Aug 4, 2011

All You Need to Know about Wagyu


Wagyu beef is known to be the finest quality beef that you can buy. Originally produced only in Japan, Wagyu is a true delicacy that is highly coveted due to its rich buttery flavor and the tenderness that results from the marbling affect. Japanese farmers take this so seriously that they actually massage the Wagyu cattle to avoid any tense muscles or cramps. The resulting product is a steak that is so juicy that you can practically cut it with a fork. The diet of Wagyu herds consists of corn, alfalfa, grains and occasionally even beer or sake, which is used to aid in the digestion process and increase hunger when cattle refuse to eat.

Wagyu steaks can be very pricy as compared to other cuts of meat. This is mainly due to the fact that Wagyu is better than the highest grade of USDA cut meat, which happens to be prime. In fact, Wagyu beef rates off the USDA charts, which only go up to a 6, whereas Wagyu can actually be graded at a 12 or higher. This is all based on the fat content of the meat, which gives Wagyu that beautiful white marble look and feel.

Because Wagyu is such a specialty meat, you’ll have to look beyond the stores you would typically visit if you’re interested in buying some to cook at home. Most supermarket chains carry only lower quality beef. You can of course go straight to the source in Japan, but it’s more likely that would find kobe steaks online.

After you buy steaks online, you’ll need to know how to cook this meat perfectly to get the best tasting meal. The secret is to not overcook the meat, which can burn quickly due to the high fat content. Instead, try searing lightly on either side for a few minutes (use oil or butter), then finish with a quick broil in the oven. You can serve Wagyu steaks with a variety of side dishes, from whipped potatoes to grilled veggies to steamed asparagus. The key is to let the meat be the star of the dish.

The wines that work best with Wagyu are ones that will not overwhelm the delicate taste of the meat. Therefore, steer clear of bold Cabernets and choose a smooth Pinot Noir or Malbec instead. Look for something with subtle fruit undertones and light tannins for the best pairing.

Aug 3, 2011

The Best Beef for your Buck


Summer is an ideal time for grilling out, enjoying barbecue with family and friends and having a great tasty steak. Whether you’re taking steaks to your neighbors’ house for a friendly potluck style cookout or firing up the grill in your own backyard, it’s good to get a lay of the land and know exactly what type of steak will make the best meal for you and your hungry guests. Here we take a look at some of the finest cuts of steak that are sure to be palate pleasers. Some of these are available at grocery stores, but keep in mind, that the better the meat, the higher the demand. You can buy steaks online and get them shipped direct to your door. Hopefully these tips will assist you in choosing wisely.

USDA Prime Porterhouse is the highest quality of USDA cut meat that you can get. A corn fed prime porter that has been dry aged is great if you’re looking for a hearty piece of meat. The porterhouse can easily be cooked on a charcoal grill and served up meat and potatoes style.

If you’re looking for something that is even higher quality than prime beef, consider wagyu steaks, which are super tender. Wagyu beef has a much higher fat content than prime quality beef, but it is actually a good fat, coming from omega 3s and omega 6s which have additional health benefits. When looking for kobe steaks online, check out the origin of the meat. Although Wagyu originally comes from Japan, there are also Wagyu cattle breeders in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

Wagyu steaks are great when seared, or you can choose to eat them Kobe slider style, which is an increasingly popular appetizer or even a meal. Kobe sliders are perfect if you have a hungry army of little kids to feed. Try setting up a Kobe slider bar where kids can assemble their own with a variety of fresh ingredients.
Although everyone has the craving for a fast-food burger once in a while, the quality of this beef is pretty low as compared to the other available options. Sure, you can get a cheap burger for as little as 99 cents, but it won’t taste nearly as good as something like a Wagyu burger. Sometimes it’s nice to treat yourself, your family and your friends to a meal that they simply won’t forget.

Silver jewelry of the antique kind


While so many people are interested in knowing about preserving their precious metals with brand new appearance, there are certain other set of individuals who are seriously interested in giving their silver jewelry, an antique touch. How to get this old looks in a bright decent looking brand new silver commodity? For example, let us take it as a silver necklace. All you have to do is just use an egg yolk in order to get the antique looks in the silver necklace that you had selected. Apply the egg yolk just like paste all over the body of the jewel and allow it dry inside a cool pouch.

Leave it in a closed bag for several hours or even a day. When you open the bag out to see the jewel again be cautious that you are not opening the bag sitting in the center of the room, it is because of the extremely pungent odor that would be nasty enough to tolerate. Still that is just secondary as we are more interested in knowing whether the silver necklace has taken its antique form or not.

Take out the jewel and wash it out in mild hot water. Mixing little bit of soft soap is also advisable as you will have to get rid of the extremely nasty pungent smell out of the jewel. Rinse it in water and allow it to dry for a while after rubbing it with a soft cloth. Eventually in due course of time you would be just surprised to see the antique jewel of your ancestors right in front of you.

The silver necklace has taken its new old form to astound you. It could work well in the case of a silver bracelet or a silver chain as well. Still when there is surface area that is visible to the naked eye, more prominent will be the antique look in the jewel.

Such arrangements are usually done when there is a need for whole heap of antique looking items for a show or drama to stage upon. It is a great idea for those school students that need different kind of silver jewelry of the antique kind for conducting their play successfully. Apart from that, the cine industry and the media would well want to rent such types of jewelry for their variety of needs. Certain Tourists love to buy such types of authentic jewelry for their antique outlooks.

Aug 2, 2011

Wagyu and Malbec


Wagyu beef is the most tender and most tasty meat in the world. If you’re lucky enough to be at a gourmet steakhouse or fine dining restaurant that serves Wagyu, then their sommelier can likely provide you with recommendations based on the type of dish you are ordering. However, many people are curious about cooking this meat at home, and often order kobe steaks online and prepare them in their own kitchen. If that’s the case, they often wondering about what wine pairing should accompany this amazing meal of Wagyu beef. The thing to remember about wagyu steaks or any other type of Wagyu cut is that the meat pretty much speaks for itself. Not a lot of fussy sauce, seasoning or marinade is needed to make it taste good. As a stand-alone, Wagyu will simply melt in your mouth, leaving a smooth aftertaste that is relatable to how a fine wine lingers on the palate. Because of this natural goodness, you have to be careful to pair Wagyu with wines that will not overwhelm. Steer clear of bold wines (i.e. full bodied Cabernets with heavy tannins) that take the focus off of the meat.

Malbec is an Argentinean wine that is balanced with fruitiness, juicy bold undertones and smooth (yet not overwhelming tannins). Malbec makes the perfect complement to Wagyu and is a true palate pleaser. There are different variations of Malbec that originate from Australia, France, and California, as well as Argentina. All the varietals use the same type of grape, but have slight taste differences. You can enjoy a glass of Malbec with your Wagyu, or if you’re really feeling creative, the Malbec can be used in a sauce or as a jus.

From a foodie standpoint, a great idea for a fun couple’s activity or girl’s night out is to get some Wagyu at home and try different preparation and Malbec pairings. You can buy steaks online, and then serve them up as appetizers will various brands of Malbec. For example, a Japanese favorite is sashimi style Wagyu beef with a light soy marinade. Another small bite option is seared Wagyu on top of crispy flatbread, while Kobe style sliders are always a hit. Offer your guests other flavor options that complement both the meat and the wine, such as cheese, chocolate and fruit. Give guests scorecards so they can track of their favorite, and provide a bottle of Malbec to the guest that gives the best professional food and wine review.

Though the palate is subjective and some prefer to pair Wagyu with bold full bodied wines, a good piece of Wagyu does not need any masking – the flavor should speak for itself. When paired with Malbec, Wagyu really shines.

Aug 1, 2011

Wagyu Beef for any Occasion


A favorite dish of American foodies, world renowned chefs and meat loves alike, Wagyu (Kobe) beef is the highest quality beef that money can buy. Known for its rich buttery flavor, its tender juiciness and the marbleized look that comes from the fattiness of the meat, Wagyu is served in fine dining establishments and can be delivered straight to your front door when you buy steaks online.

It’s easy to go to a restaurant and ask for the chefs recommendation in terms of a good Wagyu dish and wine pairing, but when you’re getting your own kobe steaks online, you may not know where to start looking or what cut of Wagyu is the best for your meal. Here we take a look at some of the options available and the recommended occasions for cooking and serving them up just like a gourmet chef.

Wagyu steaks are great for summertime and events like Father’s Day, Fourth of July and Memorial Day or Labor Day holiday barbecues. Boneless Wagyu steaks are second to none and simply do not compare to other USDA cuts found at your local grocery store. Wagyu steaks are the cream of the crop with an unrivaled succulence that comes from the abundance of marbling. Wagyu steaks can go by several different names, such as tenderloins and chateaubriand. Wagyu steaks don’t require a lot of fuss – a simple sear for a few minutes on each side will give you a great meal for yourself or a treat for family and friends. Wagyu steaks don’t require a lot of accompaniment, but if you really want to go big, then add some truffles or truffle sauce for an absolutely heavenly meal.

A Wagyu chateaubriand is a roast that is elegant and easy to prepare; perfect for a Sunday summer evening, a Christmas dinner or a birthday celebration. Chateaubriand is tender and boneless, and you’ll get thumbs up from the entire family when you prepare one of these morsels. Pair with a lightly whipped potato and some veggies for a well-rounded meal that won’t soon be forgotten.

Kobe beef burgers are the perfect appetizer or main entrĂ©e when you’re entertaining a large group. Kobe sliders can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike and are a great upgrade from the run-of-the-mill burger that is often served at block parties. Season with just a bit of salt and pepper, then top with your favorite fresh burger topping and viola, you’ve got the best burger your family has ever tasted.

Jul 31, 2011

What you need to Know about Wagyu


More and more people are adding Wagyu beef to their diet, and the more popular this delicacy becomes, the more people want to know about this top quality cut of meat. The word “Wagyu” comes from “Wa”, which means Japanese and “Gyu” which means cattle. Technically, Wagyu beef is white beef due to the intense marbling affect created by the fattiness of the meat. Wagyu cattle are bred in Japan, served a strict diet and are contained within certain geographic areas. But don’t feel too bad for these cattle. After all, they have been known to be served beer and sake to increase their appetite and aid with digestion, and even receive massages to keep their muscles tender and prevent any cramps. This gives Wagyu meat a rich juicy flavor that is loved by chefs, food connoisseurs and diners the world over. Today, the breeding of Wagyu cattle has reached as far as Australia, New Zealand and even the U.S.

The main reason that Wagyu tastes so darn good is the marbling from the fat. If you compare other cuts of USDA beef to Wagyu, there’s no contest. For example, a USDA prime cut of meat rates at about a six on a scale of one through twelve, while Wagyu rates at a twelve or higher. It’s because of this that the USDA scale cannot be used to accurately rate Wagyu steaks. Instead, the meat has its own rating scale, which puts it in a class all its own.

If you plan on dining out to enjoy the buttery goodness that is Wagyu, you can expect to pay a hefty price for something prepared in a restaurant. This is in part due to the fact that wagyu steaks are pricy on their own, at around a hundred dollars or so for a good piece of meat. Then add on to that the cost for an accomplished chef to prepare and garnish your plate before it is delivered to your table, and you’re easily looking at a few hundred dollars for a good meal and bottle of wine for two.

If you are pretty good on the grill, one of the best ways to enjoy Wagyu is from the comfort of your own home. You can get kobe steaks online, just be careful that the meat is 100% Kobe (the highest quality of Wagyu) and not Kobe-style, which is inauthentic. If you buy steaks online, you can have them shipped direct to your home or business. Once they arrive, the only thing left to do is cook and enjoy. The best way to cook Wagyu is to sear it in a hot iron skillet or over an open flame. But a word of caution – be careful not to overcook this amazing piece of meat, of you’ll be kicking yourself for spending the money. Simply sprinkle with a little bit of salt and pepper, then sear for a few minutes on each side, and you’ll be left with a steak that is slightly crispy on the outside and as tender as nothing you’ve ever tasted on the inside. Wagyu is truly in a class all its own.

Jul 29, 2011

Tips for Cooking, Serving and Enjoying Wagyu Beef


What is considered by many to be the champagne of meats, Wagyu beef is characterized by its delicious flavor profile, it’s tender juicy consistency and the beautiful marbleized look that the comes from the high fat content. Being such a high quality meat, Wagyu is not a typical cut that you can find at your local grocers. Instead, you can find kobe steaks online and get them shipped direct to your home.

Once you buy steaks online, wagyu steaks should be prepared a certain way in order to preserve that natural flavor and tenderness of the meat. Wagyu doesn’t require a lot of seasoning – simple salt and pepper can be just enough. Be sure to bring the meat to room temperature (except for ground beef, which should shaped into burger patties and then returned to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or until ready for use).

Steaks and Wagyu roasts should be cooked rare to medium rare, as overcooking can cause the meat to be comparable to a lesser quality cut of meat. In actuality, Wagyu cooks pretty quickly on a preheated broiler, over an open flame or in a cast iron skillet. Add just a bit of cooking oil or butter so the meat won’t stick to the pan. Steaks should be seared hot, but not too hot, as the meat is very delicate. You can however, cook cuts such as brisket and short ribs by using a braising method.

Once you’ve cooked your Wagyu, you’ll need the perfect wine pairing to complete your meal. Wagyu practically melts in your mouth, leaving behind a very rich and buttery flavor. A fruity Bordeaux blend or a Pinot Noir would work well and won’t overwhelm the palate, whereas a heavy Cabernet or very tannic Bordeaux may not be the best fit for this refined meat.

If you’re going to do a wine sauce when serving Wagyu beef, try to pair with a wine accompaniment that has similar flavor and aroma. Though most agree that Wagyu does not need a lot of adornment, you can bring different flavor notes when you add things like truffles or mushrooms.
Wagyu beef is a real treat, and in case you’re wondering, the fattiness in the meat is monounsaturated, so you can enjoy it on special occasions without worrying. Try ordering some for yourself, your spouse/significant other, family or to impress business associates. Wagyu is sure to be a winner every time.