Here are some tips on how to buy steaks. First, all beef is certified and graded by the USDA- United States Department of Agriculture. They have a “grade” for the quality of your food. When you want to buy steaks, check the grade. The highest grade is the most expensive, and as the grade decreases, so will the price. The USDA grades are Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, and Canner. Prime and Choice are the two top grades.

The highest grade, Prime, is bought by hotels and restaurants. This leaves very little selection of Prime steaks for sale at your local grocery store. When you want to buy steaks, you can check for Prime, but chances are you will very easily find Choice grade available at your local supermarket. Select is another popular grade when you want to buy steaks. The other grades, Utility, Cutter, and Canner are not sold to retail stores, but are used to make other products.

Buy Steaks by Cut

The next step that you must determine when you want to buy steaks is what type of steak cut you will choose. There are different cuts of steak and they range in price, flavor, and tenderness. Some cuts are more expensive than others, so you must choose your cut when you are going to buy steaks. The different steak cuts are:

· Tri Tip Steaks-Tri Tip Steaks are cut from the Tri Tip Roast.
· Top Sirloin Steaks-These are also known as Chateaubriand.
· Top Loin Steaks-These are also known as New York Sirloin and Kansas City Steaks. The boneless form of Top Loin Steaks are known as Shell steaks.
· Tenderloin Steaks-These are cut straight from the Tenderloin.
· T-Bone Steaks- Contains the T shaped Bone.
· Sirloin Steaks- These steaks are cut near the rump of the cow, and tend to be a little bit more on the tough side.
· Porterhouse Steaks-The Porterhouse steak contains the tenderloin as well as the top loin. Many people prefer Porterhouse steaks as they are a very weighty, meaty, and deliciously tender choice when you want to buy steaks.

Before you buy steaks, it is very important to know ahead of time what steak cut and grade you are going to purchase.