Cutting Up in the Kitchen: The Butcher's Guide to Saving Money on Meat & Poultry

Not many years ago, certainly no longer ago than when Grandma was a girl, the butcher played a totally different role in the consumer's marketing experience. In those days, you could go to the meat counter, recipe in hand, and ask your friendly butcher, "What's the best cut to use for Beef Bourguignon?" or, "How long should I cook a three-rib prime rib?" If he knew anything about his trade, he would know. Today's consumer, and certainly tomorrow's, needs to learn (or to relearn) some of what grandmother knew to function effectively and for less than a fortune in a market place more complicated than grandmother could have imagined. You need to know, as you approach today's meat counter, the best cut to use for Beef Bourguignon, and if that's too expensive, what the alternatives are. And if you have six kids and you husband is out of work,. You need to know which cut is a "real good special today" and how best to take advantage of it. Armed with a little basic knowledge about meat and a willingness to spend a little time in the kitchen doing a "little cutting up," it is possible to eat extremely well--and economically--even in this "high cost of living" world we live in.