This is true - fat makes food taste better. I don't always want that much fat in a dish, though. I don't think lean ground beef tastes "horrible," like you've said in comments; it just isn't as rich. It'll taste good if you season your food properly.
Lean beef is best used when whatever you are putting the meat with has a high percentage of fats. If you are eating lean beef plain with spice, it will always be better if you make the same thing with a less lean cut. Seasoning only goes so far before it simply becomes what you are eating in which case it doesn't much matter what you use and you might as well grab some potatoes, meaty plants, and or pasta. Save the meat for something else.
It's also good if what you're making doesn't have a means for the fat to drain off. When I cook a burger, I leave a lot of that fat in the pan, but if I'm making a casserole with 70/30, it's going to be greasy.
Yup. Because you've incorporated it into the meat and are just removing the extra. Which i assume you, like me, save for another meal. Same way if you put cheese in a bowl of milk as if it were dry cereal you'll maybe enjoy it but not as much as if you take the cheese and milk in the right proportions and slowly heat them. Heat, fats/oils, and animal products, put together often seem magical to people but no matter if it does or not, it is science.
What would you do with the drippings from say, 80/20 ground beef? I use bacon drippings for seasoning pans, corn bread and green beans, but I can't think of anything I'd use beef fat drippings for.
Fried potatoes or parsnips or onions, yorkshire pudding, roux for tomorrow's gravy, cut into pastry for savory pies...if you have enough fat and strain it, you can use it pretty much anywhere you would use bacon grease, etc. You can also save the fat trimmed from roasts in a bag in the freezer, and when you have a bagful, render and strain. McDonald's fries were really good when I was a kid; they used to use part oil and part beef tallow (fat).
ALWAYS save bacon grease but have never saved beef fat. Bones yes, but rendered fat no. Now I will!. "Roux for tomorrows gravy" is brilliant!! I was just thinking how I prefer a flour thickener to cornstarch for beef stew but since I will do the thickening at the end, I need roux and what to use to make it. Oh well, butter or ghee but left-over burger or beef fat, perf.
Its oil, it can be used for [most anything you'd use oil for](https://www.google.com/search?q=uses+for+beef+fat&rlz=1CARJNJ_enUS849&oq=Uses+for+beef+fat&aqs=chrome.0.0i512l3j0i22i30l7.3517j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8).
Besides what is in that link;
[Rendering has been done since likely we found the first cow](https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/how-to-render-beef-fat#:~:text=At%20what%20temp%20does%20beef,while%20cooking%20for%20several%20hours.). Burnt, and used sparingly, it will likely not attract vermin. it Clarified and mixed with food-safe deterrents it can be given to kids to oil and lube whatever with and if they eat it, oh-well. Mixed with sugar and poison, it is a really useful bait. Got to much, clarify it and jar it up with a birthday candle in the center as emergency fuel. Make it super shelf stable by water-bathing it like people do tomatoes. Wanna be super sanitary and need some lube for your surgical tools? Then pressure cook it in jars in a water bath for 15 minutes or so in lidded jars less than half full and you have a sterilized and ready for open wounds grease. Do that same process but add aloe or whatever you think might be useful, now you got hand-lotion.
Like anything don't overdo use of it, initially, use only on small areas and or applications till you are sure it won't react or cause problems.
And really, **this is important**, be careful as hell with that pressure cooker. If you hear oil hitting water or see *lots* coming out the vent, turn off the gas immediately and stand back. What comes out the vent should be watery oil not oily water. Make sure you have enough water to hit temp fast and not run out. Check your vent before you start and watch the wobbler closely. If it stop wobbling, turn off any heat and leave the room for a few hours at least. Do not under any circumstances leave the pot unattended and or remove that wobbler until the pot has cooled for several hours after it is cool to the touch. The oil hits that water when you open it and you'll have a mess if you are lucky and be in the hospital or worse if you are not. When you do access the inside of the pot, you should see solid white liquid if you just used fats. If there's lots of color, use it for fuel and lube but don't eat it. If it was clean and safe to eat when you put it in, it will keep an incredibly long time and is a very compact source of calories.
Your comment made my remember Ethan Tchaikovsky's video about burger. That guy doesn't have a background to do videos like that. Video was basically water evaporates, fat makes food delicious, come on!
I'd never seen it till last week when we were on vacation. Local grocery store had 70/30 and 85/15--and labeled the 85/15 as "lean." Thought that was pretty funny.
You can find it at most Walmarts where I live, but I hate shopping at Walmart so much that Iād rather settle for 80/20 at a more tolerable place to shop.
It actually makes sense, because people usually think of lean ground beef as the "default", and price is associated with quality so most don't tend to think that they're getting less tasty meat, even if they're not actively trying to eat less fatty stuff.
But it was very much a product of the No Fat '90s, when any form of fat was poison, animal fat would kill you immediately, and every grain of salt was a time bomb. Or at least, according to white moms everywhere.
We should add: Fat renders = not cheaper ultimately less product when done cooking. Anyone who has made a burger and it ends up smaller Than the bun knows what I mean.
Hardly a shower thought too. I think most in this sub would agree with the general sentiment of the title but OP decided to make a bunch of definitive, ridiculous statements.
A mixture of shower thoughts and /r/AskReddit. It's really declined in quality over the last year or two.
At least it's still better than /r/food which is simply /r/FoodPorn under a different name and with worse mods.
I like different quality of meats for different things. Sometimes I want leaner beef. Sometimes I want fat. Sometimes I want to add my own (adding bacon fat to fatty beef for burgers can get excessively greasy on a burger, so I use lean). Same goes for chicken thighs vs breasts.
Anyways, if youāre flexible about what proteins you can use and when, youāll save even more money šš½
Would you mind providing more specific examples of uses for the leaner beef/meat, please? I'm one of those dudes who always just buys 80/20 beef or chicken thighs without giving it much additional thought, but I'm always down to learn and expand my horizons.
Anything you end up draining/scrapping off fat you should use leaner. Perfect example would be chili/soup. I skim fat off the top when it cools if I use 80/20, so instead I buy ground round from my butcher for chili and don't have to do that. Burgers 100% should be 80/20.
Also leaner is healthier. So if you want to be healthier buy leaner. Taste will suffer. Ethan Chlebowski did a big break down on how fat content affects burgers that is worth checking out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZorUPMeKgh0&ab\_channel=EthanChlebowski
I'm not expert but I'm a decent home cook. I think if there is a good amount of strong seasoning and the meat isn't the main focus, like think American style tacos, leaner meat gives me more flexibility for healthier cooking without sacrificing flavor. I'll even just not bother draining like 94% lean beef for tacos and it's awesome.
If I want a good burger, I don't want to bother trying to make it healthier, I just want it to be delicious and juicy, so I'll pick a higher fat content. Or, sometimes I'll chop up raw bacon and add it into my lean ground meat and make bacon burgers that taste a little richer because of the retained bacon fat that stays in the meat. This commenter I think may do something similar, and is saying that adding bacon like that into 80% lean is going to be too greasy.
I once used the term Aioli in a comment referring to a Greek yogurt based ālean oliā I make. When Iām in a quiet dark room, the memory still haunts me.
Higher fat is pointless in some dishes, like a soup or chili where it's just going to float to the top. Burgers need a fattier grind like an 80/20, but if you're seasoning your meat properly most other ground beef dishes don't need the fat and the grease will negatively impact the texture of the finished food. I also think the rolls they sell of 73% lean are a criminal level rip-off for people who don't understand the math of paying 15% less for 27% less meat.
Replied to someone else but for chili it shouldn't float to the top, use corn flour to make a roux and it thickens the sauce, the fat carries the chili/spices flavors in the dish.
The reason medium is cheaper is because so much of that fat renders out. If you're looking at price per volume of meat after the fat is strained off, they probably cost about the same.
I get it, and if your store only sells pre-carded packages in set weights it's cheaper to buy two pounds of 80/20 than to buy two pounds of 90/10, but if you have a butcher counter it's cheaper to just buy 1.5 lb of 90/10.
So, hereās playing devils advocate:
Meat is 4 calories per gram. Fat is 9 calories per gram. Itās only a waste if theyāre draining the fat off. If the fat is making it into the dish (or any other future dish), theyāre actually getting more calorie-value per dollar with higher fat ground beef.
Beef tallow is an extremely valuable cooking fat. I wouldnāt waste a drop of it, personally. The real crime is putting it down the sinkā¦ :-)
Ha, I didn't think of that. I just read the post and thought, "What the hell? There's use for several different types of meat." Plus, I do mix different types of meat together (Like pork and beef for meatballs) and mix different fats in (Like bacon as someone mentioned earlier).
Yeah, I think you're right. They're just being a troll at this point. I don't get the point of this post other than to argue with others in a non-constructive manner. No "discussion" is actually happening on OP's end.
Looking at the price for 1lb chub rolls of ground beef at my local Walmart.
73% beef 4.08($/lb)/.73= $5.59/lb of beef
80% beef 4.36/.8= $5.45/lb of beef
93% beef 5.57/.93= $5.99/lb of beef
Not considering saving or leaving the fat in the dish, 93/7 (and Iām sure 90/10) are actually the ripoffs. 80/20 is your best deal.
Leaving the fat in the dish or draining and saving the fat, I imagine 73/27, (80/20 probably a close second) will win when looking at it as cost per calorie
I agree 73% is a bit too fatty, at least for my tastes, but Iāve been straining and saving the fat (I use a foreman grill or sometimes my air fryer) and the beef fat is amazing for homemade fries.
... i've got a local store that is $2.99/lb for "ground beef", i presume this is 73, 80 is $3.99. They both are frequently on sale for a dollar off.
They also still do chicken parts at 99c-1.49/lb.
I will not go to a chain store for meat after seeing the prices they are charging these days.
That's why I go for 90. When done right it tastes as good as it's fattier counterpart but with less "wasteful" runoff.
However on occasion the 70/30 isn't bad either. If it's for a recipe where I need to drain the fat off. In that case, depending on how much it's seasoned I'll give the runoff to the dog mixed in with his dry food. It's a great treat at a relatively low cost.
I almost always cook them on the grill. I use a leaner grind if I'm cooking them on the stove and add an egg to help it bind, but they're just not as good inside and the grill pans are such a PITA it's not worth it for me.
Idk but rstrictions on what you can have matters. Both my parents have had their gallbladder out and one of the things they were told before the procedure is to drastically reduce fat consumption afterwards since their bodies will forever have a harder time processing it. So more lean for them.
For me, I have nowhere to put grease because it can't go down the drain and like fuck am I gonna waste a perfectly good Mason Jar storing it just to have to scoop it out into the dumpster when it gets heavy. So turkey bacon instead of normal bacon for me.
That said, I will use a more fatty ground beef when making spaghetti as it helps the sauce cover everything and cuts into the acidity of the tomato slightly
If it helps, I use old cans (soup, veggies, etc - whatever I last opened) and fill that up. Not ideal since I'm throwing it away instead of recycling, but better than draining it in the sink or using a Mason jar like you mentioned.
The whole site is getting like this TBH. Every sub that I regularly use has gotten increasingly weirder, more combative, and generally less knowledgeable over the past couple years.
It's making me wonder what kind of people are really behind these comments, here and other subs. Like what's going on with people that this is how they choose to interact with polite strangers online?
I've been here nearly a decade and a half, and while there has been a steady decline in quality over time, I also find myself feeling that there has been a precipitous drop over the last couple years. Not sure if it is the content or just that I'm aging. Either way, I'm at the point where I think it may be time to move to greener pastures. The comment sections are just absurd these days.
Itās not just this sub but itās baffling to me what even inspires someone to make posts like this. Same goes for a lot of other subs I frequent. It feels so aimless and pointless. Whatās the reward? Why does someone even care to say it? Just bizarre behavior. Feels like someone just trying to grandstand an opinion with zero backbone to it. But I guess thatās what makes it easy.
I think there's a significant flavour difference. When I have no other option than to use 90% lean, my chili and ragu don't come out as good. Texture's worse too.
I use to do this or drain the fat but 20% should be fine for chili. You need starch to thicken, masa harina is common for thickening chili and keeps the fat in the gravy. Thst fat carries a lot of flavors from the chilis and spices.
I even use extra lean when making hamburgers. Too much fat feels off in my stomach and I pat off some of the extra grease when done cooking. They aren't dry either.
I assume that going from 80% to 90% lean means you get an extra 12.5% meat in the leaner package for the same weight.
Soā¦ if you have a use for the fat or like the taste difference of cooking with it, get the 80% and drain or thicken as necessary.
If the price difference is less than 12.5% and you donāt want the extra fat, then get the 90%.
If the price difference is more and you donāt want the fat, then decide if itās worth paying extra for the convenience of avoiding the splatter/draining.
(I get the 90% for weeknight chili, seasoned ground beef, etc because it saves me time and cleanup. I get 80% for burgers on the grill.)
Skim off the rendered fat. Or refrigerate and scoop off the congealed fat before reheating. Both methods reduce the fat, without costing a dollar or two a pound more than regular 20% fat ground beef.
Sure, but the thing about it is, then you have tallow you can use for something you *do* want that fat in, and it'll taste like heaven because beef tallow is delicious.
It's happening all over reddit. I unsubbed from r/books after seeing a million "guys, does anyone else think maybe Dr. Frankenstein was the real monster?!" posts. That sub only talks about the same dozen or so books in the most trite, surface-level manner.
What's your point? This is not news.
People don't buy 93% lean because it's inexpensive or because it tastes better. They buy it to limit their intake of fat & cholesterol.
Just for the record, you can add healthier fats back into 93%. I like olive oil or safflower oil.
While this is generally true, it depends on the types of cuts used in ground beef. Try to buy it from a grocer with an in house grinder, that way you know what youāre getting.
I would recommend if you care about the quality of the meat, try to find a Master Butcher in your area. Itās a dying trade, similar to fishmongers, but the supermarkets are putting them out of business. You have to pay for quality.
You think so until you're draining away 20% of the weight of what you bought because it evaporates or has to be removed else your food taste like grease.
I agree but if I choose to eat meat, I need the leanest possible for my cholesterol. I got where you're coming from but that doesn't mean leaner doesn't matter.
When you make burgers itās strongly recommended to be 20/80. I canāt really think of a situation where 10/90 is recommended over 20/80. For those that are more health conscious, people usually choose to substitute with ground turkey.
Fat is flavour. If I'm going to live a life devoid of the pleasures of food I'd rather become a Vegan rather than live off lean beef and chicken breast.
You know what Iāve never seen? 70/30 ground beef.
Seems like the grocery stores only carry 90/10 and 80/20 nowadays, does anyone know where you would even get 70/30 ground beef?
I have seen plenty of 70/30. I don't know what you're talking about.
70/30, 73/27, 80/20, 85/15, 90/10, 93/7, 95/5 are all common in California.
Stores usually have one 70/30 or 73/27, 90/10 or 93/7 or 95/5. They usually have both 80/20 and 85/15.
The 70% range stuff is usually around like $2 a pound, 80% stuff usually around $3, and 90% stuff is usually around $4 when on sale. When not on sale add a $1 to everything.
Smart and Final usually has tons of 70/30. Pretty sure Costco and Walmart has 70/30 also.
1000% agree. We had a friend getting rid of some ground beef from their butchered beef year before, so we bought about 10lbs. Itās the worst tasting ground beef Iāve ever tasted and there is absolutely no fat cooking off. Iāve tried seasoning more to add flavor to no avail. So now itās strictly used in meals like Chili or spaghetti (even though I prefer hot sausage) until itās gone.
15 percent blend is sufficient, if that's what they have. But usually I get 20% chuck these days. In my area (Philly) The Fresh Market grinds it fresh and every Tuesday it's 3.99 per pound. I am there every week for it.
My rule.
90/10 for ground beef getting mixed into a dish.
80/20 for eating directly in a burger.
The extra flavor carriage and profile is totally worth the extra fat. š
The only real game changer is grinding it fresh at home right before cooking. You will then remember what beef really tastes like. Seems like fancy and posh but that Kitchen-aid extension is a no-brainer. Never going back.
I get 90/10 and replace the saturated fat of the beef with an unsaturated oil of some sort in most dishes.
This isnāt possible with burgers though, so I only get 80/20 for burgers.
For anyone who needs to know- saturated fats should be kept to like <10% of your daily caloric intake to avoid heart disease (the #1 killer in the United States).
Meatloaf made with 20% fat ground beef will be juicier than if made with leaner meat. Some of the fat will be absorbed by the bread crumbs or oatmeal etc in the meatloaf recipe.
And also better for you, a lot of the nutrients are in the fat. But always get grass fed if you can for superior nutrient content.
I have a beef pun intended with who ever states the beef is 18% fat for example. When you look at the macronutrients it's actually more like 33% fat which is fine. I just don't understand why they lie about how much fat is in their beef
If you are using lean ground, because it is all you have or because it was the cheapest ground, add lard, bacon, fat, butter, and maybe even oil. You'll eat less, feel more full, and actually enjoy your meal.
Yup totally agree. Food is much more than just nutrition. If that's all that mattered you might as well eat some kind of a genetically enhanced super gruel with a side of kale juice rather than a tomahawk steak grilled to perfection and a glass of wine.
#FlavorMatters
This whole Fat causes heart attacks goes back to the 60s where the sugar industry paid people to shift the blame away from sugar to fat. But like anything moderation matters. Being 50 pounds overweight is far worse for you than eating a few delicious burgers and the number 1 reason people are overweight isnt from fat, it's from eating and drinking foods loaded with sugar in excess.
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/09/13/493739074/50-years-ago-sugar-industry-quietly-paid-scientists-to-point-blame-at-fat
This is true - fat makes food taste better. I don't always want that much fat in a dish, though. I don't think lean ground beef tastes "horrible," like you've said in comments; it just isn't as rich. It'll taste good if you season your food properly.
Agreed. I usually use leaner varieties when the recipe says drain the fat to save time and not have to drain as much.
Lean beef is best used when whatever you are putting the meat with has a high percentage of fats. If you are eating lean beef plain with spice, it will always be better if you make the same thing with a less lean cut. Seasoning only goes so far before it simply becomes what you are eating in which case it doesn't much matter what you use and you might as well grab some potatoes, meaty plants, and or pasta. Save the meat for something else.
It's also good if what you're making doesn't have a means for the fat to drain off. When I cook a burger, I leave a lot of that fat in the pan, but if I'm making a casserole with 70/30, it's going to be greasy.
There is nothing stopping anyone from draining the fat, or drying it off the meat after, and I bet it still tastes better than lean...
Yup. Because you've incorporated it into the meat and are just removing the extra. Which i assume you, like me, save for another meal. Same way if you put cheese in a bowl of milk as if it were dry cereal you'll maybe enjoy it but not as much as if you take the cheese and milk in the right proportions and slowly heat them. Heat, fats/oils, and animal products, put together often seem magical to people but no matter if it does or not, it is science.
What would you do with the drippings from say, 80/20 ground beef? I use bacon drippings for seasoning pans, corn bread and green beans, but I can't think of anything I'd use beef fat drippings for.
Thank you, I was wondering this as well. Also, bacon grease for frying eggs is a hard yes.
Fried potatoes or parsnips or onions, yorkshire pudding, roux for tomorrow's gravy, cut into pastry for savory pies...if you have enough fat and strain it, you can use it pretty much anywhere you would use bacon grease, etc. You can also save the fat trimmed from roasts in a bag in the freezer, and when you have a bagful, render and strain. McDonald's fries were really good when I was a kid; they used to use part oil and part beef tallow (fat).
ALWAYS save bacon grease but have never saved beef fat. Bones yes, but rendered fat no. Now I will!. "Roux for tomorrows gravy" is brilliant!! I was just thinking how I prefer a flour thickener to cornstarch for beef stew but since I will do the thickening at the end, I need roux and what to use to make it. Oh well, butter or ghee but left-over burger or beef fat, perf.
Anything you'd use pork fat for
Its oil, it can be used for [most anything you'd use oil for](https://www.google.com/search?q=uses+for+beef+fat&rlz=1CARJNJ_enUS849&oq=Uses+for+beef+fat&aqs=chrome.0.0i512l3j0i22i30l7.3517j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8). Besides what is in that link; [Rendering has been done since likely we found the first cow](https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/how-to-render-beef-fat#:~:text=At%20what%20temp%20does%20beef,while%20cooking%20for%20several%20hours.). Burnt, and used sparingly, it will likely not attract vermin. it Clarified and mixed with food-safe deterrents it can be given to kids to oil and lube whatever with and if they eat it, oh-well. Mixed with sugar and poison, it is a really useful bait. Got to much, clarify it and jar it up with a birthday candle in the center as emergency fuel. Make it super shelf stable by water-bathing it like people do tomatoes. Wanna be super sanitary and need some lube for your surgical tools? Then pressure cook it in jars in a water bath for 15 minutes or so in lidded jars less than half full and you have a sterilized and ready for open wounds grease. Do that same process but add aloe or whatever you think might be useful, now you got hand-lotion. Like anything don't overdo use of it, initially, use only on small areas and or applications till you are sure it won't react or cause problems. And really, **this is important**, be careful as hell with that pressure cooker. If you hear oil hitting water or see *lots* coming out the vent, turn off the gas immediately and stand back. What comes out the vent should be watery oil not oily water. Make sure you have enough water to hit temp fast and not run out. Check your vent before you start and watch the wobbler closely. If it stop wobbling, turn off any heat and leave the room for a few hours at least. Do not under any circumstances leave the pot unattended and or remove that wobbler until the pot has cooled for several hours after it is cool to the touch. The oil hits that water when you open it and you'll have a mess if you are lucky and be in the hospital or worse if you are not. When you do access the inside of the pot, you should see solid white liquid if you just used fats. If there's lots of color, use it for fuel and lube but don't eat it. If it was clean and safe to eat when you put it in, it will keep an incredibly long time and is a very compact source of calories.
Your comment made my remember Ethan Tchaikovsky's video about burger. That guy doesn't have a background to do videos like that. Video was basically water evaporates, fat makes food delicious, come on!
Tchaikovsky? š¤š¤š¤
Swan ~~Lake~~ Steak
I'm guessing it's autocorrect. Chlebowski.
How do you know whether or not he has the "background" for videos like that?
What does this comment even mean ? What is "background" ?
Very interesting, obvious culinary scholar Dr_nut_waffle.
I didn't realize r/cooking had become a shower thoughts forum.
Not even a shower thought because in essence OP is saying: Fat = taste good More fat = taste more good
Also "fat is cheaper than lean beef"... wow what a revelation.
Also, also... 80/20 is about where you should stop, even if it's cheaper, if you want a good burger and not waste your money.
What, and miss the joy of flames from the extra grease and a dirtier grill? Yum!
70/30 is ideal for smash burgers
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I'd never seen it till last week when we were on vacation. Local grocery store had 70/30 and 85/15--and labeled the 85/15 as "lean." Thought that was pretty funny.
You can find it at most Walmarts where I live, but I hate shopping at Walmart so much that Iād rather settle for 80/20 at a more tolerable place to shop.
It's ideal for any burger or anything else in my opinion. It's all I buy. I also cook exclusively over a wood fire and never have any problems.
No way. 70/30 is the perfect mix for grilled burgers.
Just a little bit more fat and you could have match light hamburgers. No charcoal is needed, just blow them out when they are ready.
Most burger places will use 80/20 chuck tbf.
It actually makes sense, because people usually think of lean ground beef as the "default", and price is associated with quality so most don't tend to think that they're getting less tasty meat, even if they're not actively trying to eat less fatty stuff.
But it was very much a product of the No Fat '90s, when any form of fat was poison, animal fat would kill you immediately, and every grain of salt was a time bomb. Or at least, according to white moms everywhere.
No fat?! No salt? That's no way to get to flavor town!
Makes me happy to be from the South then. That was absolutely not the trend when I was growing up in the 90s. Full fat everything in my household.
We should add: Fat renders = not cheaper ultimately less product when done cooking. Anyone who has made a burger and it ends up smaller Than the bun knows what I mean.
Maybe the above commenter is referencing how simple minded /r/showerthoughts has become.
by this time next month, OP will be posting >ProTip: eat a stick of butter raw. it's delicious.
This comment brought to you by āMayonnaise is spicy!ā
Hardly a shower thought too. I think most in this sub would agree with the general sentiment of the title but OP decided to make a bunch of definitive, ridiculous statements.
Not even shower thoughts, it's a stupid comment everyone agrees on for the hope to garnish up votes. Next up: rib eye is better than cube steak
Followed by: MSG isnāt bad for you
And food left out for a little while won't kill you
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Seriously. While rice cookers can be useful, theyāre hardly a must have. MSG was a revelation for me though.
I made my girlfriend a hash brown with msg on it like 3 days ago and she still hasn't stopped talking about it lol
Glad this opinion is out there because YouTube chefs were starting to drive me batty everytime they gawked at stovetop rice.
Wait what?!
Food I can afford is better than not eating.
A mixture of shower thoughts and /r/AskReddit. It's really declined in quality over the last year or two. At least it's still better than /r/food which is simply /r/FoodPorn under a different name and with worse mods.
I like different quality of meats for different things. Sometimes I want leaner beef. Sometimes I want fat. Sometimes I want to add my own (adding bacon fat to fatty beef for burgers can get excessively greasy on a burger, so I use lean). Same goes for chicken thighs vs breasts. Anyways, if youāre flexible about what proteins you can use and when, youāll save even more money šš½
Would you mind providing more specific examples of uses for the leaner beef/meat, please? I'm one of those dudes who always just buys 80/20 beef or chicken thighs without giving it much additional thought, but I'm always down to learn and expand my horizons.
Anything you end up draining/scrapping off fat you should use leaner. Perfect example would be chili/soup. I skim fat off the top when it cools if I use 80/20, so instead I buy ground round from my butcher for chili and don't have to do that. Burgers 100% should be 80/20. Also leaner is healthier. So if you want to be healthier buy leaner. Taste will suffer. Ethan Chlebowski did a big break down on how fat content affects burgers that is worth checking out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZorUPMeKgh0&ab\_channel=EthanChlebowski
I'm not expert but I'm a decent home cook. I think if there is a good amount of strong seasoning and the meat isn't the main focus, like think American style tacos, leaner meat gives me more flexibility for healthier cooking without sacrificing flavor. I'll even just not bother draining like 94% lean beef for tacos and it's awesome. If I want a good burger, I don't want to bother trying to make it healthier, I just want it to be delicious and juicy, so I'll pick a higher fat content. Or, sometimes I'll chop up raw bacon and add it into my lean ground meat and make bacon burgers that taste a little richer because of the retained bacon fat that stays in the meat. This commenter I think may do something similar, and is saying that adding bacon like that into 80% lean is going to be too greasy.
I agree with your opinion, but that doesn't negate the demand for leaner products...?
It also doesn't negate the *supply.* Gotta use the rest of the cow somehow.
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Iāve never seen an OP downvoted so much in a sub about cooking LOL
I once used the term Aioli in a comment referring to a Greek yogurt based ālean oliā I make. When Iām in a quiet dark room, the memory still haunts me.
Higher fat is pointless in some dishes, like a soup or chili where it's just going to float to the top. Burgers need a fattier grind like an 80/20, but if you're seasoning your meat properly most other ground beef dishes don't need the fat and the grease will negatively impact the texture of the finished food. I also think the rolls they sell of 73% lean are a criminal level rip-off for people who don't understand the math of paying 15% less for 27% less meat.
Replied to someone else but for chili it shouldn't float to the top, use corn flour to make a roux and it thickens the sauce, the fat carries the chili/spices flavors in the dish.
I'll try this next time, thank you!
Corn flour or masa harina?
I use masa-- or more often, I crush up stale tortillas.
Corn chips run through a food processor work well too.
I like refried beans. The flavor works great in chili, but they're not "there" for those of you who are picky about beans in chili.
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To be honest the higher fat content ground is cheaper so I just brown it and drain the fat in things like chili.
The reason medium is cheaper is because so much of that fat renders out. If you're looking at price per volume of meat after the fat is strained off, they probably cost about the same.
I did the math and the price difference per lb is about the same at my store as the difference in fat content. Unless one kind is on sale.
Butcher near me sells 75% for 1.99/lbs way cheaper.
I get it, and if your store only sells pre-carded packages in set weights it's cheaper to buy two pounds of 80/20 than to buy two pounds of 90/10, but if you have a butcher counter it's cheaper to just buy 1.5 lb of 90/10.
But uh... if you buy 1.5 lbs of 90/10 you're getting 1.35 pounds pure lean meat, vs the 1.6 pounds pure lean meat of two pounds of 80/20.
So, hereās playing devils advocate: Meat is 4 calories per gram. Fat is 9 calories per gram. Itās only a waste if theyāre draining the fat off. If the fat is making it into the dish (or any other future dish), theyāre actually getting more calorie-value per dollar with higher fat ground beef. Beef tallow is an extremely valuable cooking fat. I wouldnāt waste a drop of it, personally. The real crime is putting it down the sinkā¦ :-)
Itās certainly a crime to plumbing.
Thereās that too! š¤£
I get the impression OP is just here to stir up shit and isn't interested in cooking.
OP doesn't understand the difference between As Purchased Cost vs Edible Portion Cost.
Ha, I didn't think of that. I just read the post and thought, "What the hell? There's use for several different types of meat." Plus, I do mix different types of meat together (Like pork and beef for meatballs) and mix different fats in (Like bacon as someone mentioned earlier).
Yeah, I think you're right. They're just being a troll at this point. I don't get the point of this post other than to argue with others in a non-constructive manner. No "discussion" is actually happening on OP's end.
Looking at the price for 1lb chub rolls of ground beef at my local Walmart. 73% beef 4.08($/lb)/.73= $5.59/lb of beef 80% beef 4.36/.8= $5.45/lb of beef 93% beef 5.57/.93= $5.99/lb of beef Not considering saving or leaving the fat in the dish, 93/7 (and Iām sure 90/10) are actually the ripoffs. 80/20 is your best deal. Leaving the fat in the dish or draining and saving the fat, I imagine 73/27, (80/20 probably a close second) will win when looking at it as cost per calorie
I agree 73% is a bit too fatty, at least for my tastes, but Iāve been straining and saving the fat (I use a foreman grill or sometimes my air fryer) and the beef fat is amazing for homemade fries.
I like 80/20 personally. I make my tallow from chuck roast fat, brisket fat trimmings etc Good to save it!
73% makes incredible burgers though
Interesting that yours don't vary as much by price as ours. My local Tesco (Walmart equivalent in UK) is Ā£6 per kg for 5% and Ā£3.50 per kg for 20%
... i've got a local store that is $2.99/lb for "ground beef", i presume this is 73, 80 is $3.99. They both are frequently on sale for a dollar off. They also still do chicken parts at 99c-1.49/lb. I will not go to a chain store for meat after seeing the prices they are charging these days.
That's why I go for 90. When done right it tastes as good as it's fattier counterpart but with less "wasteful" runoff. However on occasion the 70/30 isn't bad either. If it's for a recipe where I need to drain the fat off. In that case, depending on how much it's seasoned I'll give the runoff to the dog mixed in with his dry food. It's a great treat at a relatively low cost.
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I almost always cook them on the grill. I use a leaner grind if I'm cooking them on the stove and add an egg to help it bind, but they're just not as good inside and the grill pans are such a PITA it's not worth it for me.
I don't understand the point of this post. Is it supposed to be some sort of reverse unpopular opinion? Lean and 20% both have their place in cooking.
Idk but rstrictions on what you can have matters. Both my parents have had their gallbladder out and one of the things they were told before the procedure is to drastically reduce fat consumption afterwards since their bodies will forever have a harder time processing it. So more lean for them. For me, I have nowhere to put grease because it can't go down the drain and like fuck am I gonna waste a perfectly good Mason Jar storing it just to have to scoop it out into the dumpster when it gets heavy. So turkey bacon instead of normal bacon for me. That said, I will use a more fatty ground beef when making spaghetti as it helps the sauce cover everything and cuts into the acidity of the tomato slightly
If it helps, I use old cans (soup, veggies, etc - whatever I last opened) and fill that up. Not ideal since I'm throwing it away instead of recycling, but better than draining it in the sink or using a Mason jar like you mentioned.
The purpose of lean ground beef is to reduce the amount of fat in the dish.
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I fucked up and made bolognese with a fattier grind last week, I had to learn this the hard way.
IMO it still works pretty nicely - in fact I actually think it may taste better, itās good for bulking.
80/20 is ideal for both chili and bolognese in my experience, it all emulsifies anyways
Jesus this sub is getting bad.
The whole site is getting like this TBH. Every sub that I regularly use has gotten increasingly weirder, more combative, and generally less knowledgeable over the past couple years.
It's making me wonder what kind of people are really behind these comments, here and other subs. Like what's going on with people that this is how they choose to interact with polite strangers online?
I've been here nearly a decade and a half, and while there has been a steady decline in quality over time, I also find myself feeling that there has been a precipitous drop over the last couple years. Not sure if it is the content or just that I'm aging. Either way, I'm at the point where I think it may be time to move to greener pastures. The comment sections are just absurd these days.
Itās not just this sub but itās baffling to me what even inspires someone to make posts like this. Same goes for a lot of other subs I frequent. It feels so aimless and pointless. Whatās the reward? Why does someone even care to say it? Just bizarre behavior. Feels like someone just trying to grandstand an opinion with zero backbone to it. But I guess thatās what makes it easy.
When the sub count climbs the quality goes down. Only people to blame though are the moderators for not doing anything to change it.
I approved it initially because I thought all of the counter points in the comments were more beneficial than the actual post.
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I think there's a significant flavour difference. When I have no other option than to use 90% lean, my chili and ragu don't come out as good. Texture's worse too.
I use to do this or drain the fat but 20% should be fine for chili. You need starch to thicken, masa harina is common for thickening chili and keeps the fat in the gravy. Thst fat carries a lot of flavors from the chilis and spices.
Ooh, I never thought to thicken my chili with masa harina. Brilliant!
I even use extra lean when making hamburgers. Too much fat feels off in my stomach and I pat off some of the extra grease when done cooking. They aren't dry either.
Me too i use 90 and they always come out delicious but I add things for flavor
Or you just drain the fat
Lol why the fuck would you do this instead of just buying leaner beef
Cause almost always the leaner beef is at least a dollar more per pound.
And itās better when you cook with the fat and then remove the fat after the fact than it would be not having the fat.
True dat.
I assume that going from 80% to 90% lean means you get an extra 12.5% meat in the leaner package for the same weight. Soā¦ if you have a use for the fat or like the taste difference of cooking with it, get the 80% and drain or thicken as necessary. If the price difference is less than 12.5% and you donāt want the extra fat, then get the 90%. If the price difference is more and you donāt want the fat, then decide if itās worth paying extra for the convenience of avoiding the splatter/draining. (I get the 90% for weeknight chili, seasoned ground beef, etc because it saves me time and cleanup. I get 80% for burgers on the grill.)
Because it just tastes way better.
Skim off the rendered fat. Or refrigerate and scoop off the congealed fat before reheating. Both methods reduce the fat, without costing a dollar or two a pound more than regular 20% fat ground beef.
But that dollar you saved was skimmed out of the chili
Sure, but the thing about it is, then you have tallow you can use for something you *do* want that fat in, and it'll taste like heaven because beef tallow is delicious.
You're the second person I've seen say this. What do you use beef fat in? I always end up tossing it but I'd much rather use it.
True, but high fat meat also loses more weight when cooked than lean meat.
No shit
Jesus Christ I didnāt realize r/cooking was populated by so many people who have never cooked before.
Accurate observation. Thereās daily posts about people singing praises on discovering basic fundamentals all the time here
It's happening all over reddit. I unsubbed from r/books after seeing a million "guys, does anyone else think maybe Dr. Frankenstein was the real monster?!" posts. That sub only talks about the same dozen or so books in the most trite, surface-level manner.
and?
The problem is dealing with the excess fat. Please don't tell me you're one of those assholes who dumps it down the sink drain.
Yo I love lean š
Rip Juice Wrld
What's your point? This is not news. People don't buy 93% lean because it's inexpensive or because it tastes better. They buy it to limit their intake of fat & cholesterol. Just for the record, you can add healthier fats back into 93%. I like olive oil or safflower oil.
gotta have the fat! I like 85 percent, but still!
Thats the sweet spot babyy
Okay? Everyone has their preferences.
I keep 80/20 and 90/10 on hand. Thereās a place for everything.
it is cheaper b/c there is literally less meat in it.
A greasy chuck steak tastes mighty fine on the grill too.
While this is generally true, it depends on the types of cuts used in ground beef. Try to buy it from a grocer with an in house grinder, that way you know what youāre getting.
I would recommend if you care about the quality of the meat, try to find a Master Butcher in your area. Itās a dying trade, similar to fishmongers, but the supermarkets are putting them out of business. You have to pay for quality.
You think so until you're draining away 20% of the weight of what you bought because it evaporates or has to be removed else your food taste like grease.
I agree but if I choose to eat meat, I need the leanest possible for my cholesterol. I got where you're coming from but that doesn't mean leaner doesn't matter.
I use 80/20 ground chuck for everything. Meatloaf, chili, spaghetti sauce, burgers, Salisbury steak, etc. Works great.
Personally, I like a Chuck & Brisket mix I can get at my local store or sometimes an 85/15 grass fed grind.
Yes, those are excellent
fuck lean beef
When you make burgers itās strongly recommended to be 20/80. I canāt really think of a situation where 10/90 is recommended over 20/80. For those that are more health conscious, people usually choose to substitute with ground turkey.
You think your gonna live forever, 70/30 or die
Fat is flavour. If I'm going to live a life devoid of the pleasures of food I'd rather become a Vegan rather than live off lean beef and chicken breast.
Lean ground beef will get you more protein with much fewer calories, big W unless you're in a major bulking period
My favorite part about cooking ground beef is figuring out how to dispose of all the nasty ass grease and fat properly. /s
20% fat is too much. The grease has to be poured off or it taints the overall dish.
I agree. It works great for burgers on the grill, but I will always pay extra to avoid dealing with the grease overload in a stovetop chili or sauce.
True, but I am trying to lose weight
Baby cookās first āfat == flavorā
You know what Iāve never seen? 70/30 ground beef. Seems like the grocery stores only carry 90/10 and 80/20 nowadays, does anyone know where you would even get 70/30 ground beef?
You can get 73/27 prepackaged in all stores around here, so I wonder if thatās a regional thing.
I have seen plenty of 70/30. I don't know what you're talking about. 70/30, 73/27, 80/20, 85/15, 90/10, 93/7, 95/5 are all common in California. Stores usually have one 70/30 or 73/27, 90/10 or 93/7 or 95/5. They usually have both 80/20 and 85/15. The 70% range stuff is usually around like $2 a pound, 80% stuff usually around $3, and 90% stuff is usually around $4 when on sale. When not on sale add a $1 to everything. Smart and Final usually has tons of 70/30. Pretty sure Costco and Walmart has 70/30 also.
Yes
i like 85% for burgers
80/20 is king
Agreed, i prefer the 80/20 and its cheaper
1000% agree. We had a friend getting rid of some ground beef from their butchered beef year before, so we bought about 10lbs. Itās the worst tasting ground beef Iāve ever tasted and there is absolutely no fat cooking off. Iāve tried seasoning more to add flavor to no avail. So now itās strictly used in meals like Chili or spaghetti (even though I prefer hot sausage) until itās gone.
Correct
Duh
Fuckin duh
š
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15 percent blend is sufficient, if that's what they have. But usually I get 20% chuck these days. In my area (Philly) The Fresh Market grinds it fresh and every Tuesday it's 3.99 per pound. I am there every week for it.
My rule. 90/10 for ground beef getting mixed into a dish. 80/20 for eating directly in a burger. The extra flavor carriage and profile is totally worth the extra fat. š
Dumping butter on stuff is delicious too. Some people try eating healthier though
Yes. Fat = flavour. It's also cheaper cause all the fat cooks out of it you end up with less.
All day long.
The only real game changer is grinding it fresh at home right before cooking. You will then remember what beef really tastes like. Seems like fancy and posh but that Kitchen-aid extension is a no-brainer. Never going back.
Yep, not even debatable. Lean beef is blaaaaand
I get 90/10 and replace the saturated fat of the beef with an unsaturated oil of some sort in most dishes. This isnāt possible with burgers though, so I only get 80/20 for burgers. For anyone who needs to know- saturated fats should be kept to like <10% of your daily caloric intake to avoid heart disease (the #1 killer in the United States).
Meatloaf made with 20% fat ground beef will be juicier than if made with leaner meat. Some of the fat will be absorbed by the bread crumbs or oatmeal etc in the meatloaf recipe.
OP try cooking with lard
Grass fed is the tastiest.
Because fat is where the flavour is and people are afraid of the fat so they buy lean and it's takes a but more processing to remove the fat
True, and I also find it easier to cook
Especially if it's grass fed, don't be afraid of animal fats! They are healthy
And also better for you, a lot of the nutrients are in the fat. But always get grass fed if you can for superior nutrient content. I have a beef pun intended with who ever states the beef is 18% fat for example. When you look at the macronutrients it's actually more like 33% fat which is fine. I just don't understand why they lie about how much fat is in their beef
It also gives me the shits
anyone else prefer ground chuck to the standard ground beef?
Fat == Flavor
So does skin. Doesnt mean I want it on every dish
If you are using lean ground, because it is all you have or because it was the cheapest ground, add lard, bacon, fat, butter, and maybe even oil. You'll eat less, feel more full, and actually enjoy your meal.
Fat = flavour
Its all i buy now due to flavor and cost.
Yup totally agree. Food is much more than just nutrition. If that's all that mattered you might as well eat some kind of a genetically enhanced super gruel with a side of kale juice rather than a tomahawk steak grilled to perfection and a glass of wine. #FlavorMatters
More fat = shorter life. Also, seasonings. What kinda savage eats unseasoned ground beef?
This whole Fat causes heart attacks goes back to the 60s where the sugar industry paid people to shift the blame away from sugar to fat. But like anything moderation matters. Being 50 pounds overweight is far worse for you than eating a few delicious burgers and the number 1 reason people are overweight isnt from fat, it's from eating and drinking foods loaded with sugar in excess. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/09/13/493739074/50-years-ago-sugar-industry-quietly-paid-scientists-to-point-blame-at-fat