While we can’t be there to cook the meat for you (unless you invite us over, in which case, we could be there and that might actually be a lot of fun) we want to help.

So we asked Terry Martin, manager of meat and seafood merchan dising and training at Bloom, what’s new, what’s trendy, and what can make your cooking experience nearly foolproof. No, no, we’re not calling you a fool—we’re calling the cooking experience fool-possible. OK, back to tips from Terry.

What’s the new trend in beef and cooking?
It’s all about fresh. People are more interested in freshness and quality than they have been in the past. There’s a resurgence toward cooking at home, and toward making that cooking more fun—just look at all the cooking shows on TV.

We want to improve your cooking-at- home experience, and we’ve expanded the quality and depth of our beef, seafood, pork and poultry selection to accommodate that. Everything we do is driven by what folks are looking for and what’s going on in their life.

What’s your favorite cut of beef?
My personal preference is a filet mignon. New York strip is also great with a good marinade. Take a nice 8 oz. filet mignon, cooked in conjunction with seafood— scallops or a nice piece of tuna. Have a salad and pair it with a nice chardonnay.

It doesn’t get much better than that, does it?
No, it really doesn’t. How can Bloom help us be better chefs? We offer recipe kiosks that are located near our meat and seafood counters. You can take packaged beef, seafood, or poultry to the kiosk, scan it, and get recipe ideas for the grill, oven, or pan. The recipe will also tell you what other ingredients you’ll need. Then simply print the recipe, take it home, and cook like a pro! How can you tell when beef is done? Instead of cutting into the beef, and losing all the lovely juices, we give customers (for free!) temperature probes that will help you cook your purchase to perfection every time. Just ask any associate, and they’ll gladly get one for you.