Planning Balanced Dishes - Important Things You May Not Know

Any weight loss program easily falters when the whole family isn't involved. This is especially true when the family member who cooks the food is used to preparing delicious concoctions without regard to serving sizes or the number of calories his or her buttered steak laid on the table has. When the aroma begins the waft into all the rooms of the house, it's going to take one really strong iron-willed individual to resist the urge to dive in.



Natural and alternative health expert, world traveler, and healthy cooking enthusiast!

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8 Incredibly Important Secrets That Will Help You to Successfully Cook Great Meat Dishes Outdoors

Successful outdoor cooking arises for a number of reasons, the most important of which are: having the right outdoor cooking equipment for the job in hand; having a great recipe; using good quality ingredients; taking great care when you're preparing and cooking the meal and then there is the magic ingredient which is loving what you're doing. In this article we look at the 8 most important things that need to be considered when 'preparing & cooking meats outdoors'.

The following 8 secrets are in no order of priority or respective importance; they are all important in their own way to a greater or lesser extent;

Meat Casseroles

1. Ask your butcher for some meat for cooking outdoors; he or she will know best; say what you're planning and be guided by them

Popular TV & Magazine advertising would have us believe that bright red, fat free, fresh meats, rather than brown, fat streaked, meats, are those we should select. No, Fresh in, freshly cut, red meat is not yet ready for cooking. Steaks need time to age. They do this using naturally occurring enzymes that beak down protein in the meat that helps to build flavor & to tenderise. When you get your meat home put it in the fridge for 24-48 hours. Always try to select meat with some fat on the outside, or with veins of fat going through the meat. This is where all the juicy flavours come from.

2. Dry the steak and then salt it before cooking

The drier you can get the steak the less water vapour will be created at the start of cooking. This helps the process that builds a crust on the steak and gives it great flavour; this process is enhanced still further if you salt your steak after drying.

3. Cook your steaks on a really hot grill

Pre-Heat the grill to a high temperature-so that it's almost smoking; then drop the temperature to medium before placing the meat. To test the temperature, hold your hand over the grill, if you can keep it there for 3-4 seconds, this is medium. If your grill is too hot your steaks may char; burnt outside & rare inside.

Don't cook partially frozen steaks

Thaw your meat thoroughly. Do this in the refrigerator; this retains texture & flavor. Steaks & chops usually thaw in one day, large roasts can take 36 hours. Take steaks out of the refrigerator one hour before cooking; this will keep them juicy. Ensure your steaks are at room temperature before grilling. This avoids the shock of hitting the hot grill affecting flavor and texture. If you need to thaw meat quickly use cold water. Meat may be thawed in a microwave oven, DON'T! It will lose it's juices making it dry & chewy.

5. Meat Cooking Temperatures

There is no right or wrong temperature for cooking meat as we all love our, meat particularly our steaks, cooked differently. Remember that meat with bone in takes longer than meat without. As a general guideline the following temperatures apply for different grades of meat:

Steak & Lamb

Rare 120-130°F. 6-7 minutes. Center of steak still cold when served;

Medium Rare 130-135°F. 8-9 minutes Cooked on outside, deep pink inside;

Medium 140-150°F, 10-12 minutes. Served uniformly pink throughout the center.

Medium to Well done 155-165°F. Almost totally cooked through with slight pink in the center.

Well done 170°F. 13-15 minutes Completely cooked through Has to be cooked slowly

Pork

Medium 140°F to 155°F Meat is slightly pink in centre

Well-Done 160°F to 185°F Meat is uniformly brown

Veal

Medium 145°F to 155°F

All poultry:

Cook to 165°F with juices running clear in the thickest part of the bird

6. Testing the temperature of your meat

Meat can be checked for how well its cooked by pressing with your finger. Rare meat feels soft; medium meat is springy & slightly firm; well-done meat feels very firm. The most accurate method is to use an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of your meat, away from the bone.

7. Don't keep turning the steaks

To achieve even cooking and see those lovely grill strips across each steak, turn the steaks only once. Always use tongs, never a fork as puncturing the meat allows juices to escape.

8. Take your time and brown your meats first when cooking stews

The Maillard reaction is an important action when cooking stews that you want to taste great. When cooking stew always start by browning the meat in a skillet. What you are doing is allowing the Maillard reaction to occur. This reaction happens only when meat is cooked at a heat of over 115°C, which is when the meats natural amino acids start to react creating a melange of complex flavors. It is because of the Maillard reaction that crusted brown steak tastes so good.

So why is this important in stews? Well for the simple reason that if you cook your meats in a stew without first browning the meat then you're reliant on the heat of the water to do all the cooking, which means the highest temperature the meat will reach will be 100°C; [the boiling temperature of water] meaning the Maillard reaction will not occur! Meaning your meat won't be as tasty as might otherwise be.

So what should you do? Its simple: first cut your meat into cubes, season it; then heat a little oil in a heavy frying pan; then gently brown the meat on all sides over a medium heat. Do this in small batches. Never cook with an over filled pan and don't turn up the heat to go more quickly; take it steady.

8 Incredibly Important Secrets That Will Help You to Successfully Cook Great Meat Dishes Outdoors

Stephen Kember is the Proprietor of The Outdoor Cooking Equipment Store. Here you'll find exceptional value outdoor cooking equipment; you'll also find some great recipes & articles helping you to cook outdoors.

Whether you're looking for grills, stoves, stockpots, steamers, cookers, propane burners, deep fryers, Jambalaya kits, turkey fryers, fish cookers or grill accessories we have the very best quality to offer from Bayou Classic; take a look at: http://www.outdoorcookingequipmentstore.com

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Proper Meat Storage is Important as it Represents a Large Part of Your Food Budget

Whether you are buying for a family or just one person, proper meat storage is important. One rule of thumb is never wash meat before storing. The added moisture will allow bacteria to grow, increasing the risk of spoilage. Every year there are more cases of food poisoning reported. Many of these could be avoided if certain guidelines are followed.

If you are planning on using the meat within two days, it may be kept in the refrigerator. Put it in the part that is the coldest (which is usually the top rear). If you are going to freeze it re-wrap in freezer safe wrap and make sure your freezer is not overloaded. Frozen meat storage is best if some air can circulate around the packages. A good air and moisture proof wrap is a must. Deep freezers are best for storing meats for longer periods of time.

Meat Casseroles

Canned meat can be kept on the shelf for basically the use by date. They have a fairly long shelf life. Never freeze canned meats. If your freezer stays between -10 degrees to 0 the life of the meat will be longer. That is why most refrigerator freezers are not a really good choice for meat storage. They are opened too often for the freezer to maintain the temperature required for optimum storage.

Usually it is not a good idea to refreeze meats. Frozen meat storage is meant for fresh meats, frozen for the first time because they retain their flavor and natural juices. Natural flavors and juices can be lost if you were to refreeze the meat. While some meats are ok if frozen for several months, some are not. Pork should only be kept for a maximum of 60 days. If you are not planning on using it within this specified time, you should not keep it. Beef can be frozen for up to a year if wrapped properly and your freezer maintains the temperature mentioned previously.

When wrapping for meats for storage make sure the meat is sealed properly so no air remains in the package. Large amounts of meat should be separated and frozen so they will thaw easier and risk of packages tearing and exposing the meat is lessened. Freezer burn can occur should packages are not sealed properly. Placing freezer paper between steaks, burgers, or pork chops helps you to be able to separate them while they are still frozen.

Frozen meat storage in bulk can be easier on your budget if you separate the big packages for more than one meal. Most stores have a lower price per pound on larger packages. That way that huge package of ground beef can be put in three or four packages which aids in freezing faster and thawing time is less. These days meat is expensive and if you can get a bargain, all the better.

The only problem with buying this way is making sure the food is stored, frozen, and organized. We know you're probably wondering what organized has to do with it, well have you ever found that select cut of meat in the back of the freezer but it's too late as there is so much freezer burn it's ridiculous.

The best way is to use the First In / First Out basically newly purchased items to the rear of the freezer and older items upfront. You should keep the temperature at 0 degrees Fahrenheit at all times. Use moisture-proof, freezer weight wrap. Freezer bags and freezer paper are good, we normally stay away from foil as it sticks to the meat.

Just use common sense and reviewing manufacturers recommendations before storing meats either refrigerated or frozen and you will rest assured your meat will be fresh and ready to prepare your favorite family recipe.

Proper Meat Storage is Important as it Represents a Large Part of Your Food Budget

Carl Copeland is motivated to bringing information and resources to others regarding Food Storage, Food Safety, and Food Preparation and its benefits for everyday life. Save money by having your food last longer.

More Info at http://www.Food-Storage-Info.com/

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