By Lauren Twigge, MCN, RDN, LD
Wouldn’t dinnertime be a breeze if putting a meal on the table was as easy as one, two, three? You could microwave your meal or order take-out, but home-cooked tastes so much better! We all know cooking isn’t that simple, especially when you aren’t feeling confident with how to prepare the main course. Beef is a great protein to include in any meal. It is high in iron, rich in protein, and full of flavor, making it a mealtime staple. But many feel intimidated by the idea of preparing it and preparing it well. What cooking methods do people use? What are the tried-and-true recipes?
Recent research conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Beefitarian revealed the top 3 favorite cooking methods for preparing beef were pan-cooking, stewing, and outdoor grilling/barbecuing. Let’s take a look at each of these different cooking methods, go over a simple recipe for each, and get you feeling confident and ready to try each method!
#1: Pan-cooking
The first preferred cooking method, pan-cooking, is simple and easy for weeknight dinners! Pan-cooking involves heating a lightly oiled pan over medium heat, adding the beef once the pan is warmed up, and cooking to your preferred doneness. Easy as that! Not only does this method require minimal cookware but pan-cooking can also add a nice crisp to the outside of any beef that you are cooking. Perfect for browning ground beef, pan-searing a steak, or crisping up some thinly sliced flank steak, pan-cooking is an easy way to start preparing beef today!
Test out your pan-cooking skills with our flank steak and broccoli stir fry recipe.
#2: Stewing
The cooler temperatures are coming quickly so it’s time to break out all your soup and stew recipes (We do love a *good soup*). Stewing is a method of cooking done at low temperatures for long periods of time. Generally, the meat that you are cooking is completely submerged in a liquid or broth which helps cook the meat slowly. A stew can be prepared in a large pot on the stove, in the oven, or a crockpot. This method is great for tougher cuts of beef because the low temperature and long cooking time break down the tough muscle fibers and leave behind a tender and delicious dinner entrée.
Our Crockpot Beef Stroganoff recipe is perfect for fans of stewing!
#3: Grilling
Finally, let’s get to every football fan’s favorite method of cooking beef… on the grill! Not a football fan? Not a problem! If your goal is to prepare a juicy, chargrilled beef dinner then grilling is for you. Grilling is another dry method of cooking over a hot heat and is a great option for busy weeknights or weekends because you can cook a lot of food in a short amount of time. Perfect for burgers, beef skewers, and juicy steaks, grilling beef is a great way to serve up a crowd-pleasing dinner all while enjoying the great outdoors.
If you love grilling, you have to try this Easy Beef Fajita Skewers recipe.
Start Cooking
Now that you have a few cooking tips and seasoning tricks in your pocket, let’s beef up your confidence and start cooking some meat. With a little time and a bit of practice, your kitchen will quickly become the place to be for a delicious dinner! Tell us, do you agree? Are these your favorite beef cooking methods? Let us know – share an image of your favorite cooking method with #Beefitarian on Instagram!
Check out more of our beef cooking tips and explore all our beefy recipes.
