Posts tagged meat
One third of UK consumers will avoid processed meat after horsemeat scandal
Turns out Brits really, really don’t like the idea of eating horse. After products labeled as 100 percent beef and sold in Sweden, the United Kingdom and France were found to contain horsemeat, consumers are now rethinking where and how they buy their meat. From UK publication Farmers Weekly:
A new survey, released as the scandal involving horsemeat in various Tesco products sold in Ireland and the UK continues to unfold, shows that UK consumers are rethinking how and where they get their meat from. From UK publication Farmers Weekly:
Pollsters Lightspeed Research asked more than 6,200 shoppers how their attitudes had changed since processed food products labelled as beef were found to contain traces of horsemeat.
The survey found that 36% of respondents were now less likely to buy processed food.
The scandal has also prompted 20% to buy more fresh meat and 13% to say they will buy more meat sourced locally. But a further 5% said they would buy less meat altogether.
Almost one-fifth said they would avoid brands that had been linked to the horsemeat scandal and 15% said they would no longer buy economy value meat.
One in three consumers questioned said the scandal wouldn’t make any difference to their shopping habits, with more men (47%) than women (26%) showing indifference when buying processed meat.
Cultural taboos about eating certain types of animals aside, there’s no inherent danger to eating horsemeat. The danger comes from the possible presence in horsemeat of the veterinary drug phenylbutazone. The drug is currently banned from the food chain because, in 1 out of 30,000 patients, it can cause a serious blood disorder, aplastic anaemia.
(Image: Karen V. Bryan/CC 2.0)
A Week in Review
NYT: The Farm Life Draws Some Students for Post-Graduate Work
“Farming appeals to me, and probably to other people, because it’s simple and straightforward work outdoors with literal fruits from your labor,” Mr. Bobman said. “It doesn’t feel like you’re a part of an oppressive institution.”
NYT: A Growing Movement for Community Supported Fisheries
They eliminated the middleman, processing their fish and shellfish themselves and then selling or shipping directly to consumers. The idea emerged after Mr. Libby and his family heard a farmer give a talk about community-supported agriculture. The group started with orders for sweet winter Maine shrimp from members of the Unitarian church in nearby Rockland. That eventually led to tailgate filleting demonstrations on the back of the Libbys’ pickup truck. “Nobody got rich,” said Kim Libby, Mr. Libby’s sister-in-law. “But it was a good shot in the arm for paying the fuel bill that week.”
TIME: Are These End Times for Meat?
We produce a lot of meat, but we feed a lot of Americans, and more all the time, thanks to the simple laws of multiplication, along with the simple addition of immigration. There is a drought, so there is less grain and corn for the animals to eat. Most of the producers are marginally profitable at best, and Americans refuse to pay more for meat than they do for Froot Loops, despite the fact that no one has to raise and feed and kill and process Froot Loops.
Grist: Finally! Chipotle signs deal to pay tomato pickers more
Food companies that join the program enter binding contracts with the CIW. They agree to pay a penny more per pound directly to the workers, which doesn’t sound like much but significantly raises their take-home pay. The program also requires shade tents and ice water in the fields, health and safety monitors, sessions to educate workers about their rights, and a confidential enforcement program run by the Fair Food Standards Council in nearby Sarasota. A grower who doesn’t stick to the agreement risks losing his ability to sell to the 10 big fast food and grocery retailers who have signed on.
![meatatarian:
Raw — Uncooked. Used in dishes like steak tartare, Carpaccio, gored gored, tiger meat and kitfo.
Seared, Blue rare or very rare — Cooked very quickly; the outside is seared, but the inside is usually cool and barely cooked. The steak will be red on the inside and barely warmed. Sometimes asked for as “blood rare” or “bloody as hell”. In the United States, this is also sometimes referred to as ‘Black and Blue’ or ‘Pittsburgh Rare’. It is common for chefs to place the steak in an oven to warm the inside of the steak. This method generally means ‘blue’ steaks take longer to cook than any other degrees.
Rare — (52 °C [125 °F] core temperature) The outside is gray-brown, and the middle of the steak is red and slightly warm.
Medium rare — (55 °C [130 °F] core temperature) The steak will have a fully red, warm center. This is the standard degree of cooking at most steakhouses, unless specified otherwise.
Medium — (60 °C [140 °F] core temperature) The middle of the steak is hot and red with pink surrounding the center. The outside is gray-brown.
Medium well done — (65 °C [150 °F] core temperature) The meat is light pink surrounding the center.
Well done — (71 °C [160 °F] and above core temperature) The meat is gray-brown throughout and slightly charred.
Overcook — (much more than 71 °C [160 °F] core temperature) The meat is dark throughout and slightly bitter.
I like my meat tender, juicy, and flavorful. I also, after a not so fun experience last spring, like it safe. I’ve been hesitant to try some of these levels of doneness out of fear I might fall yet again to the stomach flu. But I imagine a good thermometer—when an experienced steakhouse chef is not around—might help me overcome my fear of bloodred steaks. Understanding what temperature is optimum and safe is the core of good cooking!](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5jcd8uKeW1rws0lmo1_500.jpg)
Raw — Uncooked. Used in dishes like steak tartare, Carpaccio, gored gored, tiger meat and kitfo.
Seared, Blue rare or very rare — Cooked very quickly; the outside is seared, but the inside is usually cool and barely cooked. The steak will be red on the inside and barely warmed. Sometimes asked for as “blood rare” or “bloody as hell”. In the United States, this is also sometimes referred to as ‘Black and Blue’ or ‘Pittsburgh Rare’. It is common for chefs to place the steak in an oven to warm the inside of the steak. This method generally means ‘blue’ steaks take longer to cook than any other degrees.
Rare — (52 °C [125 °F] core temperature) The outside is gray-brown, and the middle of the steak is red and slightly warm.
Medium rare — (55 °C [130 °F] core temperature) The steak will have a fully red, warm center. This is the standard degree of cooking at most steakhouses, unless specified otherwise.
Medium — (60 °C [140 °F] core temperature) The middle of the steak is hot and red with pink surrounding the center. The outside is gray-brown.
Medium well done — (65 °C [150 °F] core temperature) The meat is light pink surrounding the center.
Well done — (71 °C [160 °F] and above core temperature) The meat is gray-brown throughout and slightly charred.
Overcook — (much more than 71 °C [160 °F] core temperature) The meat is dark throughout and slightly bitter.
I like my meat tender, juicy, and flavorful. I also, after a not so fun experience last spring, like it safe. I’ve been hesitant to try some of these levels of doneness out of fear I might fall yet again to the stomach flu. But I imagine a good thermometer—when an experienced steakhouse chef is not around—might help me overcome my fear of bloodred steaks. Understanding what temperature is optimum and safe is the core of good cooking!
