How much beef is cooked in slices how long does it take to cook meat until cooked

Cattle meat is considered the most popular around the world. In Russia, cooked beef treated honored guests. Despite its satiety, this product is easily absorbed by the body, and with proper preparation it turns out to be tender, juicy and soft.

Composition, benefits and harms

Beef on the bone takes pride of place in the list of must-eat foods. She should be on the table at least several times a week. The biological and nutritional value of meat became known many millennia ago. The ancient Romans, Greeks, inhabitants of the British Isles, our ancestors, other peoples appreciated it. Not everyone could afford to put this delicacy on the table. This was the prerogative of the upper strata of the population.

What nutrients are rich in product

Beef has been thoroughly studied by scientists. It was the research that revealed which nutrients and elements this type of meat contains:

• B vitamins;
• iron;
• proteins;
• calcium;
• magnesium;
• vitamin PP;
• potassium;
• zinc;
• phosphorus;
• sodium;
• fats
• iodine;
• vitamin E.

Beef and other important micro and macro elements are also present.

Why you need to include in the diet

Dietology considers beef shank the best source of animal protein. It contains the entire set of amino acids necessary for the normal functioning of the human body. To whom and when is beef still useful:

• people with low hemoglobin;
• involved in sports and working physically;
• people with a weakened body;
• those who have digestive problems.

Beef is a product that helps the body remove “bad” cholesterol. Also, its use has a beneficial effect on memory, the nervous system, and strengthens the walls of blood vessels, muscles and bone tissues. Soups and broths prepared on cattle meat contribute to wound healing, improve blood coagulation.

What the abuse leads to

Beef can be harmful to the body. It has a very interesting property: excessive consumption can lower immunity, increase cholesterol. Not only a large amount in the diet can cause harm to the body, but also poor-quality meat, as well as improper storage, preparation. Two situations where beef is more harmful than healthy.

1. Incorrectly cooked meat. This is primarily a product fried in oil. This cooking method saturates beef with carcinogens, which makes it dangerous for the health of people suffering from digestive problems and heart problems.
2. The meat of animals grown artificially. It is inherent in nature that cattle should eat a lot of grass, walk through fields, pastures. And if animals do not see green meadows, eat exclusively mixed feeds, then the benefits of such meat can be almost forgotten.

How to choose meat: requirements for appearance and smell

It’s better to buy beef fresh, it’s easier to choose and consider meat. And it is also advisable to bring it home and cook right after the purchase. No need to wait until it unfrosts. However, do not be afraid of frozen meat. If the technology was followed during freezing, such meat is in no way inferior to fresh in its properties. Here are five indicators that you should pay attention to.

1. Colour. Fresh quality beef is red. If the proposed piece is brownish, this indicates the venerable age of the animal. Old meat will be coarser, it will take more time to cook it, you can forget about the richness of the dish. If the flesh has a heterogeneous color, interspersed with dark shades (for example, greenish), this meat is not worth buying.
2. Smell. Not all sellers are allowed to sniff meat, especially in supermarkets. But if you are lucky, you have received approval, feel free to use this opportunity. High-quality beef does not have extraneous aromas; it smells only of raw meat. If you feel the presence of some smell even better, refrain from buying.
3. Fat. Beef is dietary meat, but fat is still present in it. It should be dense, have a pale white color. In meat of young individuals, fat can crumble - this is normal. If we are talking about marbled beef, which is most valued, then there are a lot of fatty layers in it. The piece is as if pierced by them. Such meat is ideal, it is easy to cook, it turns out to be extremely tasty.
4. Elasticity. If possible, test the meat for elasticity. This is done like this: you need to press the pulp with your finger and watch what happens to it. Fresh meat has a smooth surface almost immediately. If the trace of pressing does not go away for a long time, the meat is not very fresh.
5. Surface. The presence of signs of airing on the surface of the piece is quite acceptable. But only small ones. If the surface has a crust and spots, then they carved the carcass not a few hours ago, but much earlier. Beef should be dry, firm. If you have a choice between wet meat lying in the blood and leeward meat, you should give preference to the latter.

Proper freezing

If you buy frozen beef, take only one that is labeled. Be sure to check the expiration date and release. Frozen veal can be stored for eight months, beef - ten. Mandatory indication of the manufacturer. It is worth making a choice in favor of domestic meat, so there is more guarantee of freshness, absence of transportation violations.

The packaging should not be damaged, so inspect the piece from all sides. Pay attention to the color - it should be uniform, it is better to choose what is lighter. Properly frozen beef should not have ice or snow. If any are visible, storage or freezing rules are likely to be violated.

Division into grades and categories

Beef has varieties and categories. The division occurs depending on the part of the carcass, the age of the animal and the fat content of the meat. For broth, it is not necessary to take the best quality meat, but for steaks and barbecue it is better to choose a softer piece. There are three varieties and three categories of beef.

1. Top grade. Sometimes called the first. May contain three to four percent of connective tissue (or veins). This includes such parts of the carcass: pectoral, dorsal, loin. Another rump, rumps, rump. It is almost pure meat without fat.
2. Second grade. This is four to five percent of the veins. This class includes the scapular, shoulder, neck, flank.
3. Third grade. May contain from ten to 23% connective tissue. These are shanks (front and back), an incision.

Beef of the highest category has a lot of subcutaneous fat, well-developed muscle tissue. But meat obtained from young animals may not contain fatty deposits at all. Meat of the second category includes one that has poorly developed muscles, there is a small amount of fat. There is another category - skinny beef. However, such meat is used only for industrial processing.

The meat must have a purple mark. By its form, you can determine the category. On the head of young cattle is stamped "M". Round indicates that meat belongs to the highest category. A square mark indicates that you have beef of the second category.

How and how much to cook beef: tips for the hostess

It is important not only to know how to eat cattle meat, but also how to cook beef properly. Here are three secrets that will be useful to every hostess.

1. Choose the right pot. A pot with a thick bottom is suitable, enameled or cast iron will also work. The main thing is that a piece of meat fits freely in the dishes, leaving room for other ingredients.
2. Defrost meat in advance. If you are going to cook frozen beef, prepare for the fact that the meat will be tough. A piece must be thawed before being sent to the stove in a saucepan. It is ideal for it to thaw at room temperature.
3. Use a microwave. If you urgently need to cook a soup of frozen meat, you can soak a piece in water or resort to using a microwave. Then the thawed pulp should be washed with cold running water.

For broth

Gtov tasty meat for borsch. To make the broth tasty, you need to boil beef with bone. The piece should be dipped in cold water. That is, rinse, put in a pan, pour cold water and send to the stove. Turn on the largest fire, and wait for it to boil. When the surface of the water begins to become covered with foam, remove it. You can do this with any utensil convenient for you - skimmers, spoons.

There is also such an opinion: it is not necessary to remove the foam from the pan. That is, just leave it, and it dissolves during the cooking process. Foam is nothing but the released protein, that is, it carries no danger. But then it's up to you.

If you prefer soups on the second broth, then after boiling you need to wait about five minutes. Then drain the broth, wash the meat and pour water again. This cooking option is usually recommended by nutritionists.

It is advisable not to let the broth boil strongly, a small boil is enough. It is necessary to salt at the end of cooking so that the salt does not “pull out” all the juice from the meat. Beef for soup should be cooked until the meat is ready, then strain the broth and use it further. If you cook the ribs, then one and a half hours of cooking will be enough for them.

For second courses

Ate boiled beef is prepared for addition to salads, snacks, the method of cooking will be slightly different from the preparation of broth. Here is a sequence of four steps.

1. Pour water into the pan (tentatively taken at the rate of one and a half liters of water per kilogram of beef), put on fire.
2. When the water is almost boiling, you need to add onions and carrots, optionally parsley, celery.
3. Then you need to put a piece of meat, wait for boiling. As soon as the foam begins to appear, remove it.
4. When the foam disappears from the surface, reduce the heat, leave to boil at a slow boil.

How much you need to cook beef so that it becomes soft depends on the age of the meat and the size of the piece. Young meat will be ready in 40 minutes after boiling, while old meat will have to be boiled for two and a half hours, or even more. You can learn about readiness by cutting a piece with a knife in the thickest place. If there is no red juice, the meat is ready.

In a slow cooker

Is the brisket cooked fast in a slow cooker? A slow cooker is a real salvation for many housewives. You can also cook beef in it, either in small pieces or in a large piece. There are no special differences from cooking in the pan. If there is a film, streaks, excess fat - they are removed. Then they wash the meat, put it in the bowl, pour boiling water so that the piece is completely covered with water. Install the appropriate program ("Cooking", "Soup" or another) and close the lid.

When the meat boils, you need to get rid of the foam, add roots, bay leaves or your favorite spices, if desired. You need to salt in the end. After boiling, boil the beef until it is ready - from 40 minutes to three hours, depending on the age of the cattle.

In a double boiler

Steamed beef is considered more juicy and healthy. This cooking option is ideal for feeding babies or for people on a healthy diet. There are two ways to cook beef in a double boiler.

1. Cut into portions, put in a thicket of a double boiler in one row, salt and turn on the equipment for one hour. After this time, turn over, cook another half hour.
2. Salt beef, grate with your favorite spices. Put a piece in a cooking bag, place in a thicket, cook for an hour. Add time if necessary.

In a pressure cooker

A pressure cooker significantly speeds up the process of cooking beef. To cook beef in a pressure cooker, you need to wash it, put in a bowl, pour water. Then put the pressure cooker on the fire and wait for boiling. Remove the resulting foam, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 50 minutes.

If the pressure cooker is electric, you need to install a suitable program and cook the same way for 50-60 minutes. Such meat is perfect for a child, especially if you use a gentle entrecote.

Beef is very healthy, so do not neglect its use. Feel free to include it in your diet, because now you know how many minutes to cook beef until cooked. Properly cooked meat will appeal to all households, even the most finicky.

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