Animal protein is often the most expensive item on a menu for families. Choosing inexpensive cuts and styles of common animal proteins can be daunting, and knowing how to prepare them properly is important to help avoid food and money waste.

Boone and Kenton County Cooperative Extension joined together to provide a three-part series focused on helping individuals know how to choose and prepare common animal proteins. Each two-hour program focused on a different meat: beef, fish and chicken. The hands-on cooking beef session was led by the Kentucky Beef Council, the sampling session on fish was led by a local fish monger and the chicken session, focusing on using a whole chicken, was led by Cooperative Extension agents.

Approximately 60 middle-aged men and women attended one or more of the three programs. In a mailed evaluation completed three months after the last program, forty percent of attendees reported preparing and eating more meals at home as a result of what they learned. One-third no longer rinse their meats before preparing and more than one-fourth now use a food thermometer to ensure meats are cooked to the recommended internal temperature. Sixteen percent indicated they now purchase cuts of chicken they did not typically purchase and 12 percent have purchased and cut up a whole chicken. Twenty percent now purchase and cook fresh fish and use a method of cooking it besides frying. Others have tried new fish options when dining out. Twenty-five percent have purchased different beef cuts than they normally would and 18 percent are now using more lean cuts of beef.

Overall, individuals reported improving their knowledge of and comfort level with the meat proteins discussed during the series. One individual shared “I thought this series was excellent and all three provided something new for me to learn and enjoy.” As a result of this program individuals are now aware of how to choose and prepare a variety of meat proteins and the value of using cheaper cuts of meats to save money while maintaining a healthy eating pattern.