Beef topside in vacuum

The main element that shows if beef is cooked well enough is the color. A medium steak will have an outer brown color while the inside will keep the pink aspect of the fresh meat. If we go towards medium rare and well done the interior gets darker until it reaches the brown outside.

Grilling: maybe the healthiest way to cook beef regardless if you are using a grill with charcoal or gas. Grilling is dry, with no oil. Pan frying: the meat is fried in a pan with a small quantity of oil; it is very useful for fast recipes; recommended for thin cuts; you can also try the healthier way of frying the meat in the pan with no oil. Cooking in wok or stir pan: used for small pieces of beef placed on a thin layer of oil; depending on the recipe you can add sauces, vegetables or other ingredients. Tip: to be able to cut the meat into small pieces, keep it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes Broiling: used for big pieces of meat with liquids; it is a slow cooking method which will make the meat very tender. Boiling: associated with stews; it uses small pieces of meat mixed with vegetables and other ingredients in much liquid; it is a slow cooking method

Even if we take care to wrap the beef so the flavour and its properties are best preserved it is good to consider some important tips for transporting and storing fresh beef. When you are shopping leave the meat last. This way it stays in the store fridge. If the way back home takes longer than half an hour it would not be a bad idea to consider a thermal bag or case. Minced meat has a shorter shelf life than the whole chunk. It is recommended to cook it rapidly and to keep it in the refrigerator for maximum 24 hours. If you want to keep beef in your freezer for a longer period of time use special freezer bags removing as much air as possible.

A well done piece of meat can be served with a red wine with an intense flavour. Therefore you can choose safely a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Merlot. Sure you can be creative and try to serve beef with other wines, depending on the herbs and spices you are using. This way you will emphasize even more the Carpathian Beef flavour and juiciness.