5/23/07 Speedy burgers

It seems there is a need for faster and faster food these days. I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be right back to tell you about an old favorite trying to make the transition. Convenient and quick are two qualities that sell many food products today Americans are involved in so many pastimes, taking very much time to cook and prepare meals seems to be almost unacceptable and unattainable. According to an article in Beef magazine the National Cattlemen's Beef Association Beef Innovations Group says nearly one-third of all new food products introduced in 2005 were convenient and microwaveable items. One standby favorite, the beef burger, would like to make larger inroads in this market. The precooked burger has been available for a few years, but it just hasn't tasted good enough to compare to a traditionally cooked burger. But, the potential is there since hamburgers are such an all time favorite  somewhere around 14 billion of them are consumed by Americans each year. To make a good precooked burger it takes high quality beef kept very cold, processed quickly, cooked to the right temperature, then chilled and frozen rapidly. New continuous flow ovens may help precooked burgers recreate the flavor of on-site cooked hamburgers. One company is also marketing a six-pack of complete precooked hamburger sandwiches including a bun and cheese, individually wrapped and microwavable in one minute. I hope these become acceptable to consumers  I like to sell beef. I'm Jeff Keane. Beef May 2007