In the final segment of our three-part series “Five Things You Need to Know About,” we’re talking meat — veal, beef, lamb or pork. Every red-blooded American loves his meat. Americans consumed almost 120 pounds of meat per capita last year, and of that, about 60 pounds were beef. “Today” food editor Phil Lempert was invited on the show to tell us about buying and cooking beef.
Buying
When buying fresh meat, always look at the package carefully. Make sure there is no leakage, that the package is cool to the touch and that the meat is firm to the touch. It should also not feel slimy in the package when you remove it to cook.Beef that has more "marbling" (fat throughout the meat) is juicier and more flavorful, but it also has plenty of calories and fat. And it’s more expensive. Here are the three grades of beef:
- Prime is the highest grade with the most marbling.
- Choice is the middle grade.
- Select has the lowest amount of fat.
Tip: Buy the select grade and marinate the meat. The acid in the marinade actually breaks down the proteins and makes the meat more tender.
Grass-fed beefFor the best-tasting beef, think grass fed and organic. Grass-fed and organic beef is now available in most stores, and this meat comes from cattle that roam freely in open pastures and eat natural (and healthier) natural grasses and no grains. The meat is also free from growth hormones and antibiotics. Grass-fed beef has a different nutritional profile than conventional beef:
- Half as much fat
- Twice as much omega-3 fatty acids
- Higher level of vitamin E
Marketing trickThere are a lot of questions about carbon monoxide being added to ground beef to make "old" beef look fresh. The truth is that the use of "modified atmosphere" packaging for meats started back in the 1960s. What actually happens is that oxygen is removed from the package — it’s the oxygen that creates discoloring. Then a small amount of carbon monoxide is pumped into the package — actually 0.4 percent is the maximum amount allowed by law.
Retailers across the country are refusing to sell meats processed this way since consumers have discovered it. However, it is a proven technology that is safe. You should always buy the freshest (or frozen) ground beef that you can.
If you want to be 100 percent sure that the ground beef you are buying does not contain any carbon monoxide, buy ground beef in a "chub" package. These packages, which resemble a small salami or sausage package, are light-safe and vacuum-packaged, so that light and oxygen does not discolor the meat.
Food safety
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has gone on record to say that they believe there are at maximum a total of four to seven cases of mad cow here in the U.S. In fact, the Japanese government just recently relaxed their ban on U.S. beef imports, because USDA seems to have put in place procedures that are strong enough to prevent beef with mad cow entering our food supply.
However, beginning in late August, USDA is actually cutting testing down to just 110 cows a day. For perspective, prior to that they were testing about 1,000 cows a day. There are 35 million cattle in the country that are slaughtered annually.
Phil Lempert is food editor of the “Today” show. He welcomes questions and comments, which can be sent to phil.lempert@nbc.com or by using the mail box below. For more about the latest trends on the supermarket shelves, visit Phil’s Web site at .