86-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 24, 2003
Workshop Focuses On Light, Lean, Easy
LOU ANN GOOD
Food And Family
Features Editor
LEESPORT (Berks Co.)
Consumers searching for lean
meat cuts may be disappointed in
the flavor if not properly cooked.
“Low-fat meats should not be
overcooked or they will be dry
and tasteless,” said Fay Strickler,
family and consumer science
agent for Berks County. Thermo
meters, she stressed, are required
to keep from overcooking and
undercooking meats.
“People often think they know
when food is done by looking at
it. but that can be misleading.
Meat color pink or brown
can fool you." Strickler said.
Insert meat thermometer in
the thickest part of the muscle,
not against the bone. Read in
structions carefully for preparing
meats.
For example, ham is precooked
and needs only to reach an inter
nal temperature of 140 degrees.
Remove the meat from the oven
when it reaches an internal tem
perature of five degrees less than
the prescribed temperature.
Allow the ham to set 30 minutes,
and the temperature will rise an
additional five degrees.
When selecting lean beef or
pork cuts, look for cuts that have
the word “loin” in the name,
such as tenderloin, sirloin, and
Set Nutrition
Record Straight
DENVER, Colo. Through
their beef checkoff, America’s
beef producers recently launched
a first-of-its-kind advertising
campaign that compares the nu
tritional benefits of lean beef and
skinless chicken.
The ads use government data
to illustrate that lean beef com
pares favorably to skinless chick
en breast in terms of fat, yet pro
vides greater amounts of some
essential nutrients.
As the new ads point out, six of
beefs leanest cuts have, on aver
age, just one more gram of satu
rated fat but eight times more vi
tamin 812, six times more zinc,
and three times more iron than
chicken’s leanest cut: the skinless
chicken breast.
This information is based on
sound science and is according to
a USDA database that lists the
nutrient compositions for all
foods (www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/
foodcomp).
Wade Zimmerman, a Colo
rado beef producer, Cattlemen’s
Beef Board member, and chair
man of the Joint Nutrition &
Health Committee, said “20
years of misinformation about
beef and conventional wisdom
has led many consumers to be
lieve that skinless chicken breast
is the ‘gold standard’ of healthy
eating. The facts don’t support
this conventional wisdom.”
Mark Thomas, NCSA vice
president for global marketing,
said this is not an “anti-chicken”
campaign. “We’re not saying
‘don’t eat chicken.’ We are say
ing that you can feel good about
eating lean beef,” he said. “With
so much conflicting nutrition in
formation out there, it’s time to
set the record straight. People
Jove beef. And now they can
enjoy lean beef for its great taste
and its nutrient benefits.”
“The truth is, lean beef is a nu
trition powerhouse,” said Mary
K. Young, M.S., R.D., NCBA ex
ecutive director of nutrition.
“We’ve launched this campaign
to let beef lovers know that lean
beef compares favorably to the
fatty acid profile of skinless
chicken breast but gives you
more essential nutrients like zinc,
iron, and vitamin B 12.”
loin chop. The food pyramid rec
ommends two to three servings
daily of two- to three-ounces of
meat. A 3-ounce serving is meat
about the size of a deck of cards
or the size of your palm.
Variety and moderation are
the key, Strickler said, when at
tempting to lose weight by fol
lowing a low-fat diet.
Although many people overeat
the recommended amount of
meats, Strickler said that people
who eliminate meats completely
from their diets are often pale
and do not have a good skin
color.
Many consumers believe that
red meats are higher in fat than
white meats. But this isn't always
true. Chicken thighs contain a
higher amount of fat than many
beef cuts.
Contrary to some people’s mis
conceptions, lowfat cooking is no
more costly or time consuming
than using higher fat meats.
“Choose the economical, less
tender beef cuts for slow cooking.
These include cuts from the
chuck and round to make pot
roasts and pieces of beef for stews
and soups. The long, slow cook
ing process ensures fork-tender,
moist, and flavorful beef,” Strick
ler said.
Meats are cooked by two dif
ferent methods: moist and dry
heat.
“Lean meats must be cooked
with a moist method to keep
them from tasting too dry,”
Strickler said.
“Learn basic cooking methods
and adapt them to your recipes,”
Strickler said.
Moist heat methods include
the following:
• Braising Slowly brown
meat or poultry on all sides using
small amount of oil, if necessary,
in a heavy pan.
Pour off drippings. Season
with salt, herbs or spices as de
sired. Add a small amount of liq
uid (as little as two tablespoons
may be used; however 'A-Vi cup is
recommended, such as water,
juice, wine, broth, or stock.
Cover tightly to provide a
moist atmosphere for cooking.
Simmer on low heat on top of
range or in oven until fork ten
der.
Vegetables should be added to
ward the end of cooking to pre
vent overcooking.
The cooking liquid may be re
On the low-fat menu are scallops, salmon, beef, and
pork dishes. Sampling the variety are workshop attendees
Michael Reese, Reading; John Bernhardt, Reading, Leroy
Frey, Bern Township; and Joe Menet, Robesonia.
duced or thickened after remov
ing fat to make a sauce.
• Stewing Coat meat or
poultry lightly with seasoned
flour, if desired.
Slowly brown on all sides using
a small amount of oil, if neces
sary, in heavy pan.
Pour off drippings.
Cover meat or poultry with liq
uid such as water, juice, wine,
broth or stock.
Season, as desired. Cover tight
ly and simmer on top of the
range until fork tender.
Vegetables should be added to
ward the end of cooking time to
prevent overcooking.
Reduce or thicken cooking liq
uid after removing fat, if desired.
• Poaching Season meat,
poultry or fish, as desired. For
roasts, tie with heavy string at
2-inch intervals, if needed. Brown
on all sides in nonstick pan. Pour
off excess drippings.
Cover meat, poultry, or fish
with liquid. Season with addi
tional ingredients, if desired.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat,
cover, and simmer until done.
• Steaming Place fish on a
steamer pan or perforated tray.
Set into pan, above simmering
liquid.
Cover pan, and continue
steaming at low heat until fish
flakes.
Strickler and her staff cooked
a variety of meats for taste test
ing during a recent workshop on
light, lean, and easy cooking.
Here is one of the recipes.
LAZY DAY STEW
2 pounds lean beef cubes
I V2 cups green beans
2 teaspoons quick-cooking tap
ioca
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
2 cups carrots, sliced
2 cups potatoes, sliced
2 medium onions, diced
1 cup celery
1 can tomato soup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Place beef cubes (do not
brown) in single layer in
2'/2-quart casserole. Add veggies
and sprinkle with tapioca and
salt over top. Pour tomato soup
and water over seasoning. Sprin
kle with brown sugar and cover
tightly. Bake at 325 degrees for
three hours. Do not peek. Serves
4-6.
Fay Strickler, family living and consumer science agent
for Berks County Extension, recommends using rubs and
marinades to enhance the flavors of low-fat meats.
Marinade
BARBECUE MARINADE
Vi cup chopped onion
I/: tablespoons packed brown
sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
'A cup each cider vinegar and
catsup
1 tablespoon each prepared
Vi teaspoon coarse grind black
pepper
Cook onion and brown sugar
in oil in small saucepan over me
dium heat until onion is tender,
about 3 minutes. Add remaining
ingredients and continue cooking
over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes,
stirring occasionally. Remove
from heat; cool thoroughly before
adding to meat or poultry. Makes
about Va cup.
LEMONY ORIENTAL
MARINADE
Va cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped green
onion
Vh tablespoons each reduced
sodium soy sauce and vege
table oil
% teaspoon grated fresh ginger
'/« teaspoon crushed red pep
per pods
Jane Brobst
Hamburg
Combine all ingredients,
stirring until well-blended.
Makes about Vi cup.
V « cup prepared salsa (mild,
medium, or hot, as desired)
2 tablespoons each chopped ci
lantro and fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
V* teaspoon ground cumin
Combine all ingredients,
stirring until well-blended.
Makes about Vi cup.
RED WINE MARINADE
'A cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mus
tard
2 cloves garlic, minced
~ Use rubs on tender cuts of
meat to add flavor. To apply the
rub, simply cover the outside sur
face of the meat with the season
ing blend prior to copking.
Flavors usually become more
Lazy Day Stew is quick, pronounced the longer the sea
easy and tasty. soning mixture is on the meat.
Recipes
horseradish and water
SOUTHWESTERN
MARINADE
Va teaspoon dried Italian sea
soning
Va teaspoon coarse grind black
pepper
Combine all ingredients,
stirring until well-blended. Makes
about Vi cup.
~ Allow about Va to Vi cup ma
rinade for each 1 to 2 pounds of
meat. Turn meat occasionally
during marinating so that all
sides are equally exposed to the
marinade. For flavor only, mari
nate for IS minutes or as long as
2 hours; for tenderizing, at least 6
hours. Remaining marinade may
be brushed on the meat during
grilling, or used as a sauce pro
vided it is brought to a rolling
boil for at least one minute prior
to serving.
Rub Recipes
LEMON-ROSEMARY RUB
VA teaspoons grated lemon
peel
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
leaves, crushed
'A teaspoon each salt, dried
thyme leaves and coarse
grind black pepper
2 large garlic cloves, minced
Combine all ingredients. Store
in an airtight container. Shake
before using to blend. Makes
enough to season 2 pounds of
meat.
SOUTHWESTERN RUB
VA teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
'A teaspoon dried oregano
leaves, crushed
t/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Combine all ingredients. Store
in an airtight container. Shake
before using to blend. Makes
enough to season 2 pounds of
meat.
SPICY SEASONING MIX
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
l'/2 teaspoons garlic powder
'A teaspoon dried oregano
leaves
Vi teaspoon ground red pepper
Store in an airtight container.
Shake before using to bjend.
Makes enough to season 2
pounds of meat.