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From: jdz@wucec2.UUCP (Jason D. Zions)
Newsgroups: net.cooks
Subject: Re: Beef (degrees of leanness)
Message-ID: <1165@wucec2.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 7-Nov-85 19:59:48 EST
Article-I.D.: wucec2.1165
Posted: Thu Nov  7 19:59:48 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 10-Nov-85 06:46:43 EST
References: <29f4984e.1e08@apollo.uucp>
Reply-To: jdz@wucec2.UUCP (Jason D. Zions)
Distribution: net
Organization: Wash. U. Center for Engineering Computing
Lines: 28
Summary: Not fattiness, but cost-efficiency

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.
Huh? The least lean is generally the cheapest.

>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.
Most of the fat cooks out, but that's not the issue. It's a question of
how much beef is left after you're done cooking. For example:

1 lb 75% lean ground beef @ 1.50
	After cooking, you have 0.75 lb left, so you paid $1.50 for 0.75 lb for
	an actual cost of $2.00 for a pound.
1 lb 95% lean ground beef @ 1.95
	After cooking, you have 0.95 lb left for a real cost of 1.95/0.95
	for a cost of around $2.05 or so.

Some of the grades between 75% and 95% may have leftover ratios better than
these.

I suppose you also have to consider the fat left in the beef; for people on
careful diets this may outweigh cost considerations.
-- 
Jason D. Zions				jdz@wucec2
Center for Engineering Computing	...ihnp4!wucs!wucec2!jdz
Washington University in St. Louis
[Strictly opinions; my employers aren't responsible (not even for hiring me!)]