Have you ever wondered just how good that steak you're eating really is? I recently learned about the eight grades of beef in one of my favorite cookbooks, The Joy of Cooking, after a trip to Costco (which was amazing, by the way) left me with four pounds of Top Sirloin and only one recipe (which called for only 3/4 of a pound) to use it for!
So I turned to my trustworthy catch-all cookbook, and became quicly engrossed in the section that talks about cuts and grades of beef. In your average supermarket (and as an American consumer) you usually encounter the top three grades of beef:
1. Prime--this very elite grade (about 2% of beef in the US is graded prime) is usually reserved for the best steakhouses, and is extremely pricey due to the "dry-aging" process it often undergoes to give it more flavor. It also has abundant marbling throughout.
2.Choice--also high quality, this cut is often "wet-aged" to increase flavor, but doesn't have quite as much marbling and rich flavor the Prime grade has.
3. Select--less marbled, leaner cuts than the higher grades, this type of beef will lack the tenderness, juiciness and flavor of higher grades
Standard and Commercial, the next two grades of beef, are frequently sold as "ungraded" or store brands, while Utility, Cutter, and Canner are seldom sold at retail but are instead used to make ground beef and other processed products.
After reading about these beef categories, I quickly turned to my package of COSTCO sirloin, expecting to see "Select" stamped on it to designate it's fair quality, but was instead quite pleasantly surprised to see "USDA Choice" on the label! I had purchased the best quality of beef (at a grocery store) possible, so I was pretty excited about my (accidental) cooking victory.
5 comments:
Oh Shannon! Where on earth this enthuse for cooking, etc. has come from, I surely dont know. This domesticated side has definatly shone through due to your married life, no doubt! Will we soon be hearing that you have purchased a sewing machine, and have designed clothes of your own fine fashion?
sometimes jen and i age our own beef. it's called "Ice-Aging". We put it in the freezer until we're going to use it. It really enhances the flavor.
Hilarious, Phil!
I always love reading your cooking ideas and tips! By the way, I tagged you, so go read the instructions on my blog...
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