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Shoe Leather and a Side Salad: Ensure beef buying and cooking satisfaction by asking ‘how’
Heather Travis, Beef Information Centre
It’s 5:30 p.m. The parking lot at the grocery store is packed. The kids are already home and most definitely hungry. Her husband just sent a text message, “I have to work late, be home by 7:00 p.m.”
“Hmm, what to make? It will have to be something quick,” she says to herself on the way into the store. Grabbing a bagged salad and some veggies she heads to the meat counter. “These steaks look good – lean, nice and red, price is right – done! We’ll just throw these steaks on the barbecue and have a side salad – easy enough,” she thinks to herself.
At home the salad gets made and the grill outside heats up. Ten minutes later the family gathers in the kitchen to collect. Mmmmm, delicious shoe leather and a side salad.
What went wrong?
Unfortunately this story is all too common. In a study conducted by the Beef Information Centre, it was shown there is still significant opportunity to enhance eating satisfaction through the use of correct cooking methods for beef. While consumers correctly prepare grilling steak over 95 per cent of the time, the simmering and marinating steaks were correctly prepared by only 10 per cent of study consumers. Buying beef based on colour, leanness and price is simply not enough. The first (some might say the most essential) step in buying the right cut of beef is to buy based on cooking method.
Canada’s retail beef nomenclature system was introduced a decade ago to help consumers with this first critical step in beef buying, resulting in greater eating satisfaction. To compliment this system, many grocery stores in Canada divide their beef counter by cooking method. From there consumers can choose from a variety of cuts within each cooking method – looking at leanness, colour and price for final selection. The trick to beef buying is not asking ‘what’, but asking ‘how’ – as in: how is this beef going to be prepared?
The label on the majority of packages of Canadian beef indicates cooking method within the cut name, answering the question of ‘how’. As an example, a Top Sirloin Grilling Steak would be perfect on the grill and a Sirloin Tip Marinating Steak would be best marinated prior to grilling. There are seven categories consumers can choose from for beef preparation: Pot Roasts, Oven Roasts, Grilling Steaks, Marinating Steaks, Simmering Steaks, Stewing Beef and Quick Serve Beef. Within each category are a variety of healthful and nutritious lean cuts of beef, perfect for any meal and all budgets and occasions.
To help you get the most for your grocery dollars by buying the right cut of beef, watch this video in Beef 101 on Choosing the Right Cut.
On your next visit to the meat counter, don’t ask what, ask how – your family will say “mmmm…beef” and you will say “now that was easy!” No more shoe leather and a side salad.