors and varieties of low carb cheesecake. However, the low carb cheesecake is not only found from those companies, for the fact that even yourself can make a perfect low carb cheesecake. How? It is not a problem though. So if you want to know on how to make a perfect one? Find out here.

Yes! You can make a perfect one through these considerations. The first important thing to consider is to bring all the necessary ingredients to room temperature before mixing. This process typically takes for about thirty minutes. After that, you try to soften the cream cheese in the microwave and this will take for 15 seconds. It is also important for this step for a perfect low carb cheesecake that you add 15 seconds for every additional bar of cheese.

The filling for the low carb cheesecake must be blended only until it is combined. Over mixing will give a bad result. In removing the low carb cheesecake, you should butter the sides or use a metal spatula around the edges immediately after removing the low carb cheese cake from the oven. Then put a spring form pan on a thin pan, just like the pizza pan, or you can coat the bottom and up one inch around the sides with aluminum foil. This method is given to avoid leaks in the oven.

After that, you should place a thin pan of water in rack below the low carb cheesecake to keep the oven moist, then don’t open the door while baking. It is also interesting to know that a perfectly baked low carb cheesecake will be puffed around the edges. Then cool slowly on a wire rack that is away from any drafts. It is also recommended that the low carb cheesecake be stored in the refrigerator being loosely covered for up to four days. It is also interesting to learn that the low carb cheesecakes taste best when brought to room temperature. And surprisingly, this food can be kept for up to two months in the freezer.

So are you ready to prepare now? If so, then great!

For many people, making healthy recipes seems too difficult and time consuming,but with some advance planning and some basic knowledge of nutrition, it is easy to create a week’s worth of healthy meals that you and your family will love. The key to creating delicious and healthy meals for the family is planning …and lot’s of it!

Planning ahead of time an entire week of healthy recipe meals is the best way to create dishes you can be proud of, while keeping cost and time commitment to a minimum. So below are amazing tips you can use to make healthy meals all the time.

Healthy Recipe Tip #1:

Using convenient appliances such as slow cookers and microwaves can be a huge time saver when planning and preparing meals. There are many delicious and healthy recipes that can be started in the morning and left to cook all day in a crock pot or slow cooker. These are great choices for working families.

In addition, making the meals ahead of time on the weekend and heating them in the microwave is a great way to stretch both your food and your time. There are many microwavable healthy meals you can make at home, and single serving microwave safe containers allow every member of the family to eat on their own schedule.

When planning the meals for the week, it is a good idea to create a chart listing each day’s menu and each days’ schedule. Here’s a smart tip…plan the quickest and easiest to prepare meals for the busiest days of the week.

Healthy Recipe Tip #2:

Get your family involved in creating the week’s meal plan by asking for their input and noting everyone’s favorite foods. It is still very important to eat healthy meals, so that (of course) does not mean eating pizza every night or having ice cream for dinner. But involving your spouse and children in healthy recipe planning, you’ll help to increase their interest in healthy eating right away.

It is also a good idea to get your entire family involved in the preparation of the meals. Even children too young to cook can help out by setting out the dishes, chopping vegetables, clearing the table and washing the dishes.

Healthy Recipe Tip #3:

Cooking large quantities of healthy food recipes – and freezing the leftovers – is a easy way to save time. Cooking large amounts of stews, soups, pasta, chili and casseroles can be a huge time saver. Making double and even triple batches of these staple foods, and freezing the leftovers for later use, is a great way to save both time and money.

When freezing leftovers, however, it is important to label the containers carefully, using freezer tape and a permanent marker. Try to keep the oldest foods near the top to avoid having to throw away expired items.

Stocking up on meats when they are on sale is another great way to use that valuable freezer space. Stocking up on such easily frozen foods as chicken, turkey, ground beef, steaks, roasts and chops is a great way to make your food dollar stretch as far as possible while still allowing you and your family to enjoy delicious healthy meals every day.

Healthy Recipe Tip #4:

Keeping a well stocked pantry is as important as keeping a well stocked freezer. Stocking the pantry with a good supply of staple items like canned vegetables, canned fruits, soup stocks and the like will make healthy recipe preparation much faster and easier.

Stocking the pantry can save you money as well as time. Grocery stores are always running sales, and these sales are a great time to stock up. Buying several cases of canned vegetables when they are on sale, for instance can save lots of money and provide the basic ingredients for many nutritious, easy to prepare meals.

Examples of great staples to stock up on include whole grain cereals, pastas, tomato sauce, baked beans, canned salmon, tuna and whole grain breads. It is easy to combine these staples into many great meals on a moment’s notice.
healthy recipe

I hope you found these healthy recipe tips easy as pie!