New app is for cooks in search of perfect roast

WOOSTER, Ohio —Nearly a quarter of consumers say they’ve never cooked a beef roast, and 43 percent cook one roast or less per year. That’s according to a new survey, conducted jointly by the Beef Checkoff and the Certified Angus Beef brand.

Consumers cited “not enough time” and “don’t know how,” among other reasons for not roasting, even though almost three in 10 admit they have no idea how long the process takes.

“We looked at all the available tools and apps out there, and they were mostly geared toward grilling or a general roasting timer,” said Margaret Coleman, CAB assistant director of digital marketing.

Coleman said the research found nearly two-thirds of consumers don’t know what cuts of beef are best for roasting and 19 percent say they don’t know how to prepare a roast. Until now.

Free app

Certified Angus Beef has launched Roast Perfect, a free app for smartphones and tablets designed to help consumers buy, prepare and enjoy a variety of beef roasts. The app is available now for both Apple and Android devices.

Roast Perfect includes a roast selection guide, chef-developed and tested recipes, step-by-step video tutorials, a store locator, built-in timer, portion calculator and more. The highlights include:

• Select A Roast: Select a type of roast and total people being served. The app then calculates the number of pounds of beef to buy, as well as suggested roast recipes for that cut and side dish pairings.
• Recipes and Tips: Browse recipes based on roast type, keyword search or bloggers’ favorites. “Heart” certain recipes to save in your Favorites Folder, or send directly to the printer with one tap. There’s also a “Degrees of Doneness” guide paired with helpful images, as well as video tutorials and step-by-step directions that demonstrate roasting techniques, such as how to choose, tie and carve.
• Roasting Timer: Select the roast type, weight and desired degree of doneness, and the app provides an automatic timer to guide you in the kitchen.
• Store Locator: Search local retailers and grocery stores by ZIP code, or tap the Current Location button to view stores nearby.

For more information, visit www.CertifiedAngusBeef.com.