We've been tightening up the belt recently and because of that we've been eating a lot more chicken, beef mince, and snags.

Has anyone else noticed a large increase in fat content in the meat recently?. I think the missus got much of it from the large three supermarkets and has done for a long time. We got a jar of fat and some other liquid substance from roasting a chook. Some mince we got had a yuk amount of fat in it after it was cooked. In the last few months it's been a regular thing. We DO aim for the more expensive end of the cheaper meats lately.

Anyone know why this could be happening?.

What kind of mince are you talking about?

StG, alot of people think that chook contains less fat, as it is
harder to see, being a similar colour as the meat. With red meats
fat just stands out more, due to the colour difference.

Mince at say Coles, is star rated. The more stars, the more you
pay, the less fat in the mince.

Snags etc will have a lot of fat, butchers call it "value adding".
Either they grind it up into sausages or patties, or they have to
throw it away.

One of the best ways to buy value in meat is to buy roasts and cut
them into steaks, diced, or mince yourself. Where I am in WA,
large lamb legs are on special for 8.50$ today. The same meat
diced, costs double that much.

I have always eaten a lot of mince. I buy whole rump steer at the local retail/wholesaler and pay under $7.00 a kilo. Once I have cut all the outer fat off I reckon it it has cost me about $8.50 a kilo. I then mince it and flatten it into several flat plate-like forms and freeze it for easy defrost as and when I need it. This a far cheaper method of getting completely fat-free meat which has even less fat than the premium stuff you get in the super markets at two thirds the price and without any of the other rubbish that sometimes gets included in bought mince. You just have to get smart !

here's the go

get lamb mince as it is cheaper, sear it very well in a snorepan [not frypan or goes lumpy] and pour off all the oil once it smells "nutty"

save oil in fridge and once it looks like white lard it IS like white lard, so spread in big mobs on toast - yummy

this makes sure no fat in meal

StG

Heard a book mentioned on Radio National on the weekend which apparently is all about cooking with cheaper cuts of meat and generally getting meat to go further. It was called "Leftovers" and was written by Kate someone. Unfortunately I didn't catch her surname. Sorry, not much help I know. Perhaps someone else knows the book I'm talking about.

Hopefully, there'll be lots of these type of publications from now on, what with entering leaner times and the need to reduce consumption and conserve the planet and all.

Thanks guys, sorry, been out and about the last coupla days.

lol Lard on toast?, mate, can feel my arteries hardening just thinking about. I VAGUELY remember my gran (RIP) saying stuff like that. She lived thru to her mid 90's, so can be all bad.

Going by what youse are saying it's a choice thing over current quality. Could always just be this area too. We avoid the butcher cause of a coupla bad experiences with snags.

I guess it comes down to just taking it on the chin and realising it's just getting more and more expensive.

Of course, an alternative solution is to reduce the amount of meat in your diet. Vegies are pretty expensive at the moment, but growing your own can be a good option - even in a suburban backyard.

yeah, as a kid in 1950s margarine was only just invented and tasted horrible. Most people used butter on toast but there was no such thing as cooking oil [and there's no way my dad would allow any "wog" stuff like olive oil in house, albeit he probably never heard of it].

One simply had a "dripping tin" in the pantry into which all liquids from roasts, chops etc were emptied and recycled, and it was when the butter ran out that we were allowed to use the dripping on toast, hence my love of it, cept I now grind chilli and black pepper on it

Both parents died at 65 but it appears that was because they became paranoid with health and were eating beef from cows which only fed on sunflowers etc [an experiment by a Maquarie St specialist], and for reasons unknown most of those in his target group got cancer [and he got struck off].

A lot of my cooking is curry so I use ghee [clarified butter] if I can get it, but for spag bol etc I use Olive Oil.

As well as more vegies, making casserole and other meat dishes go further through adding lentils is another good idea. They're generally economical and are rich sources of protein.

As far as the dripping goes, it would have been a lot healthier than the margarine and butter blends of today which contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (transfats), implicated in many degenerative conditions.