"red meat" news and stories

Strange but true! I was on a health kick around that time, and I vigorously avoided all meat. And over the years, I just haven't eaten any steak. It's not a concious health decision on my part, really. I just stopped eating steak, and in the past 14 years my meals have been dominated by chicken and turkey (and pizza). I've had cheeseburgers once in a great while, and I sometimes get pepperoni on my pizza, and I certainly can't get by the winter without having several bowls of mouth-watering chili. But your typical steak? I haven't had one in so long.

But I have a feeling that this day here at Slashfood is going to change all that ...

It is difficult to tell when a steak is done simply by looking at it unless you like your meat very, very rare or very, very well-done. The cooking times given in recipes, if given at all, tend to be vague because the temperatures that our grills and stoves work at can vary so widely. For example, a dial set to "medium heat"  on one stove might actually produce as large a flame as "high heat" in another kitchen. Cutting meat open once at the end of cooking isn't a big deal, but if you need to keep checking the interior of the meat, you can lose a lot of the cooking juices. The best way to check if the meat is done is by using a meat thermometer (125F for rare, 135F for medium, and 155F for well-done, according to Real Simple), but you can also use your hand as a reference and determine the doneness from the firmness of the meat.

I labeled a diagram of a hand, above, to identify the reference points. Simply press the labeled spots on your hand. They correspond with the following levels of doneness:

1. Rare meat should feel soft and offer little resistance to pressure.
2. Medium meat should feel firm, but with a little bit of give to it. The less give, the more well-done the piece will be.
3. Well done meat should also feel firm, but will have only minimal give to it.

Source

Among the most popular items listed on Valentine’s Day menus are meats and seafood. The holiday lends itself meals that feature lamb, veal, steak and lobster, along with purported aphrodisiacs like oysters. But for vegetarians, the specials offered at many restaurants aren’t love inducing and a simple salad is not really the optimal main course for a romantic, special occasion.

If your Valentine is vegetarian, try to check the menu of the restaurant before you make a reservation or simply as the host or hostess if they offer vegetarian options when you call. Most restaurants either have options already or have no problem making sure that a substitute for a carnivorous main course is available. If they cannot or refuse to accommodate you, it is best to change your reservations, since an otherwise lovely evening can be marred by an unpleasant dinner.