Successfully Cooking BEEF
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Some of the
tastiest beef is Beef from Montana
Beef can be cut into steaks, pot roasts or short ribs, or it can be ground. Other beef varieties include the tongue, which is usually sliced for sandwiches in Western cooking; tripe from the stomach; the heart, the liver, the kidneys. Beef bones are essential for making certain varieties of soup stock.
The better cuts are usually obtained from the steer; the heifer tends to be kept for breeding. Older animals are used for beef when they are past their reproductive prime. The meat from older cows and bulls is usually tougher, so it is frequently used for ground beef in the major production corporations (i.e. supermarkets) of beef.
Beef is meat from full-grown cattle about 2 years old. A live steer weighs about
1,000 pounds and yields about 450 pounds of edible meat.
Why not try Fork-Tender USDA Prime Steaks from Lobster Gram...featured in "Every Day with Rachael Ray"!
Veal is meat from a calf which weighs about 150 pounds. Those that are mainly milk-fed usually are less than 3 months old. The difference between veal and calf is based on the color of their meat, which is determined almost entirely by diet. Veal is pale pink and contains more cholesterol than beef.
Cooked beef can be eaten at any time during the cooking process, from raw to well done. The cooked names and temperatures are as follows:
Very rare 115 to 125°F (46 to 52°C) : Blood-red meat, soft, very juicy
Rare 125 to 130°F (52 to 54°C) : Red center, gray surface, soft, juicy
Medium rare 130 to 140°F (54 to 60°C) : Pink throughout, gray-brown surface, often remains juicy
Medium 140 to 150°F (60 to 66°C) : Pink center, becomes gray-brown towards surface
Medium well 150 to 160°F (66 to 71°C) : Thin line of pink, firm texture.
Well done >160°F (>71°C) : Gray-brown throughout, tough texture.