Fail-Safe Tips for Preparing Beef
Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt nervous cooking beef for your friends or family. You’re not alone! It’s possible that you’ve been operating under the misconception that beef is difficult to cook. Allow us to bust that myth: it’s not!
If worrying about messing up or wasting money is raining on your parade, put that aside! With a little bit of practice and guidance, you can always be confident preparing flavorful meals for your friends and family to enjoy. Put on your favorite apron because it’s time to sharpen your skills with four fail-safe ways to cook beef that work every time.
Tip #1: Always Have a Meat Thermometer Handy
That feeling after you cut into your super-raw-not-edible expensive steak is the worst. A common mistake people make when cooking beef is cooking beef faster on the outside versus the inside leaving them with a perfectly seared steak but a raw middle. A meat thermometer can help you avoid those rough moments in the kitchen.
You don’t need anything fancy, just a standard meat thermometer to use when you’re cooking beef. Not only will it help you determine if your beef is ready and safe to eat, but also help you practice for future meals and understand how long a cut of beef cooks at various heat settings.
You can find a meat thermometer at most department stores starting at $10. We always recommend using a thermometer to ensure the beef is cooked properly*.
Tip #2: Use the Almighty Air Fryer
Air fryers are used for more than just French fries or buffalo wings; they can make a variety of meals simple and easy to create with only a few steps. An air fryer is a hybrid of a deep fryer and a convection oven. Without the hot oil found in deep fryers, the food is cooked in very hot, circulated air.
You can cook beef and other ingredients in a short amount of time. Depending on the wattage of your air fryer and your preference for doneness, a steak typically takes between seven to 14 minutes to cook and raw ground beef takes about five to seven minutes*.
Most air fryers do not require preheating before use, making them even easier to use than an oven or stovetop. Always refer to your specific equipment’s manual and instructions for more information!
Tip #3: A Slow Cooker Never Fails
If you have time, swap out the air fryer for a slow cooker. Slow and steady wins the race … especially when cooking beef! Time and time again, people make the mistake of preparing their beef too quickly and not allowing it to fully tenderize or soak up all the natural flavors during the cooking process.
Slow cookers force you to take the necessary time to enhance beef’s delicious attributes, whether it’s spaghetti and meatballs or shredded beef enchiladas. Also, because a slow cooker is best used at a lower temperature for a longer period of time, it’s difficult to mess up or ruin a recipe. Just set it, leave it, and come back to a delicious beefy meal!
Try Modern Day Moguls slow cooker meal, Not Your Mother’s Pot Roast, and see for yourself how easy it is to create comfort food!
Tip #4: Experience Pressure Cooker Magic
It’s a craze we’ve been hearing about for a while now: pressure cookers! What’s the magic behind this phenomenon? A pressure cooker builds steam pressure in a sealed pot that helps food cook faster. This high pressure also helps force liquid and moisture into the food quickly, especially beneficial for beef products to get tender quickly.
Another perk of pressure cookers is there’s not a lot of preparation needed before cooking beef. Typically, once the pressure cooker is heated with water, you simply put the meat in the pot, add oil, and let it do its thing!
Similar to an air fryer and slow cooker, there are many recipes and how-to guides to help you successfully cook savory, tasty beef for any meal. To get started, check out another great Modern Day Moguls dish: French Dip Sandwiches in a pressure cooker! This recipe is simple and delightful for all tastebuds.
It’s time to start feeling confident in your beef endeavors. For more great ideas, check out some delicious beef recipes, fun beef facts, and tips for buying beef all on the Beefitarian website.
According to foodsafety.gov, the minimum safe temperature is 145°F for fresh beef and 160°F for ground beef.
