Beef: characteristics, advice on choosing and cooking, features of use

Nowadays, beef is rightfully considered one of the most popular types of meat. It is a product obtained from cattle in our country, usually cows. It is this meat that has the best taste characteristics, essential nutritional value and rich aroma, but at the same time, the product is low-calorie and extremely useful for the human body.

If you dig deeper into history, the very first beef that people cooked was wild bull meat, and this event happened about 8 thousand years ago. Approximately in those years in the territory of modern Turkey, local tribes for the first time evaluated the nutritional properties of the product and began domesticating this animal. It was wild bulls and became the progenitors of all sorts of breeds, which are now widely represented in all countries of the world. Beef was very popular in ancient Greece, as well as in Rome. There, dishes made from this meat have always been considered real delicacies, so only the most noble and rich people could afford them.

Ancient people baked beef on the fire, and Scythian tribes - in the ashes and on hot stones, by the way, in pagan times beef was often used to offer sacrifice to the gods. One of the oldest recipes for cooking beef came from the territory of the British Isles; this is the famous “Wellington” roulette to this day, and in the 18th century, French chefs invented canned meat. Nowadays, bulls and cows are raised almost everywhere, the only country where the consumption of beef is prohibited is India, where cows are considered sacred animals.

Many wonder where the term “beef” comes from. For example, chicken meat is called chicken meat, pig meat is called pork, and mutton is obtained from sheep, however, an animal called “beef” does not exist in nature. This name was coined in Russia: in the XVIII-XIX centuries. in Russia, cow, cow, calf and bull meat were so called. The definition comes from the Old Slavic word "govedo", which was used to refer to cattle of all types.

The food uses a variety of parts of the beef carcass.

• Hip - this fragment of the carcass is often called the rump or the rump. Such meat has no fibers, it is quite juicy and tender. As a rule, it is used for cooking roasts and chops.
• Oxtail - This is a by-product that is cut into pieces about 5-7 cm in length before cooking. The product is cooking stew.
• Cutting - This meat is obtained from the back of the carcass, its flesh is juicy and rather soft. In cooking, this product is used for boiling, frying, baking and stewing.
• Shank - a product with a large number of tendons, is optimal for roasting on the grill, cooking roast. Pork sticks are often used for brays, eintopf and nourishing stews.

• Sternum - this part includes the pulp, as well as a small amount of fat and thin films. If such meat is cut off from the bones, then you can cook meatloaf, but more often you cook soups from it or stew them with vegetables.
• Paddle - This is meat with a minimum amount of veins and fat. This is one of the most popular types of beef, as they make chops, stew goulash, fry meatballs, cook various soups, and bake it.
• Pashina - This is a piece of beef meat obtained from the sternum. There is a huge amount of thin tissue layers, as well as fat. They buy pashina for making soups, as well as scroll for making fillings for cakes and pancakes.
• Knuckle - This is a piece of ink obtained from the front legs. The meat is suitable for aspic and meatloaf.

• Back - this term hides the thick edge of the beef, it includes brisket, as well as entrecote and ribs. This meat is usually taken to create roast beef and meatballs. In addition, it is baked in the oven or on the coals and cooked rich broth.
• Sirloin - this is a rather thin edge of the carcass, it includes a small part of the waist and a tenderloin. Such meat is quite lean, but exceptionally tender, it is optimal for cooking a variety of meat dishes - kebabs, rolls, goulash, chops, medallions and many others.
• Neck - it is quite dense and solid meat, but, despite this, it has excellent taste. The product is subject to prolonged boiling in a large volume of water, so it is most often used for goulash.

Beef is a very nourishing and healthy meat that contains many amino acids and proteins, which are the main building material for all cells and tissues of the human body. Nutrients from this product are absorbed very quickly, while for a long time they give a feeling of satiety and do not clog the body with various slags. Beef is the main component of the diet, in addition, the product is shown weakened people, as well as athletes and those who experience increased physical and emotional stress.

• Beef is rich in various minerals, useful macro- and microelements. The product contains a lot of protein, which promotes tissue growth, as well as a large amount of iron, thanks to which cells are actively saturated with oxygen.
• In cattle meat a lot of collagen is accumulated, which is needed to maintain the functionality of the ligaments and joints.
• Beef is rich in B vitamins, they have a beneficial effect on the musculoskeletal system.
• In the composition of the product accumulated large reserves of zinc, which directly affects the immune system. In addition, the meat has a significant concentration of choline, due to which the amount of cholesterol in the blood returns to normal.

• Iron in the composition of the product is actively involved in increasing the level of hemoglobin and the normalization of the hematopoietic system as a whole.
• Beef also has useful ascorbic acid, due to which meat is recommended for all people with vascular problems.
• Among the main components of the composition of beef is sulfur, which is directly involved in the process of metabolism, and due to sodium and chlorine, urinary function is normalized, swelling decreases, and the water-salt balance comes to the required parameters.
• Beef is rich in calcium and phosphorus, and these elements are known to be necessary for the development of bones and muscles.
• Retinol in the product contributes to the improvement of visual acuity, and tocopherol is the main component of digestive enzymes.

Choosing a beef of good quality is quite difficult. If an aspiring housewife can sometimes not distinguish beef from pork or lamb, then a woman with great culinary experience can easily not only distinguish one meat from another, but also choose the best piece of all presented on the market counter.

In general, beef is divided into 3 types:

• first grade - it includes sirloin, rump, back and chest fragments, as well as the rump;
• second grade - it is represented by a flank, a shovel and a shoulder part;
• third grade - it includes shank and notch.

From the skinny carcass turns out a single-grade beef. Depending on the method of cutting, there is a compensated and trimmed carcass.In cooking, tender veal, which is obtained from young animals of any sex, is most appreciated. Veal is considered a real delicacy and is in high demand due to its milky smell and delicate taste.

Speaking frankly, the purchase of products on the market is not a guarantor of meat quality, because there are unscrupulous suppliers among farmers, for example, they often offer meat from old or sick animals at low prices. Therefore, it is best to make acquaintance with a proven and reliable private trader or butcher who can select the best pieces for you.

But if you are still used to focus only on your own opinion, then try to use a few recommendations.

• First of all, pay attention to the color of the beef. Fresh meat should be just red, if it has a gray or green hue, then you have a very old piece or a piece that was lying in the freezer for a long time; you cannot cook anything from it. Some cunning ones “refresh” the meat by soaking it in potassium permanganate solution, this gives it the necessary shade, however, it is easy to expose such an article. It should only look at the shade of bones and fat - potassium permanganate usually paints them in yellow or pink.
• Fat of young beef is white and crumbles when chopped. If the fat layer has a yellow tone, it means that the meat is obtained from an old animal, it will become tough when cooked, it is best to use it for prolonged stewing with water, oil and vegetables.
• The best type of beef is considered marble, its meat is permeated with fatty layers quite evenly, such a product is classified in the highest category and when preparing the dish it turns out very tender and juicy.
• If the meat is too pale, this indicates that the animal has any infection, but the brown-red hue is the main signal that the cow did not drain all the blood immediately after slaughter. Well, be sure to pay attention to the uniformity of color: if the color on different parts of the product is not the same, it means that it was repeatedly thawed and frozen again.

• If you come to the market in the late afternoon, the surface of the product may be slightly weathered, in which case you should conduct your own check of the freshness of the meat. It should be elastic and almost dry to the touch, if it sticks to hands or the surface is covered with mucus, refuse to buy it immediately.
• The best marker of product freshness is its smell. Ideally, it should be milk-meat, if you notice the presence of even a slightly perceptible unpleasant smell, immediately turn around and go for the meat to another seller.
• Keep in mind that the meat of untreated animals sometimes, being raw, smells great, but during heat treatment the smell of urine is well caught, which, of course, does not contribute to an increase in appetite. To avoid such unpleasant surprises, ask the seller to cut off a small piece of the product and burn it with a cigarette lighter. If you feel the smell of grilled kebabs, buy without a doubt, but if the aroma causes unpleasant associations - stop communicating with the seller.

Much more complicated is the situation with the choice of meat in the store: there are no friendly butchers, so you have to understand all the intricacies of the quality of the product yourself.

• First, look at the label and read where the meat came from on the shelves. In most cases, it is imported beef, which makes its way from Poland, Argentina and even Australia. Obviously, the meat was very much frozen, and if the minced meat from it can turn out to be quite good, then the chop and steak will most likely begin to resemble a rubber sole.
• If there is such an opportunity, stop the choice on the products of local farmers, it is definitely fresh imported.Yes, and domestic technology today is not particularly "advanced", because the concentration of dangerous hormones and other chemicals in meat is at a relatively low level.

Beef is commonly used in cooking.

• It is boiled, fried, and also stewed, baked, smoked and grilled. Great meatballs, dumplings, meatballs and meat sausages come out of the scrolling mince.
• Beef is used to make mouth-watering first courses, and meat is also often an ingredient in salads.
• Serve meat with potatoes, stewed vegetables or pasta. They are often seasoned with savory spices - ground pepper, marjoram, savory or basil. And as a sauce it is better to use a tomato, mustard or horseradish.
• Beef is a lean dish, so it is recommended for inclusion in the diet of people who are forced to diet, for example, those who are obese.
• Beef is an indispensable product for nursing women, and you can try it within a week after the start of lactation, however, the daily rate of the product should not exceed 100 g.

• Beef is often recommended as the first meat for a baby. Usually it is allowed from 7-8 months for artificially and from 10 months for those who feed on breast milk.
• The product is necessary for people who suffer from low levels of hemoglobin in the blood, in addition, it is indispensable for patients with gastritis and other disorders of the digestive system.
• Consumption of beef is allowed in case of pathologies of the kidneys and liver, it is eaten with caution during exacerbation of pancreatitis. In this case, the meat should only be boiled or steam.
• For diarrhea, steam meatballs from this meat are recommended, and for psoriasis it is useful to arrange fasting days on this product.

To prepare this original soup, you must chop the onion, garlic and sweet pepper. Put all this in vegetable oil in a skillet or a frying pan with a thick bottom until the vegetables are softened. Beef is cut into small cubes, poured out to the vegetables and kept until the meat is covered with a bright crust. Then you need to add a little paprika, mix well and fry for another couple of minutes.

After that, the entire contents of the pan should be sent to the pan, pour the broth and cook over low heat until the volume of liquid decreases almost twice. In the resulting soup, you must add cumin, ketchup and marjoram (you can use both dry and fresh herbs), season with pepper, salt, pour the missing amount of broth and boil about 2 hours on low heat. About half an hour before the end of cooking, add sliced ​​potatoes.

Beef should be removed from the refrigerator, tied with a rope to hold the piece in shape, smeared with vegetable oil and rub with pepper and salt. After that, the blank is placed in a preheated oven on a baking sheet and sprinkled with chopped vegetables - carrots, garlic, celery and onions. Beef is baked for 1-1.5 hours, depending on the size of the piece and its own taste preferences.

A delicious homemade burger with a beef patty. First you should mix the minced meat with chili powder, nutmeg, chopped tarragon leaves, a spoon of Dijon mustard, breadcrumbs and parmesan. From all this it is necessary to knead the minced meat and make cutlets. The pan with a thick bottom oil and fry the meatballs for 10 minutes on each side, turning over from time to time.

Burger buns are cut in half, grilled a little, smeared with mustard, spread lettuce leaves and ready cutlets on them, add a couple of cucumber slices and a circle of tomato.Such a burger in its taste is not inferior to the famous products from famous burger brands.

Beef is stored in the refrigerator, many simply put it on the shelf, but this is not entirely correct. The product must be wrapped in foil or cling film. In this case, a large piece of chilled meat can be stored no more than 4-5 days, and if the product is cut into portions, then the storage time should not exceed two days. As for ground beef, it should be used in 24 hours.

How to choose the right beef, see the next video.