Cooking Resources

Rocklobster · 02-15-2013, 08:57 PM

Here is an interesting story about a newer drug being used by the beef industry to increase the size of the cattle in the last few months of growth. Apparently, it can improve size but in the process, it removes characteristics in the muscles that contribute to quality of flavor and texture. It is a pretty long read but very interesting and a little unsettling...Zilmax: The cattle growth drug that’s making beef more like chicken. - Slate Magazine
Here is the last paragraph.
"The debate over Zilmax’s impact on the beef quality is probably moot, though, seeing as administering the drug is becoming standard operating procedure at feedlots. What this means for consumers is that the American sirloin of tomorrow will be a lot more like the chicken breast of today. There will still be high-quality steaks, like those promoted by Certified Angus Beef, available in pricey restaurants or upscale grocery stores. But the rest of the beef market will continue to drift toward the middle-point, where meat is standardized, less flavorful, and in need of serious processing to taste good. Who knows—maybe a scientist somewhere is working on the Beef McNugget at this very moment."

Snip 13 · 02-15-2013, 09:01 PM

I really hope this doesn't start happening in SA :(
If they make everything taste like chicken I'll starve lol!

GLC · 02-15-2013, 09:36 PM

If one chooses to feed on Beef McNuggets or the other fast food forms, one will certainly be dealing with this problem. Similarly, if one buys and cooks with this faked up beef, you will then find that beef has all the rich flavor of the mutant chicken featured in most groceries. It's already the reality that beef is routinely uninteresting.

But good, natural beef is available almost everywhere, because small growers are responding to the demand. Prices are still generally quite high, but I find that it's not higher than commercialized beef that has only technically qualified as Prime. The price for well farmed beef, chicken, and other meat can be brought down. We users of meat will decide the issue by patronizing the right producers and refusing to buy the mass commercial product. It is guaranteed that, when enough customers refuse to buy and make their choices known, big grocers will become big buyers of righteous meats.

It's not hopeless at all. My grocer, a very large corporate operation with a great many stores dominating a large region, is becoming more conscious and conscientious about buying natural and local every year. They still have a long way to go in some areas. Their chicken offerings are poor stuff, and the only turkeys they carried last year couldn't possibly have walked on their stringy, meatless legs.

It's something of a nuisance to trek to the farmers market to buy real meat, but I don't eat so much meat these days. But I let my big grocer, the one that is in many ways good, know that I will not buy their chicken or turkey until they stock proper products. But the good news is that, with some effort and expense, I can now eat almost exclusively from local sources of gently grown vegetables and naturally raised meat. That's a huge change from a very few years ago.

Whiskadoodle · 02-16-2013, 05:55 AM

I buy a mix of farm to table beef and sometimes regular beef in the store. I try to stay away from the store. Luckily, in our city there are plenty of good beef sources, although it's a little pricier. It is concerning for people who do not have choices, have a limited budget or are just the un-wary shopper. This week I looked the ads at my local grocer and food co-op. steaks on sale at the grocers, and steaks at the coop were only a buck/ lb higher not on sale. However, on most other cuts meat the food coop is quite a bit more expensive. Still, that's what I would rather buy. It's been several years since I bought a farmer raised quarter beef. I just don't use it up fast enought. Dxw buys her meat by the cut / pkg direct from a farmer, and it's delivered to a central pick up point nearby. I think she does this through her CSA ( community supported agriculture). I can't plan a week ahead and I prefer to see what I am buying. Her's is always good too. Again, it's best if we have multiple suppliers to choose.

I'm pretty sure I am meat centric. Pork, beef chicken chicken chicken, not so much lamb or fish.

Addie · 02-16-2013, 06:13 AM

When I do buy beef I look for the "Angus Label" Unfortunately I do not have the luxury of a farmers market. Next town over it the distribution center for all of New England for all the foods that come from all over the world. So you know that it is not "fresh" produce. During the summer months some of our stores do buy from local farmers. Other than potatoes I buy any fresh produce that is displayed loose. I always buy potatoes from Maine or P.E.I. Local farmers can not compete with the distribution center in the winter. So every summer they have to find a place to sell their wares. It is much easier for the stores to get their produce from the distribution than have to rely on the local farmers.