Terminology: "Natural"

SUMMARY OF "NATURAL" STEAK?

In summary, "natural" steak is a steak which:

• Contains no artificial ingredients;
• Contains no added color;
• Is minimally processed so as not to fundamentally alter the product; and
• Has a label which explains the meaning of the word "natural".

DETAILS OF "NATURAL" STEAK

In order for a steak to be labelled "organic", the steak must comply with the requirements of the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).  The FSIS maintains a glossary of meat and poultry labeling terms and is the agency responsible for ensuring the truthfulness and accuracy in labeling of steak (as well as all meat and poultry products).

FSIS provides the following definition of the word "natural""

"A product containing no artificial ingredient or added color and is only minimally processed.  Minimal processing means that the product was processed in a manner that does not fundamentally alter the product.  The label must include a statement explaining the meaning of the term natural (such as "no artificial ingredients; minimally processed")."

UN-NATURAL STEAK

The word "natural" has a fundamental flaw, when applied to "natural", because it implies that any steak which does not comply with the "natural" definition must therefore be "un-natural".

In fact, many steaks that are sold do not qualify for the natural label. These include, for example, any steak which:

• Has been tenderized with needles (e.g. a Jaccard) or other mechanical means;
• Has been tenderized with any un-natural, chemical means (see note, below); or
• Has been injected with saline or any other solution.

Note that tenderizing a steak with natural means (such as dry-aging) does not disqualify a steak from the being labelled as natural.

NATURAL vs. ORGANIC

Natural and Organic have very different meanings. Click here for our blog on "Organic Steak". In addition, the Food and Marketing Institute has an excellent summary of the differences between the terms.

In summary, the two terms have very different meanings, with some steak qualifying for one but not the other, some qualifying for both, and a small proportion qualifying for neither.

CONCLUSION
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#SteakChat 6/9/10: Cooking Steak

#STEAKCHAT TOPIC ON 6/9/10

For the #SteakChat conversation on June 9, 2010, the topic will be:
What’s the best way to cook a great steak?
There are 8 cooking equipment options, 10 techniques, 9 fuels and 10 temperature levels. Which combinations have you tried? Which do you prefer? Which produce great steak? Which are likely to produce mediocre steak?

5 COOKING EQUIPMENT OPTIONS

There are 5 basic cooking equipment options available for steak:

1. Broiler
2. Grill
3. Oven
4. Pan
5. Sous Vide

Which of these produces great steaks? Which produce mediocre steaks?

10 COOKING TECHNIQUES

There are 10 basic cooking techniques for steak:

1. Boil
2. Braise
3. Broil
4. Grill
5. Pan Fry
6. Pan Roast
7. Roast
8. Stew
9. Sauté
10. Stir Fry

Which of these produces great steaks? Which produce mediocre steaks?

9 COOKING FUELS

There are 9 basic cooking fuels that produce heat to cook steak:

1. Briquettes (variety of types)
2. Electric Elements (e.g. broiler)
3. Hardwood (variety of types)
4. Infrared Tiles
5. Lump Charcoal (variety of types)
6. Metal Conduction (e.g. pay fry)
7. Natural Gas
8. Propane Gas
9. Sous Vide (i.e. low heat via plastic bag in water)

Which of these produces great steaks? Which produce mediocre steaks?

10 COOKING TEMPERATURE LEVELS

There are 10 different temperature levels for cooking steak (all temperatures are given in degrees Fahrenheit):

1. 1,200° to 1,600°
2. 900° to 1,200°
3. 750° to 900°
4. 650° to 750°
5. 550° to 650°
6. 450° to 550°
7. 350° to 450°
8. 250° to 350°
9. 212° to 250°
10. 125° (sous vide) to 212°

Which of these produces great steaks? Which produce mediocre steaks?

WHAT IS #STEAKCHAT?

#SteakChat invites everyone who want to discuss and share ideas about steak.

#SteakChat covers topics such as the many different tastes and textures produced by different cooking methods, cooking fuels, steak cuts, steak marbling, cattle breeds, cattle feed, and even different farms.

#SteakChat takes place every Wednesday at 8:00 pm ET (every Thursday at 0000 GMT) and lasts about one hour.

#SteakChat may be very fast-paced. It takes place in real time, as a streaming conversation. Think of #SteakChat as a group of friends having a discussion about steak while standing around a backyard grill or dining in a steak house.

For information about how to participate in #SteakChat, see our Blog on How to Participate in #SteakChat.

MORE QUESTIONS?

If you have any more questions, send them by DM, tweet or other way (see below).

JOIN US AT #STEAKCHAT
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, AT 8:00 pm ET
STEAKPERFECTION

SteakPerfection welcomes your comments.  Please share them below.  Also, please let us know if you see any errors.  We try to ensure that all of the steak information that we provide is both accurate and supported by credible cites.  Thus, please let us about any errors, so that and we can correct them immediately.

SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

Click here for our SteakPerfection Twitter.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Facebook.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Blog.
Click here for our Steak Perfection LinkedIn.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Wave.
Click here for our Steak Perfection website.

A short link to this blog is http://bit.ly/9nLSdX

#SteakChat 6/9/10: Cooking Steak

#STEAKCHAT TOPIC ON 6/9/10

For the #SteakChat conversation on June 9, 2010, the topic will be:
What’s the best way to cook a great steak?
There are 8 cooking equipment options, 10 techniques, 9 fuels and 10 temperature levels. Which combinations have you tried? Which do you prefer? Which produce great steak? Which are likely to produce mediocre steak?

5 COOKING EQUIPMENT OPTIONS

There are 5 basic cooking equipment options available for steak:

1. Broiler
2. Grill
3. Oven
4. Pan
5. Sous Vide

Which of these produces great steaks? Which produce mediocre steaks?

10 COOKING TECHNIQUES

There are 10 basic cooking techniques for steak:

1. Boil
2. Braise
3. Broil
4. Grill
5. Pan Fry
6. Pan Roast
7. Roast
8. Stew
9. Sauté
10. Stir Fry

Which of these produces great steaks? Which produce mediocre steaks?

9 COOKING FUELS

There are 9 basic cooking fuels that produce heat to cook steak:

1. Briquettes (variety of types)
2. Electric Elements (e.g. broiler)
3. Hardwood (variety of types)
4. Infrared Tiles
5. Lump Charcoal (variety of types)
6. Metal Conduction (e.g. pay fry)
7. Natural Gas
8. Propane Gas
9. Sous Vide (i.e. low heat via plastic bag in water)

Which of these produces great steaks? Which produce mediocre steaks?

10 COOKING TEMPERATURE LEVELS

There are 10 different temperature levels for cooking steak (all temperatures are given in degrees Fahrenheit):

1. 1,200° to 1,600°
2. 900° to 1,200°
3. 750° to 900°
4. 650° to 750°
5. 550° to 650°
6. 450° to 550°
7. 350° to 450°
8. 250° to 350°
9. 212° to 250°
10. 125° (sous vide) to 212°

Which of these produces great steaks? Which produce mediocre steaks?

WHAT IS #STEAKCHAT?

#SteakChat invites everyone who want to discuss and share ideas about steak.

#SteakChat covers topics such as the many different tastes and textures produced by different cooking methods, cooking fuels, steak cuts, steak marbling, cattle breeds, cattle feed, and even different farms.

#SteakChat takes place every Wednesday at 8:00 pm ET (every Thursday at 0000 GMT) and lasts about one hour.

#SteakChat may be very fast-paced. It takes place in real time, as a streaming conversation. Think of #SteakChat as a group of friends having a discussion about steak while standing around a backyard grill or dining in a steak house.

For information about how to participate in #SteakChat, see our Blog on How to Participate in #SteakChat.

MORE QUESTIONS?

If you have any more questions, send them by DM, tweet or other way (see below).
JOIN US AT #STEAKCHAT ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9
STEAKPERFECTION

SteakPerfection welcomes your comments.  Please share them below.  Also, please let us know if you see any errors.  We try to ensure that all of the steak information that we provide is both accurate and supported by credible cites.  Thus, please let us about any errors, so that and we can correct them immediately.

SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

Click here for our SteakPerfection Twitter.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Facebook.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Blog.
Click here for our Steak Perfection LinkedIn.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Wave.
Click here for our Steak Perfection website.

A short link to this blog is http://bit.ly/cXpbkD