I am sharing my own experience and knowledge which is limited. Maybe u know some or all of this and I am sure that some day you will teach me a thing or two...hwv these are the things I find that it helps to know when cooking and buying food and some of the things I wished I had known sooner.
For all meats:
Try to get the freshest meat of course. If it smells in any way or the color does not look fresh, forget it.
Important: All meat continues to cook after u take it off the heat, so its best to stop heat/cooking just before its reached the desired cooking result.
You can braise or roast any large piece of meat in a pan before cooking it in the oven, it gives it that nice roasted color...and then u can keep it covered while in the oven the whole cooking time to keep it moist. U heat a pan on high or high med-high with butter or oil and let each side cook the time for it to brown just the outside without cooking the inside. I find this interesting tho I haven't done it many times lol!
Beef:
Choosing:
Red meat should be a nice fresh red; look out for strange discoloration, no purple or brownish color of any kind, it means its been sitting there too long. Of course if u bought it fresh and it stays two days in the fridge it will change some color.
The most expensive is the best cuts, more tender and sometimes better quality so its somewhere I personally don't like to skimp. However there are some good less expensive parts of beef that when cooked slowly on low become really tender like in stew. I still don't know the name of the parts and what they are good for, I go by look, feel and price lol! Hwv might do a little educating of myself and share with you here soon!
Cooking:
If ur cooking steak in a pan its best to cook on high apparently...especially for those who like it not well done...all u need is some pepper and salt at least, you can add all sorts of spices and sauces too. Letting each side cook one at a time rather than continuously turning them over is supposedly best, not sure I have yet to achieve that....lol! Good and high quality red meat and pork can be cooked on high temperature and be eaten not completely well done. Low quality with some nerves and tendons (yuck hate to know that its there!) becomes very tender cooked on very low heat longer.
Chicken:
Wash with cold water any chicken parts before u cook, especially with skin....I have to say I do this less than I use to, hwv its recommended and it is said to be careful of all uncooked juices of chicken so just clean up area u work with it uncooked.....duh.....because it turns toxic when left out too long....ur dad use to receive so much stuff on restriction and use of caution when using chicken at restaurants I think I just got paranoid....I care much less now...we know any meat left out will go bad and have bacteria and wtv...yet in France and in Panama people leave their roast out all night in the freaken heat! In Panama Blad's aunt had the turkey out for two days in 40 C heat! Maybe different people develop different immunity according to what they are exposed.
To cook a whole chicken in the oven salt the whole chicken skin down u can put it in the fridge for a while or overnight, Martha Stewart puts it in a plastic bag....hwv I saw Lorena salt a whole chicken and put it in the over right away.... it dries out the skin so it will roast nicely...I am no expert on this just stuff I have discovered lol!
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