Photo courtesy of Lyla and Blu.

Hi Everyone!

Last week we explored the ins and outs of some of our favorite fresh ingredients and recipes, but this week we’re hitting the butcher’s shop! You heard us right: This week’s RWOP Cooking School lessons are about to get downright meaty.

When it comes to selecting, preparing and cooking meat and poultry, there's so much for a cook to consider! Let's start by defining a term that you may not have heard, but that you've certainly seen on a dinner table:

Scoring your meat and poultry lets you tenderize tougher cuts of meat, while also allowing your dish to cook more evenly and become much more flavorful. If you’ve never scored meat before, we’ll show you how it’s done!  

Photos courtesy of Simply So Good, Steamy Kitchen, Iowa Girl Eats 

1. Lay the meat flat on a cutting board and cut diagonally across the surface of the meat from one edge to the other. This should be done on the entire length of the meat.
2. Once you’ve made several lines, make a diamond shape by cutting over the lines in the opposite direction.
3. Once you’ve crosscut the entire piece of meat, flip the meat over and repeat steps 1-3!
   
   

This will truly make your beef, lamb, chicken or fish dish look and taste so juicy and flavorful! Don’t be afraid to try it on a dish like KRISTEN HILLEY'S STEAK AU POIVRE.

There are so many delicious ways you can cook your protein, but how do you prefer your meat and poultry?

A.    Grilled and barbecued


B.    Oven roasted

C.    Pan-seared


D.    Something totally different!