Q: Tell us a little about yourself.

I have been in the food business for over 20 years, and my diversified career has run the gamut. Including culinary instructor, caterer, cooking school manager, recipe developer and food writer. On my website, Andrea Buckett Cooks, I hope to inspire the appetites of Canadians. I am often featured as a food expert on television, radio, in print and on the web. I also work as a corporate chef to top executives at Canada’s leading food company George Weston Ltd. Creating daily meals for this high-level executive team is both challenging and rewarding.

Q: What do you love about using Canadian beef in your own kitchen? Whether you’re preparing or creating new recipes or just at home cooking with your family?

I never have to worry if Canadian beef is going to be of good quality when I buy it from the grocery store. The quality is always there. Another thing I love is the versatility of Canadian beef. I have two boys, 17 and 21, and they both live at home and they eat a lot. It’s great when I can get something into them that’s nutritionally dense and fills them up and I can do that economically. Sometimes that means ground beef. Sometimes that means tenderloin.

Q: With some consumers, there might be a bit of hesitation around trying new cuts. Do you have any advice you can give for people that are maybe wanting to change things up in the kitchen but don’t know what to do with other cuts of meat?

I find it amazing because we live in an age where you can get so much information online. The desire to want to do something different has to be there. People might wonder what to do with a skirt steak or why they should try a tri-tip steak. The trick is presenting it in a familiar way that captures their attention or is economical to buy. The internet, butchers and people working at the meat counters in grocery stores can be great resources when trying to learn new ways to cook with different cuts of meat.

Q: Canada has some of the highest beef safety standards in the world. When you’re preparing meals for others, how important it is knowing that you have quality, safe food to serve?

It’s a privilege to be able to walk to the grocery store and have an abundance of food at our fingertips. We have so many choices and it’s nice to know that the food that we raise in our own country not only feeds and sustains Canadians but gets exported all around the world and is revered for its quality. I feel very lucky to live in a time where we have so much variety and the selection that we have in Canada is safe and delicious. That’s all because of our farmers.

Q: What is your favourite cut of beef to cook with? What are your go-to tried-and-true beef recipes?

I have a lot of favourite beef cuts. Something I would buy on a regular basis for the family is actually tri-tip steak or flank steak. I say flank steak because it’s a big piece that can feed a lot of people. If you cut it right, it’s super tender. You can marinate it overnight to take on any flavour. I love fajitas and taco salad simply done with lemon and thyme on the barbecue served with some sides. I always get excited when I have a flank steak in my fridge because there’s lots of possibilities –I love it.

Q: What would you say is one food-related question you get the most, when it comes to beef, from consumers? Any cooking tips?

“How do we know when it’s done?” – especially if people are buying more expensive cuts such as prime rib or New York Strip, as they don’t want to ruin them. Besides the temperature, I always say it’s like any skill – you have to learn and you have to do it over and over again. That’s really the only way you’re ever going to know when it’s done without using like a thermometer. Another question is: “what kind of meat is best to roast?”