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From: brian@sdcsvax.UUCP (Brian Kantor)
Newsgroups: net.cooks
Subject: Re: Beef (degrees of leanness)
Message-ID: <1185@sdcsvax.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 8-Nov-85 00:09:56 EST
Article-I.D.: sdcsvax.1185
Posted: Fri Nov  8 00:09:56 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 11-Nov-85 05:50:17 EST
References: <29f4984e.1e08@apollo.uucp>
Reply-To: brian@sdcsvax.UUCP (Brian Kantor)
Organization: UCSD wombat breeding society
Lines: 28

In article <29f4984e.1e08@apollo.uucp> rps@apollo.uucp (Robert Stanzel) writes:
>Most supermarkets carry several levels of fat in ground beef, like 20%
>and 28%.  The least lean of them is up to twice as expensive as the leannest.
>I wonder if anyone knows how much fat is removed by cooking and draining?
>That is, if most of the fat can be cooked out, then it doesn't seem
>worthwhile to purchase the leanest grades.

That depends on whether you want to pay for fat at meat prices.  

If the method of cooking that you are using RETAINS the fat in some way, then
you should choose a degree of leanness that is appropriate for the recipe.

Otherwise, for most dishes, the leaner meat, well drained of cooked fat,
might be a better bargain, in that it is the final drained meat cost per
gram that is the factor.

You can determine this at home; cook three equal (raw) weights of each grade 
of ground beef in your traditional manner, and weigh the final drained
meat.  You can then calculate 1) the ratio of finished meat to raw meat,
and 2) the cost-per-kilo of the finished meat.

Sure it depends on the cooking method used.  Taste will vary too.  But
you COULD make this measurement and see.

In fact, it such a good idea, I think I'll do it myself and see.  Now 
all I have to do is find that chemical balance I haven't used since I
stopped selling recreational ....
	- Brian