Grocery store delis offer a variety of sliced lunch meats, many of which are surprisingly lean and nutritious. Lunch meats fall into three basic categories: whole cuts, sectioned and processed. Whole cuts are unaltered portions of cooked meat, sliced thinly for sandwiches and the like.

Inexpensive cuts of beef roast are easy on the budget and are often rich and flavorful. Nutritionally, inexpensive beef roasts are every bit as beneficial as expensive cuts. However, because the roasts come from lean, muscled areas of the animal, the meat can be tough and stringy.

Whether you add too much salt by accident or intent, salty meat is never a good thing. The sodium in salt can put your health at risk and the taste can ruin your meal. While neutralizing salty meat is possible, it can be a challenge. Cured meat that uses salt as part of the curing process poses another challenge.

Beef that has been undercooked, contaminated with raw meat juice or left out at room temperature for several hours may become tainted with insidious bacteria. Even the strong gastrointestinal juices in your stomach do not kill these bacteria, which will multiply inside the human body at an exponential rate.

Until refrigeration became cheap and widespread in the 20th century, our forebears kept leftovers covered at room temperature in their pantries. Not surprisingly, sudden illnesses were also common in those days.

Pan-fried pork chops make for a juicy, filling meal you can cook up in minutes. Thick cuts require a bit more care and attention so you don't scorch the outside and dry out the meat near the surface before the pork safely cooks through all the way.

A savory, home-cooked beef roast is one of life's little pleasures, especially when served with mashed potatoes and gravy. However, novice home cooks may find a roast a daunting challenge to prepare.

Steak tartare is a dish most commonly associated with French cuisine, but according to food historian Arlyn Hackett, its history is much more ambiguous. Mongolian warrior Genghis Khan is credited with inventing the raw beef dish while in the field of battle. Hackett, writing for "The San Diego Union-Tribune,"

Pork chops once were fatty enough to be fried alone in a skillet. These days, pigs are bred so lean that traditional methods could produce that dreaded result: meat as tough as shoe leather and about as appetizing.

Use your oven for both broiling and baking, though cooking times and results vary. Steak, by definition, is any slab of meat from 3/4 to 3 inches in thickness, cut across the muscle grain and intended for high-heat cooking.

Classic beef stroganoff took the United States by storm in the 1950s, though the ground beef and sour cream concoction served by housewives today bears little resemblance to the simple and elegant original dish.

Low-carb diets can help you lose weight through hormonal control, increased satiety and a reduction in overall calories. Carbohydrates are the sugar molecules in many of the foods you eat. They are found in grains, sugar, fruits and vegetables.