Useful Cooking and Preparation Tips

Products & Advice : Beef

Selecting the meat

The most tender cuts of beef are from the less used muscles along the back of the animal - the rib and the loin. These cuts of meat are more suitable to dry heat cooking such as roasting, grilling and barbecuing. The more active muscles such as the shoulder, flank, and leg will produce beef that is a little less tender. Cuts from the front of the animal - the chuck and the round are heavily exercised and less tender, and best suited to moist heat cooking such as casseroles, curries and stews. Since the most tender cuts make up only a small proportion of a beef or lamb carcass, they are in greatest demand and usually command a higher price than other cuts.

Useful tips

· Leave a thin layer of fat on your steak, roast and chops during cooking to seal in the juices. The fat is full of flavour. Trim excess fat after cooking.

· Only turn beef with tongs, piercing it with a fork allows the flavourful juices to escape.

· Salt beef or pork after cooking or browning. Salt draws out moisture and inhibits browning.

· Place roast beef on a rack to allow the fat to drip off during cooking. Use the pan juices for your gravy.

· Under done beef is always more tender than well done - don't overcook!

· Let beef rest once cooked to ensure tenderness.

The perfect steak

Place the steak over the hottest part of the barbecue and leave there for at least three minutes without moving. When the first side is good and browned, with those picture-perfect grill lines seared into the surface, flip them and sear the other side. It's possible that, by the time the steak looks grilled on the outside, the inside may not yet be done to your liking. If that's the case, simply move the steak to a cooler part of the grill to finish cooking. Lightly press your thumb into the centre of the steak to check how well done it is. The softer the meat, the rarer the steak. Always let your steak rest for a few minutes before serving.

Rare (Red with cold, soft center) - 125 to 130 degrees

Medium-Rare (Red with warm, somewhat firm center) - 135 to 140 degrees
Medium (Pink and firm throughout) - 140 to 150 degrees
Medium-well (Pink line in center, quite firm) - 150 to 155 degrees
Well-done (Gray-brown throughout and completely firm) 160 to 165 degrees

Products & Advice : Pork

Useful tips when cooking Pork

Pork is best served slightly pink in the centre, i.e., cooked to medium.
For chops, stir-fry and steaks, briefly sear the pork on a high heat to seal the meat surface. Then to cook gently until turning from red to pink in the centre.
For tender, succulent Pork do not overcook.

The cut affects the cooking method

Here are some of the more popular pork cuts and suggested methods of cooking:

Pork chops come in a variety of cuts - center loin, rib chops, sirloin chops, boneless or bone-in. They can be prepared by pan frying, grilling, baking, braising, or sautéing. Thin chops are best sautéed. Boneless chops cook more quickly than bone-in chops.
Ribs are available as spareribs, back ribs, and country-style ribs. Spareribs come from the belly portion, while back ribs and country-style ribs come from the loin. All three styles can be braised or roasted in the oven or on the barbecue grill. Slow cooking yields the most tender and flavorful results.
Tenderloins are considered the most tender and tasty cut of pork. Extremely lean, tenderloins can be roasted whole, cut into cubes for kebabs or into strips for stir-fry, and sliced for scaloppini or medallions.

Getting the crackling crispy

Score the fat of the Pork about 5mm apart. Dry the skin of the pork and rub in about a tablespoon of salt liberally. Brush lightly with a little olive oil. Whilst roasting the pork ensure that the crackling doesn't come into contact with the meat juices or fat.

Products & Advice : Poultry

Poultry is an excellent source of protein and lower in fat than Beef. It is a highly versatile meat and as it is low in fat and high in protein, it is a popular choice in the diet of many. The storage time for poultry is short so some products are frozen. The perishable nature of poultry means that care needs to be taken in the handling and preparation.

Useful tips

Never leave raw or frozen chicken at room temperature - keep it in the coldest part of the refrigerator.
Clean the chicken with cold water and pat down with a paper towel. Clean surfaces and utensils after raw chicken has been in contact to avoid cross-contamination.
A whole cooked chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, cut up chicken for 2 days.
To check that Chicken is cooked, slit the meat to see if the juices run clear. If there is any pinkness to the juice, the chicken is undercooked. Always cook chicken thoroughly.