Marbling?

Small fat cells between the muscle that make the meat juicy and delicious.

What’s in the meat?Collagen – is white connective tissue

We EAT it by SOFTENING with an ACID – lemon juice or any moisture cooking

MUSCLE – fibres held together by connective tissue

LEAN – muscle fibres (meat), the stuff we eat

ELASTIN – makes meat tough, connective tissue also known as GRISTLE – not broken down by cooking

Once butchered only some of the meat can be used = YIELD

WHY EAT THE MEAT?

• PROTEIN: Beef has all 20 amino acids needed to make a complete protein. Protein does many things to keep the body strong and healthy. It makes hormones, and builds and repairs muscles.

• IRON: essential nutrient that builds red blood cells, helps cells work in the body, carries oxygen from the lungs to every cell in the body and helps brain work at its best. Heme iron, found in beef, is much better absorbed than the non-heme iron found in plants foods and eggs.

• ZINC: supports the body's immune system, growth and development and influences the activity of many hormones.

Packaging in the store• Gets a nice big RED stamp• Meats you see in the store are

called RETAIL CUTS

What do you get on packaging?Cut of MeatPackaging date/best before dateWeightCost and price per kgCooking Instructions/Safe HandlingGrade?

What does the beef turning BROWN mean?

Lack of oxygen!! Meat can still be good

Freeze/Thaw/Fridge• Keep ground meat in the fridge less time than steak

– Max 2-3 days• Refreezing? BAD – because bacteria starts at a higher level • Cooking – kills bacteria • Freezing – pauses bacteria growth

Ground Beef- Max 30 % fat allowed – lessen by buying lower percentage meat (lean, extra lean, drain fat, paper towel, George Forman Grill!)