The Ever Raging Question of Grass-Fed and Grain-Fed Beef

Beef is the favorite all American food, that every meet lover loves. Like everything else in our lives it has had its own share of debates and doubts and questions. There are two kinds of beef - grass fed and grain fed. Debate is rife on which is the best in terms of various factors.

The promoters of each have placed their views about them and they are equally convincing when considered from the point of view of the consumer. But people are becoming conscious about what it placed on their plate. So, here is a comparison in terms of three factors - flavor, cost and nourishment. These are the important factors that every eater and cook has regarding beef.

The cost or the price of the foodstuff is something that comes to our mind every time we are planning to buy something to eat. The price of the grass-fed and the less meaty beef is undoubtedly higher than the grain-fed and meatier beef. But there is a difference in the color of the beef. Grass fed beef tend to be darker than the grain fed variety and has less of the much desired marbling.

However, marbling is one of the marks that the USDA checks in order to ascertain the grade of the beef. The more the marbling, the better is the grade of the beef. Also, if the beef is lean, one needs to be careful while cooking so that the taste is retained while cooking.

Now, we come to the nutritional qualities. Grass fed beef tends to have more vitamins A and E, higher quantity of healthy omega-3 fats, more antioxidants, and almost seven times the beta-carotene. However, there are also experts who feel that that the grass fed lack in more “important” nutrients than the grain fed beef.

The best beef is the one that is better in taste and is tender to the touch. One might argue that there are techniques of cooking a beef cut in ways that it will taste good. But experience shows that lean meat needs more careful cooking that the fattier ones, since the fat is not present.

Was this confusing for you? Well, it could be because one cannot come to a decision if both the sides are equally impressive. All you can do is have an open mind while buying boneless rib eye steak. It is the cook who gives the ultimate verdict. Follow your taste buds and choose the one that appeal most to them.

Seafood Delicacies to Brighten Up the Menu

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Are you prepping up for a New Year's party? Do you want to make your party really special? Do you want everyone to remember it as they step into the New Year? If yes, then the first thing you need to do is prepare a fabulous menu. Food at a party is extremely important and if your menu is well balanced and the food is tasty then there are chances that your party will be a super hit. If you want to set a fantastic menu it is best that you include a seafood dish in it. You can make, "Creamy Seafood Stuffed Shells".

• 24 uncooked jumbo pasta shells
• 1 ½ cups of grated parmesan cheese
• ¼ of a cup of divided butter
• 1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 tablespoon of finely chopped green pepper
• 1 lightly beaten egg
• 1 tablespoon of chopped red onion
• 1 (5 ounce) package of frozen, cooked and thawed baby shrimp
• 1 teaspoon of divided butter
• 2 (6 ounces) cans of drained lump crabmeat
• 2 tablespoons of 2% low-fat milk, divided
• 1 ½ teaspoons of seafood seasoning, divided
• ¼ of a cup of mayonnaise
• 4 cups 2% low-fat milk, divided
• ¼ of a teaspoon of pepper
• ¼ of a cup of all-purpose flour
• ¼ of a teaspoon of fresh coarse ground black pepper

To make the dish first cook the pasta according to the directions mentioned on the package. In a skillet, melt 1 teaspoon of butter and sauté the green pepper and onion till they turn tender. Once done, set it aside. Then mix the shrimp, mozzarella cheese, and the crab, two tablespoons of milk, egg, and one teaspoon of the seafood seasoning, the green pepper mixture and pepper, in a large bowl.

Then rinse and dry the pasta and take a rounded tablespoon of the seafood mixture and stuff each shell. Take a 13 inch by 9 inch baking tray, gray it and place the stuffed shells in that. Melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan over medium flame. In this, whisk in coarsely ground pepper and flour. Then gradually add in the milk as you stir it. Bring the mixture to a boil, stir and cook for two minutes or till thick. After which you can stir in the Parmesan cheese.

Pour this mixture over the shells and sprinkle some seafood seasoning. Bake this in the oven at 350 degrees for around 30 minutes or till it is bubbly, with covering it.

If you are looking for seafood recipes to try out, then this is a perfect recipe you can try to make your party brighter and better.

Enjoy a Wonderful Dinner with Boneless Strip Steaks this Christmas

Just a week before Christmas, I got to know that one of my dearest buddies would be relocating abroad. In fact, I was disheartened to know that he would be departing a couple of days before the big occasion. So, I decided to celebrate a bit earlier at my place. I always wanted to enjoy this Christmas in an unusual manner with the some unusual food and beverage. To be honest, I was tired with chicken and pizzas and rather wanted to see something new on the platter. Like every time, I got busy with my researches to find out exclusive cuisines that can enrich our dining experience on this auspicious occasion.

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From a certain website, I came to know that beef usually remains in high demand every Christmas. Although certain beef cuts are a bit pricey, it will never make you burn holes in your pocket. So, I started looking for reputed beef vendors from whom I can buy quality stuff. Prior to that, I listed a number of boneless strip steak dishes that can be tried for Christmas.

Prior to consulting with the vendor, I accumulated the ingredients required to prepare the dish. So, I decided to order six 10 oz boneless strip steaks. I chose to order these online since I was aware of the fact that beef sold online always scores high. The stuff was delivered in time right at my doorstep and thereafter I got busy in my kitchen. I called up all my friends so that we can have some great time.

Boneless strip steak was ready by 1 in the noon, and then started our celebrations. After spending the evening with some delectable snacks and wine, we headed to the dinner table. Believe it or not, I was almost intoxicated by the wonderful aroma that gave me a positive feeling that our dining experience would no doubt be superb. I was feeling restless to quench my taste buds while serving. Finally, I had it.

Heaven was the word which I could relate to the platter. Indeed, my misconceptions were cleared regarding beef which I used to dislike for no reason. Today, the biggest reason I fell in love with beef is Christmas that has actually given me an opportunity to not only unite with my old buddies but have an awesome dining experience. If you are planning a Christmas dinner party, order six 10 oz boneless strip steaks online and enjoy to your heart's content.

A Cowboy Steak: As you like it!

If you happen to have an enthusiastic side towards good food, then you must have a good idea what a cowboy cut rib eye steak is. In case you are not, it is the thick cut of a rib eye with a piece of the bone still in the meat. Rich in flavour, these steaks are full of protein and contain Vitamin B and Zinc. But knowing the composition and the taste is just not enough unless you have a good idea on how to cook the steak. Although grilling is the most common and widely used method, some people prefer the broiling or pan-frying methods of cowboy steak preparation.

Grilling Technique:

As mentioned earlier, the most popular technique i.e. grilling is completed in five simple steps. However before you even begin, make sure you have the basic ingredients required for the preparation. In this case, a gas grill is mandatory followed by other minor requirements such as salt and pepper for taste, seasonings and aluminum foil for serving and most importantly four pieces of cowboy cut rib eye steaks.

Once everything is in place, you can begin with the ‘how to cook a cowboy steak’ part. Make sure you have the steaks washed in cold water before hand. Also season the steaks with salt, pepper and other ingredients of your choice in room temperature for 30 minutes and heat the grill to a cooking temperature of 425 degrees. Let us have a look on the basic methods now,

• Place the steaks on the grill and cook according to your taste. The time needed to cook varies for each taste. Usually it is four minutes for rare, seven minutes for medium and nine minutes for a well done steak.
• Remove the steaks and serve them on a plate once you are sure of the taste you wish for.
• The steaks are to be wrapped in aluminum foil and allowed to rest for approximately 10 minutes for the best taste.

Alternate Methods

In case you do not own a gas grill and are wondering how to cook a cowboy steak, we certainly have the answer for you. Pan Fried and Broiling are two such methods by which steaks can be cooked without a gas grill. For the pan fried preparation you need to wash the steaks and season either sides with not only salt and pepper but also garlic, thyme and rosemary. Following are the pan frying directions,

• Take a skillet and heat olive oil at a medium-high temperature. Place the seasoned steak in it now but be careful as the hot oil may splatter!
• Cook the steak on either side for a period of four minutes for rare, five minutes for medium and nine minutes for well done. Allow the meat to rest for a few minutes before serving.

However for broiling, you need to sear both the sides of the seasoned steaks or two minutes in medium-hot olive oil. The skillet is to be then placed in the oven and hence broiled for approximately 5 minutes. You also need to broil the other side of the steak for the same amount of time before serving the meal.

Mouth Watering Tuna Pita Melts!

Every one of us loves food that satisfies our appetite and craving. No doubt sea food is one such delicacy that most of us love to have as it is irresistibly delicious and mouth watering. Seafood can make your day and spice up your daily monotonous meal. There are various kinds of seafood items available that you can try and give your tongue a change of taste.

Well seafood not only includes different kinds of fish but prawns, clams, shrimps, squids, crabs, lobsters, mussels, oysters etc. millions of people have tried seafood and they have always loved it each time they have had. There is something really special about these oceanic delicacies that make you want to have more of it each time.

Looking for seafood recipes well Tuna pita melts is one such tongue savoring oceanic delicacy. It is an easy to cook recipe and all you require is

• Pitas 6 inches
• 2 cans of tuna of 6 ounce (drained)
• Mayonnaise 2 tablespoons
• Dill pickle savor 2 tablespoons
• Dried dill half tablespoon
• Salt one fourth tablespoon
• Tomato, one large sliced into thin wedges
• Shredded cheddar cheese 1 cup

How to prepare:

To prepare this delicacy at first you need to preheat the oven to 200 degrees C i.e. equal to 400 degrees F. In order to prepare the pita breads you have to make a single layer of the bread in a baking sheet. After settling it on the sheet you have to bake the bread for approximately 5 minutes. You have to bake the pitas until it gets slightly toasted.

Take a medium sized bowl and mixed the ingredients together i.e. the tuna, mayonnaise, relish, dill and salt. Let it get marinated for some time and then placed the whole mouth watering mixture on the pita breads. Take all the tomato wedges and place them over the marinated tuna. Over this whole mixture sprinkle good amount of shredded cheddar cheese and make it ready to be baked once again.

Now bake this amazing mouth watering dish for 5 minutes in the pre heated oven and make sure the cheese melts when you bake this sea delicacy. And you have your delectable seafood dish ready in front of you in no time. The dish takes approximately 20 minutes to be prepared.

So you need not go to the restaurant to have this seafood delicacy as it can be easily made at home. Go straight to your kitchen and make this tasty dish and surprise your family and friends. They will surely never forget the taste of this delightful dish.

Impress Your Guests with Lobster and Brown Butter Risotto

There are a large number of recipes that you can prepare with lobsters. Well, if you want to serve your guests with a unique and great to taste dish of lobsters then what can be a better substitute of the brown butter risotto with lobster? Let us take a look at its cooking procedure:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

• 1 pound (about 2 medium) frozen lobster tails, thawed

• 4 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock

• 4 tablespoon butter, at room temperature

• 1 cup finely chopped onion

• 1/2 cup brandy 

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• Boil over medium a saucepan of salted water to high heat. Now, add the lobster tails and boil for 8 to 10 minutes until the shells curl and the lobster meat turns white.

• Drain and transfer the lobsters to a cutting board, and cool for 15 minutes. Now, cut through the top shell lengthwise. After this remove the meat and cut into 1/2-inch pieces and set aside.

• Then, in a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil.

• Now, in a large saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. You need to cook until the butter begins to foam and turns brown for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Now, add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes. Next, add the rice and stir to coat with the butter.

• Now you need to add the brandy and simmer until the liquid has almost evaporated for about 3 minutes. Then, add 1/2 cup of stock and stir until almost completely absorbed for about 2 minutes. Continue adding the stock around 1/2 cups at a time. Keep stirring constantly and allowing each addition of stock to absorb before adding the next. Cook until the rice is tender yet quite firm to the bite for about 20 minutes. After removing the heat stir in the Parmesan cheese, the remaining butter and 2 tablespoons chives. Now, season with salt and pepper.

• Finally, transfer the risotto to a large serving bowl. Place the lobster meat on top of the risotto and garnish with the remaining chives. You are all ready to serve your guests with a mouth watering dish of brown butter risotto with lobster. Therefore, serve and get ready for compliments showering in.

Yummy Mac and Cheese with Lobster

There is hardly a soul who loves cheese but not Mac and Cheese. It is the ultimate comfort food you can find. When you add some seafood, like a lobster to it, you get your dinner menu here, is a recipe for you to try out.

Ingredients

• Any pasta of your choice ---- 1 box
• Lobster meat (cooked) ---- ½ - ¾ pound
• Cheddar cheese (shredded) ---- ¾ cup
• Swiss cheese (shredded) ---- 1 cup
• Gruyere (shredded) ---- 1 cup
• Egg (beaten) ---- 1
• Sour cream ---- ½ cup

Or

• Milk ---- ¼ - ½ cup
• Butter ---- 3 tbsp
• Salt and pepper ---- as per your taste

Method

• Heat the oven to 350° and grease a pan with butter.
• Take a large pot of salted water and bring it to boil and cook the pasta al dente as per instruction.
• While the pasta is being cooked mix the milk or cream, butter and egg in a bowl and keep aside.
• Transfer the pasta to a colander and let the excess water drain out of it. Once done, transfer them back to the pot.
• Add butter to the hot pasta and stir it until the butter melts.
• Once the butter melts, add the cheese and repeat the process until the cheese is also melted.
• Now add the milk or cream mixture to the pot of pasta and keep stirring until it is mixed well.
• Now add the lobster meat and mix well.
• Transfer this mixture to the greased baking dish.
• Cover the tops with the remaining breadcrumbs.
• Bake the dish for about 20 minutes or until it turns golden brown.
• The seafood is now ready to serve and enjoy!!

Cooking Lobster Tails in Microwave with No Difficulty

If you are too much fond of seafood, then take a look at this article which helps you cook lobster tails in a microwave. Lobster is a fancy dish and you can definitely impress your guests with lobster tails. You can take benefit of your microwave and prepare lobster tails in it.

Ingredients to prepare

• Tiny lobster tails
• Quarter cup of water
• A knife and microwave proof baking dish
• Butter
• 2 tea spoons of lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• Bowl and serving dish

Instructions to cook lobster tails

You should at first ensure that the lobster is not frozen as it is very difficult to cook frozen lobster and it is not good for heath too. One day before you cook the lobster, you should keep it in the refrigerator and place it on a plate and on the next day, you should take it out for a better flavor.

Now you should cut the lobster tails gently and until the meat from the tail comes out. Take the knife and chop the lobster tails nicely. Place the lobster tails on a microwave safe dish and add about a quarter cup of water over the tails. Cover the meat with a lid and heat it inside the microwave for about 5 minutes.

Prepare a sauce to add taste and you can easily make lemon butter sauce. Take butter, lemon juice and the garlic powder that you have taken and put it in a bowl.

Now, you should take the lobster tails from the microwave and keep the bowl inside and cook until the butter melts.

Now, the lobster tail is ready to eat and serve it hot. 

Prepare Seafood Salad and Satisfy Your Guests

If you are too much fond of sea food and if you like salad, then this article will definitely help you. Here, you will find a recipe for seafood salad which contains the luscious seafood like lobster, crab meat and shrimp. This sea food is really tasty and when you prepare a salad out of these, it will really serve as a lovely side dish for your dinner and will satisfy your guests. You can also use this as a sandwich filling and can be served with lettuce. Here comes the recipe.

Ingredients for preparing the sea food salad

• 1 pound of crab meat
• 1 pound of jumbo shrimp with the tail removed gently
• 1 pound of lobster meat
• ½ cup of chopped celery
• ¼ cup of chopped onion
• 1 large cup of salad dressing
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt and black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
• A large bowl and rubber spatula

Instructions to cook

Take a large bowl and mix the shrimp, lobster and crab together with the salad dressing, salt, pepper, onion, garlic powder and celery.

Mix up the ingredients with rubber spatula very softly and marinate it very well. You can also add some amount of fresh parsley which should be chopped to give it a different flavor.

Now put in the refrigerator for about two hours. The salad needs quite a lot of cooling for a better taste and after it is cooled, you can serve it to the guests.

Sea food recipes are really awesome and if you can make salad with sea fishes, it would be really nice and tasty.