Filet mignon, the most tender beef cut of all, is an expensive cut of meat often reserved for special occasions. A lean steak measuring up to 2 inches thick, filet mignon comes from the tenderloin of the beef, located between the sirloin area and the ribs.

A rib eye is a cut of beef taken from the rib section of the cow, while a sirloin is taken from the rear back portion. Both cuts are high in protein, fat, and several vitamins and minerals.

Roughly 1/3 of the meat Americans consume is beef, and if you've got a nice steak dinner planned, a failed thawing process doesn't have to ruin it. Although cooking a fully frozen steak isn't practical, with a few tips, you can cook a steak that remains slightly frozen.

Beef roasts come in several different types, from areas all over a side of beef. Choosing just the right one for a dinner or gathering can be a little confusing. Chuck and bottom round roasts are from opposite ends of the animal, and are two types that are commonly used.

A boneless beef chuck shoulder pot roast offers both good taste and good nutrition for a family dinner. A 3-oz serving of lean beef -- about the size of a deck of cards -- provides protein for healthy weight management along with essential nutrients such as B vitamins and iron.

Whether you call it pork butt, Boston butt or shoulder roast, pork roasts are among the most economical and flavorful roasts around, especially when cooked in a Crock-Pot. Pork butt roast has nothing to do with the rear end of a pig, but actually comes from the shoulder.

People have been eating pork since 7,000 B.C., according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Pork comes from hogs and is made into ribs, pork chops, loin, shoulder, sausage and bacon.

Naturally tender cuts of meat tend to be more expensive, and serving meat on a budget can be a challenge. There are many ways to tenderize tough meat before cooking it, which include pounding, scoring, soaking in a marinade and sprinkling it all over with a powdered meat tenderizer.

Rib-eye steaks have some of the juiciest, most tender, most flavorful meat available. This cut is ideal for grilling and for its indoor counterpart -- broiling. The broiler is an often-overlooked oven feature, but it's easy to use and does a good job in crisping the outside of the beef.

The most tender oven roasts are those with plenty of fat marbling and that come from the least-exercised parts of the cow. These best roasts, unfortunately, are usually the most expensive and are not always your healthiest option.

Pressure cookers are able to produce full meals in a much shorter time than conventional pots and pans. They do this by artificially creating a high atmospheric pressure in the pot, which allows the trapped water and steam to reach temperatures well above the normal boiling point of water.

A beef sirloin steak comes from close to the cow's rump. Because it's taken from a fairly well-used muscle, sirloin is not particularly tender. The best bet to tenderize it is to start with quality meat, marinate it and cook it only to medium rare. Steak quickly dries out and becomes tougher when it reaches medium.