home > Kitchenware Ingredients Meat - Information about Meat from Start2Cook.co.uk         1) Cooking Ingredients 2) Information about Herbs and Spices 3) Information about Meat 4) Information about Vegetables 5) Information about Fruit 6) Cooking Techniques 7) Great Recipes 8) Cookware Kits 9) Cooking Utensils 10) Strainers And Colanders 11) Kitchen Gadgets and Gizmos 12) Whisks 13) Splatter Screens 14) Graters 15) Wooden Spoons 16) Can Openers 17) Peelers 18) Paring Knives 19) Pointed Knives 20) Bread Knives 21) Chefs Knives 22) Filleting Knifes 23) Cheese Knives 24) Vegetable Cutters 25) Corkscrews 26) Ice Cube Trays 27) Salt Pots and Pepper Pots 28) Serving Spoons 29) Serving Ladels 30) Slotted Food Turner 31) Fish Slices 32) Measuring Jugs 33) Egg Pancake Rings 34) Pastry Brushes 35) Slotted Spoons 36) Potato Mashers 37) Garlic Presses 38) Vegetable Peelers 39) Egg Slicers 40) Cutting Chopping Boards 41) Ice Cream Scoops 42) Fridge Freezer Thermometers 43) Meat Thermometers 44) Food Safety Covers 45) Corn Cob Holders 46) Food Handling Tongs 47) Cooling Racks 48) Spaghetti Servers 49) Apple Corers 50) Pizza Cutters 51) Spatulas 52) Measuring Spoons 53) Gas Lighters 54) Fizz Keeper Caps 55) Wine Saver Systems 56) Cookie Cutters 57) Timers 58) Skewers 59) Basting Stock Pots 60) Kitchen Weighing Scales 61) Silicon Bakeware 62) Pan Sets 63) Iced Lolly Moulds 64) Oven Trays 65) Cutlery Sets 66) Stock Pots 67) Baking Trays 68) Pressure Cookers 69) Roasting Racks 70) Grill Pans 71) Sandwich Tins 72) Bun Cake Baking Trays 73) Griddles 74) Pizza Crispers 75) POTS AND PANS 76) CUTTING CHOPPING PREPARING 77) STIRING AND SERVING 78) SUPER FAST COOKING 79) ROASTING IN THE OVEN 80) WEIGHING AND MEASURING 81) OVEN BAKING 82) FRIDGE AND FREEZER TOOLS 83) DRINKING AND WINE TOOLS 84) ANTONY WORRALL THOMPSON 85) Food Storage 86) Potato Ricer 87) Popular Products > Anchovy Silver, slender salty little fish found mainly around the Black Sea and the Pacific and Atlantic, as well as the Mediterranean, where the best are thought to come from. They're generally around 8-10cm long and, as their delicate flavour doesn't last long after they're caught, they are rarely exported fresh. Instead, they're filleted, salt-cured and packed in oil or salt (these are particularly flavourful) in tins or jars. Preserved that way, they take on an intense but sophisticated fish flavour and are a great store cupboard standby.     > Autumn Lamb As opposed to 'spring lamb' autumn lamb is lamb that is born in the spring and is often more flavoursome and tender than its more heralded spring equivalent. The lambs graze and fatten up on summer grass and are all the more flavoursome for it.     > Bacon Bacon is pork that has been cured one of two ways: dry or wet. It can be bought as both rashers and larger cuts. A dry-cure (in which the meat is rubbed with salt and flavourings) is the superior method of curing. A wet cure involves steeping the meat in a brine of salt and water. It's common for manufacturers to inject the brine into the meat too, in order to increase the weight and volume; bacon that's been cured in this way will shrink and release a cloudy, yellow liquid when it's cooked, and won't be as crisp as dry cured. Bacon is sold as both smoked or unsmoked - the latter is termed 'green', and is paler and milder than the smoked variety. There are three types of rasher: back (from the loin, the leanest and most expensive), streaky (from the belly, it's the fattiest and often tastiest cut) and middle (back and streaky bacon in one cut). Bacon joints include collar (from the shoulder), hock (from the front leg of the pig) and gammon (from the hind leg). Never eat raw bacon.     > Beef The classic cut of meat for a British Sunday roast, beef is full of flavour, as well as being a good source of high-quality protein, iron and B vitamins. But it's not just a one-dish ingredient - the wide range of cuts available, from expensive sirloin steak to the much more affordable brisket, mean it's pretty versatile. British-reared breeds, such as Aberdeen Angus, Longhorn and Hereford have traditionally been considered to be among the best beef in the world, but the reputation of other premium breeds such as Wagyu, which originated in Japan, are increasingly on the rise. Most beef cuts are sold ready-prepared, so it's generally a fairly easy meat to cook.     > Chicken Chicken's many plus points - its versatility, as well as the ease and speed with which it can be cooked - make it one of the most popular meats around. It's lower in saturated fat than most meats, especially if the skin is removed, and has a high level of good quality protein, as well as B vitamins, iron, copper and selenium. The pale flesh has a close texture and a mild flavour that pairs up well with many different ingredients. Never eat raw chicken, and always thoroughly wash your hands, utensils and cutting board as soon as you've cut or handled raw chicken.     > Chorizo A coarsely textured spiced pork sausage widely used in Spanish and Mexican cooking. It is made from coarsely chopped pork and red pepper and seasoned with chilli and paprika. Mexican chorizo is made with fresh pork while Spanish chorizo uses smoked pork. Chorizo can be eaten raw or cooked. If raw it must be cooked but it is usually a fermented cured sausage which can be sliced and eaten without cooking. Uncooked chorizo is softer to the touch and, when cooked, releases a delicious spicy red oil. Spanish chorizo gets its trademark smoky flavour and rich red colour from Pimenton, which is smoked Spanish paprika, and is usually very spicy. Uncooked chorizo is softer to the touch and, when cooked, releases a delicious spicy red oil.     > Cockles They may be most associated with Dublin, alive alive-o, but cockles are available all over the world. Their small, heart-shaped shells contain a small, delicate morsel of flesh that can be eaten raw, steamed or boiled. A member of the clam family, although cockles may seem like a lot of work for little return, they have a delicious salty flavour that needs to be treated gently.     > Cod A popular mild-flavoured saltwater fish mainly found in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Cod's white flesh is succulent, flaky, firm and lean but it has commonly been considered inferior to other types of fish most probably because it was overcooked and, for many years, plentiful and cheap. Overfishing has since depleted stocks - to the point of disappearance in some areas.     > Crab A crustacean that has its skeleton on the outside protecting a soft, flavoursome flesh. There are many varieties of crabs. The most commonly eaten crab in the UK is the common edible or brown crab that weighs up to 3kg and contains plenty of sweet, succulent flesh. Female crabs have sweeter flesh than males.     > Dublin Bay Prawn A crustacean the size of a small crayfish fished not from Dublin Bay but off the North West coast of Scotland. Dublin Bay Prawns are similar to scampi and langoustines. When very fresh, Dublin Bay prawns have an outstanding slightly sweet flavour - this is often lost when they have been frozen.     > Duck Rich and full of flavour, duck meat is extremely nutritious, with high levels of protein, B vitamins and minerals such as zinc, potassium, magnesium and iron. Weight for weight, it has less meat than chicken and turkey but, because its flavour is strong, a little goes a long way. If you're cooking duck breast its comparatively high fat content can be reduced by removing the skin, and the layer of fat that sits beneath it, before cooking. Farmed duck, domesticated from the wild mallard, is the most commonly available, but wild duck is also available in season. Duck is popular in Chinese and Thai cuisine, as well as in European cookery, which often pairs it with fruits such as oranges, raspberries, cherries, cranberries and blueberries.     > Goose A traditional alternative to a Christmas turkey, goose is packed with flavour, with rich, densely-textured meat. Although it has a high fat content, most of this is under the skin, rather than in the meat, which means that, during cooking, it melts and bastes the breast, keeping it juicy. The extra fat layer, and the fact that it's bonier, with a large rib cage, means that, weight for weight, a goose will feed fewer people than a turkey.     > Grouse Of all the feathered game, grouse is considered the king - hence the first day of the grouse shooting season, 12 August, being named The Glorious Twelth. Grouse is native to Scotland but is found elsewhere in the UK. Its flesh is rich, with a distinctive red colour and a gamey flavour, and it's quite small, meaning that one bird is enough for one person. Young birds are best roasted, while older birds work well cooked in a casserole.     > Guinea Fowl A small domesticated fowl somewhat similar to chicken or pheasant in flavour with a darker, slightly dryer and gamier tasting flesh. There are several species of guinea fowl and all originate from Africa but can be found raised in Europe.     > Gurnard A lean, firm, white-fleshed, prehistoric looking fish found in the Atlantic and Mediterranean oceans. Gurnards live on the seabed and use their fins to find the crab, fish and shrimps that live in the sediment.     > Haddock A white-fleshed salt water fish often compared with cod in flavour and texture. Found on the seabed of cold northern seas in Europe and North America, haddock has suffered from overfishing.     > Halibut The largest flatfish in the ocean, halibut is a delicious white-fleshed fish with a firm, meaty texture. Halibut live in the freezing cold waters off Scotland, Norway, Iceland and Newfoundland and will devour almost any type of fish or crustacean they come across.     > Lamb A lamb is a sheep that is under one year old, and is known for its delicate flavour and tender flesh. Young lamb is slaughtered between 6 and 8 weeks - it is the palest of all lamb. Spring (also called early or summer lamb) is 3 to 5 months old. Lamb between 1 and 2 years is called 'hoggart' - it has a stonger flavour and slightly less tender flesh; anything over 2 years is called mutton, which has much more flavour - but also a tougher flesh that needs slow-cooking to tenderise it. The older a lamb, the deeper the colour of the meat, though the time it has been hung for and the breed that it comes from will also make a difference.     > Lobster The king of the crustaceans, lobster is a delicacy that commands a very high price, with white, firm meat that is sweet and succulent. Before it is cooked, lobster shell has a very dark colour, with tints that range from blue/green to red/purple - it gains its distinctive deep red brick colour only when it's cooked. Generally speaking, the colder the waters in which the lobster was fished, the better the flavour. There are three main types: Canadian or American, which have round, very fleshy claws; European, fished around England, Scotland, Ireland, Brittany and Norway, which are considered to have the best flavour; and Slipper or Squat lobster, which live in warmer oceans, such as those surrounding Australia, where they are called 'bugs'. They have wide bodies and spindly legs, and aren't generally sold in Europe.     > Mussels Once regarded as the poor relation of the shellfish family because of their small size and relative abundance, mussels are now very popular and fairly cheap. The most common Blue or European mussels have sleek, shiny shells and tender, nutritious flesh. Like oysters, they are indiscriminate feeders and must be gathered from unpolluted waters. It is because of this that most mussels that you find in supermarkets and fishmongers are farmed.     > Pork One of the most versatile types of meat, pork is economical, tender if cooked correctly, and oozing with flavour. It is often thought of as a particularly fatty type of meat but modern breeding, rearing and butchering has today made pork a low-fat , healthy meat. Furthermore, the fat it does contain is less saturated than that found in other meats. Pork is high in protein, an excellent source of iron, zinc and B vitamins and tastes wonderful too - so get some pork on your fork.     > Prawn There are thousands of different species of prawn, but tiger, king and North Atlantic are the most commonly sold in the UK. They are fished in both the ocean and fresh water, and are farmed as well as wild. Most of them have a narrow, tapering body, under which the tail is curled, and long, whiskery antennae. The body is encased in a brittle shell, and all types have ten legs. When raw, they are bluey-grey or, in the case of the smaller varieties, almost translucent. When cooked, the shells turn pink and the sweet, meaty flesh turns white tinged with pink; brief cooking is essential, otherwise the flesh will become tough. As with other types of crustacea, prawns fished in cold waters tend to be more flavourful than those from warm waters. Although anatomically incorrect, the part of the prawn eaten, the meaty body, is referred to as the tail. The very small shellfish referred to as shrimps are prawns, too - the term shrimp just indicates their diminuitive size.     > Quail Originally native to the Middle East, quail are now found across Europe. It's a small bird, so one will serve one person as a starter, and you'll need two as a main course. It has a fairly high proportion of lean, meaty flesh to bone, and a delicate flavour.     > Salami Salami are a family of coarse, dry, boldly seasoned sausages. The intense flavour of salami arises from the long curing process, during which the sausage matures in its skin. This process also means that salami are safe and ready to eat, despite being uncooked. Traditional salami combines a mixture of minced beef, pork, wine, salt and various herbs and spices. The term 'salami' is Italian, but varieties of cured sausage can be found around the world (often named after the region or country of origin). Salami varies in size, shape, seasoning and curing process; well known examples include pepperoni, Spanish chorizo and French garlic sausage.     > Salmon With its delicate, sweet flesh and wide availability, salmon is one of the most popular fish. The widespread farming of salmon means there is a wide variety in the quality and flavour of the meat. Wild salmon, particularly that from Scottish or Irish rivers, is considered superior.     > Sardine Sardines are named after the island of Sardinia, where they were once found in abundance. Found in shoals throughout the Atlantic and Mediterranean, sardines have a silver skin and a rich-flavoured flesh that is dark in colour. A very healthy oily fish, older sardines are known as pilchards. Tinned sardines are also common, and while they lack the subtlety of taste of the fresh fish, they are a useful storecupboard ingredient.     > Trout Farmed rainbow trout has pretty, spotty skin with a rainbow sheen, and is most the most widely available variety in Britain. It is relatively inexpensive with a sweet, succulent flesh that is fantastic grilled or poached and served with a large dollop of mayonnaise. Brown trout is harder to come by, make friends with a fisherman so you can experience the creamy meaty texture, and succulent white flesh.     > Tuna A member of the mackerel family, tuna are mainly found in the world's warmer oceans. They can grow to a huge size (up to 700kg) and their meaty flesh is distinctively flaky and firm with a rich, strong flavour, the consequence of its comparatively high oil content. Tuna is mainly sold as steaks. It dries out quite quickly, so should be cooked very briefly over a high heat; marinated before cooking; or simmered in a sauce. There are many different varieties of tuna but, largely as a consequence of prolonged overfishing, only a handful of these are commercially available - and most of those that are available are considered to be endangered to the point of extinction (Mediterranean and Atlantic) or in decline, particularly bluefin.     > Turbot A large saltwater flatfish, turbot is unlikely to ever win any aquatic beauty contests. With lumpy brown skin and a tiny head, a turbot could only be loved by its mother, but it makes up for this with its delicious delicate white flesh. It is expensive to buy and should be cooked gently without other overpowering flavours.     > Turkey The traditional Christmas bird, turkey is good to eat all year round though is only readily available as portions much of the year. It has all the nutritional plus points of chicken, but with a slightly lower fat content, which is good for health, but does mean that the flesh can be on the dry side. Counteract this with frequent basting during roasting or by marinading cuts before cooking them. Never eat raw turkey, and always thoroughly wash your hands, utensils and cutting board as soon as you've cut or handled raw turkey.     > Venison The term venison was originally used to describe the meat of any furred game, but in Britain it has come to mean the meat from deer (though in America it means the meat from antelope, caribou, elk, mouse and reindeer, as well as deer). The meat is dark, lean and generally tender, though wild venison might be a little tougher than farmed, as the deer will have had more exercise. Age has an influence on the level of tenderness - the younger the animal, the more tender the meat - as well as other factors, such as diet and the way the animal has been handled since it was killed.     > Whiting Small silvery fish with tender, white, firm flesh, delicately flavoured and low in fat. Whiting is related to cod but is slightly cheaper and less flavoursome. They are a good buy in their own right, however, for certain recipes, especially fish pates and mousse.     Start2Cook.co.uk is a Start2Cook Limited online store based in Warwickshire, UK. Start2Cook are experienced suppliers of quality Cookware and Cookware Sets including Kitchenware Ingredients Meat and more. | SITEMAP | webdesign © bryshell.com 2010 copyright reserved Registered in England No. 6424957. | VAT Reg. No. 925 0738 25