What Is Beef and How Can I Use It?
Beef rewards a little know-how: how to choose it, cook it, store it, and substitute in a pinch. Browse 595 recipes to cook with it.
Key Points
- Beef is the meat from cattle and is valued for its rich flavor and protein.
- Different cuts vary in tenderness and best cooking methods.
- Choose bright red meat with white marbling.
- Store fresh beef in the refrigerator and use within a few days.
- Freeze for longer storage. Thaw in the refrigerator.
- Ground turkey or plant-based alternatives can substitute in many recipes.
What is beef?
Beef is the meat from cattle and is one of the most widely consumed meats in the world. It is valued for its rich flavor, high protein content, and usefulness in cooking. Different cuts vary in tenderness, flavor, and best cooking methods.
Beef can be grilled, roasted, braised, or ground for burgers and other dishes. Popular cuts include steaks, roasts, and ground beef. The choice of cut depends on the desired cooking method and texture.
How to Choose It
Look for beef that is bright red with white marbling. The fat should be creamy white, not yellow. Avoid meat with gray or brown discoloration.
Check the grade on the label. Prime, Choice, and Select are the most common grades in the United States. Higher grades generally have more marbling and tenderness.
How to Use It
Beef can be cooked using dry or moist heat methods. Steaks and roasts are best cooked with dry heat like grilling or roasting. Tougher cuts benefit from moist heat methods like braising or stewing.
Ground beef is useful and cooks quickly. It is commonly used in burgers, meatballs, tacos, and pasta sauces. Always cook ground beef to an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C) for safety.
Storage
Store fresh beef in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Ground beef should be used within one to two days, while steaks and roasts can keep for three to five days. For longer storage, wrap tightly and freeze for up to one year.
Thaw frozen beef in the refrigerator overnight. Never thaw at room temperature to prevent bacterial growth.
Substitutes
Ground turkey or chicken can substitute for ground beef in many recipes, though the flavor will be milder. For vegetarian options, plant-based ground "beef" or lentils can work in some dishes.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 piece, cooked, excluding refuse (yield from 1 lb raw meat with refuse) (286g)Where found
Beef is usually found in the meats section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.
Food group
Beef is a member of the Beef Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.
How much does beef weigh?
| Amount | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1 piece, cooked, excluding refuse (yield from 1 lb raw meat with refuse) | 286 grams |
| 3 ounce | 85 grams |
Related
Beef Products
- In Chinese:
- 牛肉
- British (UK) term:
- Beef
- en français:
- le boeuf
- en español:
- carne de res
Recipes using beef
There are 595 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Beef & Vegetables in Red Wine Sauce
A sophisticated main dish of beef strips marinated in red wine and accompanied by a colorful array of sweet bell peppers, this recipe is a delightful fusion of rich flavors and vibrant colors, a feast for the senses that is as visually stunning as it is gastronomically gratifying.
Barbecue Hamburgers
Barbecue hamburgers topped with a quick homemade sauce simmered from ketchup, pineapple juice, and onion. Pan-fried beef patties piled into soft rolls and spooned with a sweet-tangy barbecue glaze.
Shrimp Flavored Beef over Rice
My intention was to combine flavors of shrimp and beef inside the meat as well as inside the sauce..
Buffalo & Beans
Buffalo and beans is a hearty chili that mixes ground bison with ground beef, kidney beans, sweet peppers and mushrooms. Long-simmered for deep flavor, leaner than all-beef chili and meatier than pure bison.
Beefy Chunk & Cheese Chili
Curried beef and kidney bean chili topped with sharp cheddar and fresh scallions. The unexpected curry powder addition transforms a basic chili into something with serious depth and global flavor.
Favorite Beef & Broccoli
Simple ingredients and authentic technique get this sensational Broccoli Beef stirfry on the table in a flash. Faster than delivery or takeout!
Mom's Favourite Chili
Mom's chili stacks beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, and a quiet blend of cumin, oregano, and basil into a slow-simmered family-style pot. Old-school weeknight chili with a long-simmer payoff.
Zesty Meatball Sandwiches- Crock Pot
Try something different for lunch with this scrumptious dish you can use to make amazing sandwiches.
A Very Tasty Chili
Smoky beef chili with toasted dried chiles, habanero heat, and kidney beans. Toast, blend, and simmer for deep chile flavor that'll ruin you for canned chili powder forever.
Bev's Meatballs
Try something new when it comes to meatballs with this tasty recipe that uses mushrooms, cheese and oregano.
Beef With Broccoli Stir Fry (New Year)
The secret to this recipe is cooking the beef in 1 cup of oil to seal in the juices, and cooking the broccoli in water to make it crisp and tender. For a more authentic touch, try using Chinese broccoli, which has an appearance and taste similar to asparagus.
Dale-Burgers
Dale-Burgers stuff ground beef with barbecue sauce, cayenne, garlic, and Worcestershire for a juicy, well-seasoned grilled patty. Backyard burger that tastes like it took longer than it did.
Spicy Sesame Beef Stir-Fry
Spicy sesame beef stir-fry with crisp-tender broccoli and sweet peppers in a gingery soy-garlic sauce. The beef is coated in sesame seeds and seared fast for a quick weeknight wok dinner, gluten-free with tamari.
Black Angus Burger with Cheddar &Grld Green Chiles (Gr)
Black Angus Burger with Cheddar &Grld Green Chiles (Gr) recipe
Besttexas Chili
Slow cooker Texas-style chili with ground beef, kidney and pinto beans, plum tomatoes, and a touch of warming whole allspice. A 4-hour low-and-slow chili built from pantry staples.
Mom's Chocolate Chili
Beef chili with kidney beans, tomato puree, green chiles and a finishing stir of bittersweet chocolate. Mole-inspired depth from cocoa balances the heat. A 1-hour one-pot weeknight dinner.
Best Texas Chili
An easy slow-cooker beef chili loaded with pinto beans, tomatoes, and chili powder. Quick-saute the aromatics, then let the crockpot do the rest for a hearty, crowd-sized pot, finished with shredded cheddar.
Beef & Zucchini Stuffed Tomatoes
Paleo friendly. Tomatoes stuffed with beef, pesto and topped with an egg.
Spinach & Long White Radish Soup
Spinach and long white radish soup: a clear beef broth scented with juniper and tarragon, loaded with daikon, potato, and spinach, brightened with lemon and turmeric. An unusual, fresh spring bowl.
Bert Greene's Peppered Chili
Bert Greene's peppered chili layers ground beef and beef shoulder strips with three different chiles (mild ground, caribe, fresh serrano). Slow-baked three hours with red wine, fresh tomatoes, and herbs. Kidney beans go in last. A serious cook's chili.
Chicken Soup with Tiny Meatballs
Italian-style chicken soup with tiny beef meatballs (polpettine), tender chicken pulled from the bone, carrots, and basil. Two proteins in one bowl: shredded poached chicken plus pinky-fingertip-sized meatballs.
A Working Woman's Chili
Quick weeknight chili with ground round, kidney beans, chipotle in adobo, black olives, and a splash of oregano vinegar. Hearty 60-minute one-pot dinner.
Andy Beals' Chili
About half of the beans I used were chili beans. And I used a Guinness beer. I (roughly) seeded the jalapenos and this was surprisingly still spicy. A cheap cut of beef works quite well; the beef chunks get so tender and this is an overall delicious dish. I froze half of it.
