There's a sneaky new trend sweeping kitchens around the country. Chefs are serving meat with something hidden inside, and it's getting rave reviews.
Marcie Flies enjoys cooking for her family and sometimes uses meat with a fruity surprise mixed in cherries. "My kids can't tell. My husband can't tell. In fact, I had to tell them what it was," said Flies.
She buys the meat pre-made in a product called Plevalean. It's one of several new products hitting the market with fruits mixed into the meat.
Al Booren, Professor of Meat Science says, "Cherries added to ground beef are popular. People have added apples to pork sausage. The plum people are getting involved and of course, the cranberry people have been involved."
Booren says the cherry burger looks and tastes the same as the traditional.
"It's really surprising does not taste like cherry pie. Our panels, in blind studies, they preferred it over regular ground beef," said Booren.
One difference according to both the professor and the Flies family, the moisture from the fruit tends to keep the meat juicier when it's cooked. It also helps increase the shelf life.
Cherry burgers are already being served up in dozens of school districts around the country. The University of Maine recently researched a soy-based veggie burger with blueberry puree. Scientists want to find out if the antioxidants have a health benefit.
"There are researchers that are looking at the effect of these compounds, fruit compounds, have on cancer and other diseases," said Booren
Plevalean and other fruit-enhanced meat products are available mostly in specialty food stores or online. The cost is just a bit more than regular ground beef.
