Buffalo meat

Not always: “buffalo” often means water buffalo, while bison is a different animal, though bison meat is sometimes sold as buffalo meat. Check the species name when you buy it, especially if you want a particular flavour or cut.

Buffalo is lean, so use a very hot pan or grill and cook the steak briefly, turning it once. For a whole cut, aim for 63 °C at the centre and rest it for at least 3 minutes; a thermometer helps prevent overcooking.

Yes. Use it in place of beef in dishes such as a slow-cooked curry or stew; tougher cuts benefit from gentle cooking in liquid until tender. For quick-cooking recipes, choose a tender cut and shorten the cooking time so it does not dry out.

Keep it covered on the bottom shelf of the fridge at 5 °C or colder, and cook it within 2 days. Freeze it if you will not use it in that time, and thaw it in the fridge rather than on the worktop.

Cook minced buffalo meat until the centre reaches 70 °C for 2 minutes, or an equivalent safe combination of time and temperature. Minced meat needs thorough cooking because bacteria can be mixed through it.

Yes: buffalo meat has 1.5 g of fat per 100 g, compared with 4.2 g in beef. Its protein content is 25 g per 100 g.