Part 1 - Cooking Natural Grass Fed Beef

There are few things you should know about handling natural grass feed beef for cooking.

It is not necessary to wash meat before cooking. Any bacteria on the meat will be destroyed in the cooking process. Some recipes call for washing off meat, this is done to prepare it for a batter or dusting of flour usually and requires the meat to be patted dry using a paper towel.

If you buy your beef in a health food store or at a farmer's market make it the last thing you buy before leaving. When you get it home immediately refrigerate it at 40 degrees and use it within 3 to 5 days. You can freeze the meat and if hard frozen it will last 9 to 12 months. If you freeze it in the store packaging overwrap with aluminum foil or freezer-weight plastic wrap.

Best is to use sealable plastic bags. All methods help prevent freezer burn. Freezer burn comes from meat being defrosted and refrozen and if you have it on meat you can cut it away before using. You will find that when storing natural grass feed beef, which has been freshly processed, the unfrozen life of the meat is a little longer and you should not see a graying on ground beef; like you do in store bought feedlot meats.

If you store prepared food for quick meals make sure you do not leave them out longer than 2 hours after cooking (1 hour if temperature is over 90 degrees). If stored at regular refrigerator temperature of 40 degrees use the prepared meal within 3 to 4 days. Frozen in a container the prepared beef will last around 4 months. Always reheat the meal to 165 degrees to destroy any bacteria.

By Win Brookhouse - Contributing writer for Healthy & Living Buy grass fed beef