"kobe" news and stories

Kid-friendly panda bento box. Photo: luckysundae, Flickr

• How to pack nutrition and flavor into kids' school lunches and home meals.
• Cookie jars might be cute but they don't keep cookies fresh, so slip a zipper-lock bag inside.
• Corn fiends who hate the cob can pick up a "Corn Zipper," which works just like a veggie peeler.
• Wine deets: Messina Hoff's 2006 Gewürztraminer is a top 10 BBQ wine, Texan wines get play at the DrinkLocalWine.com event, and wine courses and tastings will be held at the Texas Sommelier Conference.
  
• If you find it hard to figure out how much a sauce has reduced, a clean metal ruler can come in handy.
• Max's Wine Dive's best-selling Kobe Beef Burger has been named one of the 50 best burgers in Texas.
• Spiffy products: Leigh Oliver's White-Hot Queso, Reese's Dark, Organic Batter Blaster, 100-calorie-portion sandwich crackers, and Tyson's Pork Loin.

Hamburger is one of those amazing foods that can taste great in all its forms -- not just molded into burgers, meatballs, and more, but also in both cheap and pricey incarnations, each offering its own set of benefits. But as much as I adore my cheap neighborhood burger or a big patty thrown on the barbecue, nothing comes close to the wonder of a simple wagyu burger.

While a nice steak might break the bank, wagyu isn't all that bad for a special dinner here or there. For example, you can get 12 8 oz. burgers for $85 through Allen Brothers. Yes, it's pricey for a burger, but it's no different than splurging on a nice cut of meat, or heck, having a mediocre dinner out. It's more worth it to make a wagyu burger and some sides than pay the same amount of money for regular ol' chain restaurant fare. It offers not only stellar flavor and texture, but also the comfort of beloved mainstay meals.

Wagyu is so intensely marbled with fat that it becomes a wonderfully tender and juicy burger that's much better in simplicity than fanciness. The key is to pick a few ingredients that won't overpower the meat, rather than the usual tomato, lettuce, onion, pickle, etc. For me, that perfect concoction is a little soy sauce in the pan while the burger cooks, some caramelized onions beefed up with a little soy as well, some fresh mozzarella cheese, and just a little mayo and mustard. The result has wonderful flavor and moistness, all pointing to the meat rather than being a distraction.

If you've been swayed by the wonders of wagyu, how do you serve yours?

This is the First Annual Japanese Food Culture Week in New York City that is being coordinated by The Japanese External Trade Organization (Jetro), the Japan Society, Nikkei America, and other Japanese / American organizations and restaurants. I've been caught up in a whirlwind and this is the first I have been able to write about it. From Sunday March 4 - Saturday March 10, 2007 there is a week of special events, seminars, food shows, and Japanese restaurants with fantastic specials for the general public to enjoy. The events are being held to educate and expose the public, as well as restaurant owners, chefs, etc. to Japanese cuisine and its effects and interactions in the US. I will describe in detail some of the events I have had the good fortune to attend.

Japanese Food Culture Week Events:

The other day I was talking about the latest Buzz on Beef, and mentioned "American style Kobe beef." Today I ran across Snake River Farms Gourmet Deli Line of products. Three of the four are called American Kobe Beef and I disagree with their labeling that it is "American Kobe" since there is no such thing. If it is called Kobe then it has to be from Japan, this is American Wagyu/Angus crossbreed.

The same goes for their using the term "Kurobuta" which is a Japanese term for pork descended from Berkshire hogs that hundreds of years ago were cross bred with Asian hogs, to produce a local strain of very marbled pork. If it isn't from Japan then you should call it Berkshire Pork which describes the breed. You may think I am nit picking but I believe in truth in advertising and that the consumer should know exactly what they are getting, and paying a fortune for.

That said, I have liked all the Snake River Farms products I have tried in the past, and I am eagerly looking forward to trying these products. The meat is highly marbled, incredibly tender, exquisitely delicious, and naturally produced without growth promoting hormones. They have four types of meats in their deli line as well as cured hams, pork ribs, pork loins, and raw meats available.

We are now getting more and better beef available in the US like grass fed, wet vs. dry aged, natural, organic, and certified humanely treated. There is more high quality Choice and Prime grades available than ever before, including some of the super high Japanese grades, like the famous and hard to get Kobe / Wagyu premium beef which comes in 12 quality grades. The finest US Prime, of which only 2% of US beef gets graded and most goes to restaurants, tops out equal to Japanese grades 4-6 .

Can you imagine what grade 12 is like?