wine tip

Buffalo was once the chief source of meat for many Native Americans before the animal nearly became instinct over two centuries ago. However
because of its many health benefits and other factors
buffalo meat is rapidly making a comeback to plates and palates today.

Private ranches are now raising buffalos in a bid to fill the growing demand for buffalo meat but the supply remains miniscule compared to the supply of beef
making it presently relatively expensive. Despite the costs however
buffalo meat has many advantages over beef which makes it an ideal meat alternative for the health conscious.

For one
buffalo meat has 70% to 90% less fat than beef and half the cholesterol. Further
because they are stronger than domestic animals
they don’t require growth hormones and artificial substances to get them to size. In appearance
buffalo meat is similar to beef except that it has a darker reddish color. Connoisseurs however say that buffalo meat has more flavor than beef and is just as tender.

Buffalo is also as versatile as beef and has similar cuts. It can be used in any beef recipe but has to be prepared and cooked differently because it cooks faster than beef due to the absence of fat within the muscle. Fat acts as an insulator which tends to slow down cooking time so with less fat content
the meat will cook faster.

To prepare a buffalo steak
experts advise putting olive oil on each side before cooking in order to keep the meat moist. The key is to go “low and slow”. One should turn the buffalo steak over often and cook at a lower heat than steak. Also use slower cooking times but avoid overcooking the buffalo as this could dry the meat out. If you are using a gas grill
experts also advise keeping the lid closed to keep the moisture in. If you are cooking buffalo meat in the broiler meantime
it is advised to move the oven rack a notch lower than what you would use to broil beef. Chefs however advise against using a broiler to cook buffalo meat. If you are using the stove
the stove should be turned to medium. Ground buffalo meat can also be used as a substitute for ground beef but it is well to remember that buffalo does not shrink in size when cooked.

In general
an 8 ounce buffalo steak will take about 10 minutes to prepare medium. Studies show that buffalo cooked at a medium temperature produces the tastiest results but if you want your buffalo steak well done
you may want to consider cooking at a very low temperature (180 – 200F) and for at least 10 hours. When cooking buffalo steak
the basic guidelines to remember are to use lower heat and to retain the moisture. One way of sealing in buffalo’s natural juices is to sear the meat on both sides. Because
buffalo cooks faster
you should expect that compared to beef cooked to the same degree of doneness
buffalo steaks or burgers will be ready faster.

Paired with onions
mushrooms or your favorite seasoning; buffalo is offering meat lovers a variety of natural and healthy ways to enjoy their meals.

When you have no time to cook your own food
what do you do? The answer is obvious
of course. You go out to your local fast food outlet (in deference to your kids’ preferences)
you go out to the food strip at the mall
or you order take out. It is convenient and you can eat your fill at these joints. What’s not so obvious
however
is what such a practice is doing to you and your children’s health.

Healthy eating habits are crucial to achieving a healthy mind and body. Healthy eating habits refer to eating meals regularly
eating well-balanced meals
and eating only what’s necessary. Healthy eating habits do not involve eating burgers and fries for lunch.

The Fast Food Culture

Unfortunately
some people do think that it is healthy to have burgers and fries for lunch. Advertising spiels have a lot to answer for this. In a world filled with fast food and restaurants
it is but natural that the companies serving up this food have to undermine people’s preference for home-cooked meals or they will become redundant and not make any profit.

As such
big food corporations put millions of dollars into TV commercials that assert in not so many words that a meal eaten at a fast food is special while eating at home with your family the meal your mother cooked is nothing but ordinary.

Such a reversal of values was helped along by the faster pace of life
where people have no more time to devote to preparing home-cooked meals. People are always driving or commuting to work
attending business meetings
or maybe holding one or two jobs. You cannot expect someone who has already been working 12 hours straight to come home and prepare a lengthy meal. It makes more sense to buy some take-out or bring the family out for a meal.

People are aware that they need to eat healthy food. However
what do you do if you are misled into thinking that restaurant fare and fast food taste better than home-cooked food? Sadly
there’s also an underlying effort to make people think that food in restaurant and fast foods are all healthy
that there’s really not much difference when you eat in or out. It’s all the same
but eating out is more convenient.

As people continue to be bombarded with mass media advertisements advocating the value of fast food and eating out
and as people become even more busy trying to hold on to their jobs
more and more people stop cooking and begin taking these commercials to heart. People have deserted home-cooked and nutritious meals that need hours of preparation for big servings of calorie- and fat-rich food that gets served up within minutes.

The Diseased Nation

The success of the fast food industry in establishing a culture that thrives in fast food and meals eaten out
our people’s health has been placed on the balance. Thus
America is now an ailing nation. Incidence of heart disease
diabetes and high blood pressure continues to rise as obesity becomes even more prevalent.

I am not saying that fast food is to be avoided at all costs. What I am saying is that a trip to the fast food should be made only very infrequently
not three times a week as most people now are wont to do. A change should be instituted to bring back the days when there’s no doubt about what healthy food is and where to find it. This is all I ask.

This popular Artisan KitchenAid stand mixer is the standard mixer found in many kitchens around the United States.

This mixer is small
convenient
and has the ten-power speed
according to the manufacturer
to mix up to four loaves of bread at once
nine dozen cookies
or seven pounds of mashed potatoes. Originally
this mixer comes with a regular mixing head for baking and blending in general.

Also included is the kneading hook for when making bread and also the wire whip for egg whites or whipped cream.

In my kitchen
this mixer was my very first stand mixer.

From what I discovered
there were a lot of very well designed and thought-out aspects to this mixer.

One of the first things that I liked about this mixer was the convenient tilt-head. When I was trying to blend in flour or something messy
it was nice to have more room to work with- instead of the other mixers which have a bowl that comes down
the head doesn’t go up.

Frequently there’s just not enough room to fit the item you’re trying to blend in into the bowl with the little bit of space provided. It can usually be quite messy and frankly I do not like a messy kitchen.

Another good thing about the Artisan KitchenAid mixer is that it has a locking head to keep it from bouncing and such on the tougher dough.

If the head bounces
like it does on some other mixers
then how do you plan on mixing the dough thoroughly? With that strategy
all you’re going to end up with is a lightly mixed mess… and no one likes that. This Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer is a real work horse!

This mixer’s ten-speed controls are capable of mixing nearly anything you can think of. Any faster than the speeds which are offered on the mixer and the mixer might take off like a plane. The lowest speed is just right for the mixes which are very liquid-based or those which can spill out onto the counter easily.

My primary negative comment about this mixer is that
for some jobs
it’s just not large enough. It says that you can mix nine dozen cookies- but not if you want anything in those cookies. For about 4 dozen chocolate chip cookies
the mixer really has to work.

Even when it can mix all the ingredients
by the time you are done filling up the bowl
the mix is really high on the sides and it can spill easily. So I always shoot for smaller recipes or make the larger ones in two batches.

Overall
this is a great mixer for everyday chefs who are just starting out or even for those who have many years of experience under their apron but are looking to purchase a basic stand mixer.

This Artisan KitchenAid mixer is perfect for nearly any occasion and for any baker or chef
in the family kitchen!

Pick the color that is right for you and then enjoy your new KitchenAid Stand Mixer.

Most people hear the word beef and they automatically think about steaks
especially the big four: filet mignon
NY Strip
rib eyes and even top sirloins all pop onto the grill at a great rate. And of course
beef also means hamburger
be it patties
meatloaf or hamburger helper.

However
the movement to artisan and natural foods leave most ranchers in the dust. Many ranchers trying to meet the demand for source verified
locally produced and of course
all natural beef have been smacked hard when he finds the consumer only wants steaks.

Let's take a quick view what a rancher sees when he slaughters a steer. He gets about 450 lbs of beef. Only about 100 lbs is actual steaks (if he is lucky). Yeah
ouch for him and for his consumers. So he has to figure out a way to market the rest of the beef.

The easiest way is to grind it into hamburger. And actually
350
pounds of hamburger doesn't seem all that much
but it really is. While it will easily fit into a large chest freezer
this amount of hamburger will feed 1050 individuals a 1/3 lb burger
which is a generous size. That is a lot of people. A family of three would get pretty sick of eating this much burger over the course of the year.

Let's look at other cuts. Recently
and especially in the restaurant circle
you may have heard about some other steaks such as flank
skirt
hanger and especially flatiron. The last one is the second most tender steak to filet mignon. All of these steaks are incredibly delicious
but there is not much of them. All together
maybe 15-20 lbs per animal. A couple of those steaks such as hanger and skirt
well there are only two per animal.

Those butcher steaks as they are often called don't really help much. Now we are down to about 330 lbs of beef. Unfortunately
we are now into the cuts that require a bit of time and very small amount of cooking skills. However
in many ways these cuts fill the house with delightful aromas and of course eating enjoyment.

I wouldn't touch a grocery store roast or hamburger for that matter. But artisan or locally raised beef roasts
wow. Some awesome roasts can really wow your family and friends. Artisan roasts are well marbled
almost self-marinating. I'm used to dry-aged beef and so my roasts are essentially fork tender when cooked.

Roasts
bones and some off cuts make up about 150 to 200 pounds. One of my favorite roasts is the old fashion chuck roast. There is close to 50 pounds of this mouth watering cut. The best way to cook this cut is with a simple crockpot. Yup
it will take 8 hours or so to cook and the last few
you might even nibble a bit here and there. But
you don't have to stand there for 8 hours. Put it in the morning and go have fun.

Rump roasts are also good when properly cooked and especially from quality beef. They are a bit dryer than chuck and with a tighter grain
but sliced thin and served with a mushroom gravy
just incredible.

Then we have the odd cuts
London broils
sirloin tip roasts (luxury)
fresh brisket (barbecue beef)
eye of round (poor mans tenderloin)
and a few other steaks such as bottom round.

A few of the odd cuts that even chefs like are short ribs. Braised short ribs are almost sinful for how good they can be. You would be amazed how many 5-star restaurants serve this simple but elegant treat.

While we continue to whittle the cuts down
at the end of the day
you will have about 150-200 pounds of hamburger to eat. And you thought we would eliminate it all. Sorry
can't do it. But a good meatloaf is a pretty tough dish to turn down.

The best way to help an artisan rancher including ourselves is to buy a eighth or a quarter of beef. It is also cost effective way as well and includes some steaks
some roasts and of course some hamburger.

Here is a simple and elegant dish using chuck roasts that your family will beg for more.

Mock Beef Stroganoff

Traditional beef stroganoff is made with diced tenderloin roast. Personally
any beef dish would be incredible with tenderloin
but there are actually better tasting options that take a little longer to make and are touch more economical.

6
tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons minced onion 2 pounds chuck roast
cut thin in 1 x 1 inch cubes ˝ pound mushrooms
sliced salt and pepper to taste 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 1 cup sour cream
at room temperature

1
the oven to 300F. 2.Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy dutch oven with the heat on medium-high
add the beef and quickly sear all sides until the beef is brown. Add a cup of beef stock and place the lid on the dutch oven and cook until fork tender
about 2 hours. Check occasionally to make sure the meat does not dry out during cooking. 3.Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy skillet. Add the onion and cook slowly until transparent. Remove and set aside. 4.Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet. Stir in the mushrooms
cover and cook 3 minutes. Season with salt
pepper and nutmeg. Whisk the sour cream and add to the pan
but do not allow it to boil. Return the beef and onions to the pan and just heat through. 5.Serve over a bed of egg noodles.