The Beef Information Centre says Canadians have room to improve when it comes to honing skills for preparing beef.

"We were shocked to find out that over half of Canadians don't know the difference between an oven roast and a pot roast," says BIC public relations manager Heather Travis.  "Not knowing that difference, you could really mess a cut of beef up. So we want to make sure that Canadians know the different cuts of beef."

She notes only 1 in 4 roasters are knowledgeable about the different types of beef roasts.

"There are lots of great options. There are of course oven roasts, pot roasts and then there are rotisserie roasts which are great for on the barbecue," she says.

Travis stresses the importance of using a food thermometer. A medium rare oven roast should reach 135 degrees Fahrenheit or 57 Celsius.

The BIC has compiled a list of the 7 Most Common Roasting Blunders Canadians Make:

·         Roasting Blunder #1: 54% do not know the difference between a pot roast and oven roast.

·         Roasting Blunder #2: Only 1 in 4 roasters are knowledgeable about the different types of beef roasts.

·         Roasting Blunder #3:  47% cook oven roasts with the lid on.


·         Roasting Blunder #4:  55% of oven roasters roast with liquid in the pan.

·         Roasting Blunder #5: only half (53%) of oven roasters let the roast sit covered after removing it from the oven

·         Roasting Blunder #6: only 65% recognize (when prompted) that pot roasts are cooked in liquid

·         Roasting Blunder #7: 52% of Canadians say their household has a food thermometer, but only 65% of those use them.  (Testing is essential to cook a roast to perfection!)


~ Thursday, December 23, 2010 ~