During his visit to the advanced foods class, Kelly Schmidt shared his passion for beef and cooking with students. He works with the Minnesota Beef Council and explains that the goal is to help people learn more about preparing and enjoying beef.

“We’re just trying to get knowledge about enjoying beef, cooking beef,” Kelly said.

As he interacted with the students, he encouraged them to think about where certain foods come from and how they are prepped.

“I want you to think about food we eat and why are things, why do we enjoy the things we enjoy? How did we get there?” he asked the class.

As Kelly advances into the lesson, they are brought into the kitchen to observe him cooking steak.

Schmidt explained that people use marinades for two different reasons: to “add flavor and make the beef more tender.”

He also taught students why some cuts require different cooking methods, explaining that “the muscles that move the animal around are going to be a little tougher,” which is why tougher cuts often need longer cooking times.

During the cooking demonstration, Schmidt shared practical advice, telling students that a “thermometer is your friend” when preparing steak.

He also reminded the class that personal preference matters, joking, “No temperature shaming in this group. You like it, you like it, you just want it to taste good.”

Students got to try the marinated skirt steak and ribeye steak that Schmidt prepared in class.

Lots of students enjoyed Kelly’s visit. Brogan Hulke rated the steak “10 out of 10 because it’s medium rare,” while Brianna Malcolm said, “The marinated one is better,” and that the steak had “pretty good flavor”.

Schmidt said, “Look at how simple this was. Fifty-five minutes. We talked, threw it on the stove, and look how good it is.”