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Beef Tips - Shopping Tips
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| For holidays or special occasions, it's adviseable to order the type and size of roast you need in advance from your meat retailer. Expect larger appetites at these times, and plan on about 6-oz cooked, trimmed beef per serving. |
| Less tender steaks. These are primarily from the more heavily exercised fore- and hindquarters and are better suited for moist-heat cooking. Some may be cooked by dry heat after being tenderized in a tenderizing marinade.
Less tender steaks include full-cut round, top round, eye round, bottom round, chuck, shoulder, chuck 7-bone, chuck arm, chuck blade, flank, and skirt.
Cubed steaks are mechanically tenderized steaks, usually from the round. |
| Tender steaks. Most tender steaks come from the center (rib and loin sections) of the animal are are usually cooked by dry-heat methods. Tender steaks can be categorized as premium steaks or as more affordable family-priced steaks.
Premium steaks include top loin (strip), T-bone, Porterhouse, rib-eye, rib, and tenderloin.
Family-priced steaks include shoulder center, top sirloin, top blade (flat iron), chuck eye, and round tip. |
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| Boneless roasts are easiest to carve, so they're ideal for entertaining or hosting a buffet-style meal. For smaller gatherings, choose beef tri-tip roast or a small beef tenderloin roast. |
| When purchasing beef, always purchase on or before the "sell by" date printed on the package label. Choose steaks, roasts, and pot roasts that are firm to the touch, not soft. |
| When shopping for beef, choose beef with a bright cherry-red color, without any grayish or brown blotches. A darker, purplish-red color is typical of vacuum-packaged beef. Once exposed to oxygen, beef will turn from a darker red to bright red. |
| When shopping, select beef last to ensure the beef stays cold as long as possible until you get home. |
| Choose packages that are cold, tightly wrapped, and have no tears or punctures. Be sure the packages do not contain excessive liquid, an indication of temperature abuse or excessive storage. For vacuum-packaged beef, be sure the seal has not been broken and the package is not leaking. |
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