 | Family Meal Planning Cooking With Kids Party Ideas Wine Pairings All About Beef |
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 Where does my beef come from? I'm confused about beef grades. Can you give me a simple explanation? Beef is graded for quality by USDA graders, according to standards established by the USDA. The primary standards are the age of the animal and the amount marbling (flecks of fat in the lean). These factors affect the palatability of beef, including tenderness, juiciness and flavor. Three grades of beef are usually sold at retail: Prime, Choice and Select. Prime is the highest grade; it's expensive and available in limited supply. Choice, the second highest grade, is widely available to consumers. Select has the least amount of marbling of these three grades, and will need marinades and careful preparation so it can be wonderfully tender, juicy and flavorful. What should I look for when selecting my beef? •Choose beef with bright cherry-red color, without any grayish or brown splotches. (The exception is vacuum-packaged beef, which has a darker purplish-red color. After the package is opened and it's exposed to oxygen, this beef will turn bright red, too.) •Beef should be firm to the touch, not soft. •Check that packages are cold, tightly wrapped, without tears, punctures or excessive juice. Purchase before or on the "sell by" date. I'm never sure how much beef I need to buy to feed my family. Can you help? A standard serving size is 3 ounces of cooked, trimmed beef; for holidays and special occasions, plan on larger servings, up to 6 ounces each. A simplified set of rules to guide your beef purchases is: One pound of ground beef or lean boneless cuts will yield 4 three-ounce servings of cooked, trimmed beef. For other boneless cuts, expect 3 to 3-1/2 three-ounce servings per pound. Bone-in roasts and steaks will yield 2-1/2 three-ounce servings per pound. Very bony rib and shank cuts will provide 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 three-ounce servings per pound. Source: Cattlemen's Beef Board and National Cattlemen's Beef Association. Send this article to a friend. |
