Meat

What to think about  Wholesomeness (how healthy is it)  Quality (how good is it; age; what part)  Nutritive Value (how good is it for you)  Cost (is it cheap or expensive)  Informative Labeling (what does the label tell you)

Also think about …  How much can you store in your freezer?  How much can you use within a couple of days?  How do you like it cut?  Which part of the animal do you prefer to eat?

Wholesomeness  All meat is inspected for wholesomeness by law  Big pieces of meat are stamped  Smaller packages of meat will not stamp the meat, but will be marked OK

Safety Labels  The meat is usually marked with a label on how to be safe  It will tell you how to store it and how to thaw it out if you freeze it

Safety Label

Nutritive Value  Meat can have  Protein  Niacin  B6  B12  Iron  Phosphorus  Zinc  Fat  Saturated Fat  Cholesterol  The amount is different for each piece of meat

Nutritive Value  Use the Nutrition Facts label to find out how healthy the meat is.  All processed meats will have a Nutrition Facts label

Nutrition Labels

How to choose healthy  Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol  Buy lean cuts of meat  Organ meats have a lot of cholesterol

Quality  This describes the tenderness, juiciness, and flavor of the meat  The meat will have a grade on the package to tell you the quality  There will be a shield shaped label on the meat to tell you the quality

Quality

Quality  There are 8 grades of meat   They are USDA Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, and Canner.

The grades  USDA Prime, Select, and Choice come from younger beef  The highest grade is Prime  The grade most used is Choice  The lower grades are Utility, Cutter and Canner  The rules are similar for other types of meat like lamb and pork

Storing Meat   Suggested Storage Times for Raw Meat ProductFreezerRefrigerator Beef, roasts and steaks 6-12 months3-5 days Lamb, roasts and chops 6-9 months3-5 days Pork, roasts and chops4-6 months3-5 days Beef and lamb, ground3-4 months1-2 days Pork, sausage1-2 months1-2 days

How to buy meat-Beef   USDA Prime   highest quality, most tender, juicy, flavorful   USDA Choice   most popular quality, very tender, juicy, flavorful   USDA Select   very lean quality, tender, not as juicy or flavorful

How to buy meat-Lamb   USDA Prime   highest in tenderness, juiciness, and flavor   USDA Choice   very high in tenderness, juiciness, and flavor

How to buy meat-Pork   USDA Acceptable Quality   very lean, firm, with grayish pink color

Cost  What can you afford?  Plan a budget and stick with it  Look for sales