Cooking Q&A: Squeamish Cook?
I know I’d save a bundle by buying bigger cuts of meat, and I’m definitely not afraid to eat meat, but I get grossed out de-boning, skinning, or cutting it up to cook. What’s a squeamish cook to do?
I have the same love-hate relationship with meat…love to eat it, not so crazy about touching it in its raw state. I make a killer oven-roasted pulled pork, but the thought of cutting away the skin from an untrimmed pork shoulder (aka Boston butt) makes me a little dizzy. That’s how I met Alberta, my favorite butcher. She knows how to trim just the right amount and never bats an eye when I ask her to tip chicken wings or cube a small roast. She calls me Ms. Pork, which coming from anyone else would sound offensive, but I know it’s a term of endearment from her.
A box of disposable rubber gloves helps when Alberta isn't around, but I highly recommend getting chummy with the butchers behind the counter in the grocery store. Seriously. Drop by and introduce yourself. Remember their names. Cruise the counter and ask, “What looks good this week?” You might think all of the meat that lands in the refrigerated section simply shows up in plastic-wrapped foam trays, but the store butchers cut and package most of it.
So, when a whole rib-eye roast is on sale, but you don’t want to cut it into steaks yourself, guess who will? If you want to buy a whole chicken to make soup, but the thought of hacking it into soup-sized pieces makes you queasy, who's your new best friend? Instead of buying precubed stew meat (which they charge a premium for), you’re better off buying a whole lean, inexpensive cut (think: bottom round, sirloin, a chuck roast) and having the butcher trim and cube it for you.
The best part is it’s FREE. I’ve never encountered a store that charges extra for the service, and some even offer free marinades.
I also love the fact that getting to know the butchers (and the friendly people in the produce department) makes me feel like a “local” in my grocery store, despite the fact that I live in Chicago and hundreds of people pass through the store on a daily basis.