BEEF COOKING PRACTICES IN A SEGMENT OF AN URBAN NIGERIAN

Abstract

A survey was carried out among a segment of a Nigerian urban population in an attempt to determine the range of cooking methods and time commonly used in the preparation of beef for the table. Responses were obtained from 492 respondents who cut across several defined age groups and economic The findings indicate that almost all the respondents cook their meat from the fresh state. Boiling was the most frequently used cooking method followed by boiling/frying and boiling /frying/stewing which are the traditional systems of preparing stew in Nigeria. Boiling/stewing was used more frequently by the 41-50yr age group but was least used by the 25-20yr age group. Most respondents cook their beef for between 20 and 40 min, and utilized the broth from the boiled meat in preparing the stew rather than discarding it. The level of tenderness of the cooked meat was singularly the most important factor while marbling was the least factor contributing to its acceptability