This type of meat is preferred by many people. Most of them are well aware of the benefits of beef. In its composition there is a sufficiently large amount of nutrients necessary for health. It is imperative that the beef is cooked properly so that it is most beneficial. It can be cooked, fried, stewed and baked. Each experienced hostess knows many secrets, thanks to which beef is juicy and tender.
Chemical composition
It has a fairly high calorie content, which sometimes reaches five hundred kilocalories per hundred grams of product. It contains very important vitamins B 12 and B 6 . They are responsible for the full assimilation of iron, due to which a person improves the composition of the blood and heals the liver. Without vitamin B 12, hair becomes brittle and brittle. In addition, the beef also has a fairly decent amount of vitamin PP, restoring the walls of blood vessels. Thanks to him, capillaries are strengthened and the bleeding of the gums passes.
Among the trace elements present zinc, necessary for the health of the genitourinary system, and magnesium, without which it is impossible to imagine a healthy nervous system. In addition, there is calcium in the composition of cow meat, which is responsible for the state of bone mass, and potassium, which strengthens the heart muscle. And also there are trace elements such as iron, sodium, phosphorus and so on.
Beneficial features
What is beef good for? No wonder doctors advise, if possible, to replace pork with beef. After all, this meat is much cleaner, compared with pork, and less fat. Beef helps to saturate the body with iron and, thereby, improve the immune system. Thanks to the microelements contained in this product, bones, nail plates and hair are noticeably strengthened. Beef is especially recommended for athletes, as potassium enhances endurance and prevents muscle and ligament injuries.
What else is beef good for? This meat is recommended for use by mental workers and students. Dishes from this product improve memory and concentration, as well as give strength to learning.
Why is it harmful
As a rule, fried meat containing a huge amount of carcinogens causes harm. Boiled or steamed beef is not capable of any harm. Naturally, if you eat meat without measure, you can noticeably get better. It should be borne in mind that, like any meat, beef is digested for a long time. That is why a person for a long time does not leave a feeling of fullness.
How to make meat juicy
In order for a piece of beef to turn out not to be dry, but rather juicy, it should be properly cooked. First of all, you cannot use a product obtained from an old animal. His meat is quite sinewy, which is why after heat treatment it turns out to be tough and not very tasty. In the future, the following secrets of experienced chefs should be followed:
- First of all, the piece should be properly thawed. In no case should you fill the meat with hot water to speed up this process. Typically, beef is transferred from the freezer to the lower shelf of the refrigerator and wait for natural defrosting. People who use a microwave for this purpose also do wrong and, thereby, spoil the future dish.
- In order to make the piece juicy, it should be cut exclusively across the fibers. Otherwise, a person will have to enjoy long hard fibers, which are sometimes very difficult to chew. Indeed, during heat treatment, the protein coagulates, and they become more solid.
- The best option would be to cut the piece into small cubes, the thickness of which does not exceed three centimeters. They can immediately be lightly salted and pepper. In addition, many experienced chefs prefer to slightly beat off the cubes in order to soften the fibers.
And also contribute to the juiciness and softness of the meat of wine and marinade, which contains vinegar. Some manage to make quite juicy dishes with the addition of dairy products, grated onions and even some fruits.
Beef Diet Recipes
For a diet, boiled meat is usually used. What is boiled beef good for? It stores all the necessary substances, vitamins and minerals. In order to make the dish tasty, it is advisable to boil a piece of meat whole, without cutting it. Various spices, onions and carrots are added to the water. They are pre-peeled and washed thoroughly. As a rule, all additional components are laid already after the water with meat boils. A piece is preferably put in hot water, and not in cold. Otherwise, it will become a little harsh.
Boiled meat is cut into slices, sprinkled with salt, dry spices and served with any sauce. The uniqueness of this dish is that it can be eaten both in cold form and in warm. Most often, the back of the leg or shoulder blade is taken for cooking.
Italian beef
In order to cook this popular Italian dish, you will need carrots, onions, celery, tomato, one and a half liters of water and one kilogram of beef. In addition, you will need quite a few different spices: sage, cloves, bay leaf, rosemary and thyme. Separately, you should prepare green Italian sauce from egg yolks, a glass of white wine, capers, parsley, garlic and olive oil. All ingredients are whipped in a blender and laid out on a plate.
The meat is cooked on a pressure cooker with the addition of water and spices. Typically, this procedure takes one hour. Italians usually do not pour the broth. It can be used to warm the meal the next day. Chopped beef is sprinkled with broth and warmed up in the oven.
Thai meat
Yes, its preparation is best to take beef drumstick. In addition, you will need a few pieces of chopped slices of ginger, green onions, carrots, liquor and soy sauce. From spices add allspice and anise. First cut all the vegetables. In order to make ginger softer, it is broken with the help of a knife handle. The meat is put in cold water and brought to a boil. Then add green onions, ginger, carrots and spices. Toward the end of the preparation, liquor and soy sauce are poured. Typically, residents of Thailand prefer rice liquor, but you can use another, more familiar.
Slices of beef for about two hours. The dish is usually served hot with the addition of noodles. It should be borne in mind that the finished dish turns out to be quite salty. The fact is that by the end of cooking, the water evaporates quite noticeably, and as a result, a small amount of concentrated broth remains, slightly covering the meat and vegetables. Due to the fact that soy sauce is already salty, additional salt is not required for this dish.
Beef stew
As a rule, healthy beef dishes are obtained not only through cooking. For example, when extinguishing on low heat, the product remains a mass of nutrients. In order for the meat to be soft and juicy when stewed, the following rules should be considered:
- They add it only at the very end, otherwise the salt will not only kill the aroma of the product, but also make it harsh.
- The sizes of the pieces should not be less than three centimeters and larger than four. This is the only way to cook soft and juicy beef. In too small pieces there is practically no juice left, and large ones will take a long time to cook.
- It is advisable to carefully fry the cubes in a small amount of oil before adding the liquid to the pan.
- After frying, water is added. It should only be hot.
- Stew beef long enough, at least an hour and a half. Fire is made as low as possible.
Stew gets a great taste if you add bay leaf, garlic, allspice and other spices to the water.
With sweet potatoes
This dish is easy enough to cook. It needs the following ingredients: beef ribs (one kilogram), onion, two or three stalks of celery, olive oil, garlic, flour, carrots, mushrooms, tomato paste and sweet potatoes. As seasoning take parsley, bay leaf and thyme.
All vegetables are lightly sautéed in a non-stick pan. Then there are added pieces of meat and fresh peeled mushrooms. All ingredients are once again fried and poured with water. The dish is brewed long enough. If the meat is not very young, then it will take up to ten hours. Serve the dish sprinkled with finely chopped parsley.
How to fry
Despite the harm caused by fried meat, however, very many people prefer to use steaks instead of boiled or stewed pieces. How to cook beef soft and juicy? Experienced chefs advise using thick cast-iron frying pans with a powerful bottom for frying. Pre-prepared pieces are placed only on a well-heated surface. To do this, first turn on a strong fire, and after the meat gets into the pan, make it weaker.
Pieces are pre-beaten with a special kitchen hammer, as well as salt and pepper on both sides. Unlike boiled or stewed meat, determining the readiness of fried is not so simple. Sometimes it is simply impossible to pierce it with a fork in a pan. Therefore, only a delicious brown crust that forms on the surface of the steak can say that the meat is ready.
For small children
What is beef good for children? First of all, it is an indispensable source of iron needed for every baby. Beef is the first meat that is introduced into the diet of a small child. First, a small piece is boiled, rubbed through a sieve and in this form is given to the baby. In the future, young parents want to diversify the menu of the child and prepare him a more perfect dish. The best option would be beef meatballs with a little rice. They can be served with buckwheat or mashed potatoes. And also well-proven beef meatball soup. In short, for children, you can cook simple and delicious beef dishes.
Meatballs for children
This dish will really appeal to a child of two or three years of age. You will need young veal, a few spoons of oatmeal, a small zucchini and onions. Vegetables are passed through a blender or meat grinder and mixed with ground beef. Then, with wet hands, round small meatballs are formed. At this time, finely chopped potatoes and carrots are added to boiling water. When the vegetables reach half-preparedness, they are combined with meatballs.
If desired, a small amount of rice can be added to the composition. Thus, meatballs will gain additional strength and calorie despite the fact that the benefits of beef from this will not decrease. Rice should be pre-boiled until half cooked. Before this, it is washed several times with running water. Then it is poured with water in a ratio of one to two and put on a slow fire. After boiling, the rice is cooked for two minutes, after which the fire is turned off, and the water is drained.
Steam cutlets
This is perhaps the best dish for the child, since the benefits of beef can hardly be overestimated. To prepare the cutlets, you need a tablespoon of cow's milk, one slice of white bread and a small piece of beef (about one hundred to one hundred and fifty grams). Salt and a teaspoon of good butter are added to the minced meat. All ingredients are thoroughly ground in a blender. A meat grinder for grinding minced meat will not work, because after it large pieces can remain. With wet hands they form cutlets and put them on a double boiler. They are prepared, as a rule, a little less than half an hour. This dish is suitable for children who are twelve months old.
Six months later, onions and even a small amount of pork can be added to the stuffing. All ingredients are also finely ground through a blender and cooked in a double boiler.
Chops with cabbage and carrots
This is another popular beef recipe for kids. The composition of the children's dish, in addition to meat, also includes vegetables: carrots, onions and cabbage. In addition, half boiled egg and butter are added to the minced meat. All ingredients are twisted through a meat grinder twice. Balls are formed from the resulting composition, slightly pressing them on top, and spread in a pan, where they are slightly fried. Reach the meatballs in the oven for twenty minutes. This dish can be served to children from the age of two.
In a word, from beef meat you can cook a lot of healthy and tasty children's and dietary dishes. Do not get involved in fried steaks, which contain dangerous carcinogens. Regular boiled beef is healthier than fried. And with the addition of spices, it will also be much juicier.