Pressing fat out of ground beef
FewL4no1
Posts: 5
Hello all!
As the title implies, I like my ground beef, and I get it from a local farmer, so the actual fat content (93/7, 85/15, etc.) is not something I know, but my guess is that it is in the 85/15 to 90/10 range. When I cook the ground beef, I let it brown, and then is set it on paper towels, take another bundle of PTs and then "press" the meat out of it, and I perform this routine twice, to get out some of the fat.
Knowing this, I have two questions:
1) Are there any other methods you guys and gals use to press fat out of your ground beef, and
2) If I do this, how can I guesstimate how many and what types of macronutrients I am removing from the beef? My guess is that it is mostly fat and water that is pressed out,. so my plan is to weigh the paper towels (grams) before and after I press the beef, measure the difference, and then knock off ~ 5 calories/gram (this accounts for both absorbed fat and water). I considered just calculating it based on 93/7 beef stats, but my protein content will be a bit overestimated if I do that. Thoughts?
Thanks for your replies!
As the title implies, I like my ground beef, and I get it from a local farmer, so the actual fat content (93/7, 85/15, etc.) is not something I know, but my guess is that it is in the 85/15 to 90/10 range. When I cook the ground beef, I let it brown, and then is set it on paper towels, take another bundle of PTs and then "press" the meat out of it, and I perform this routine twice, to get out some of the fat.
Knowing this, I have two questions:
1) Are there any other methods you guys and gals use to press fat out of your ground beef, and
2) If I do this, how can I guesstimate how many and what types of macronutrients I am removing from the beef? My guess is that it is mostly fat and water that is pressed out,. so my plan is to weigh the paper towels (grams) before and after I press the beef, measure the difference, and then knock off ~ 5 calories/gram (this accounts for both absorbed fat and water). I considered just calculating it based on 93/7 beef stats, but my protein content will be a bit overestimated if I do that. Thoughts?
Thanks for your replies!
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Replies
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2) If I do this, how can I guesstimate how many and what types of macronutrients I am removing from the beef? My guess is that it is mostly fat and water that is pressed out,. so my plan is to weigh the paper towels (grams) before and after I press the beef, measure the difference, and then knock off ~ 5 calories/gram (this accounts for both absorbed fat and water). I considered just calculating it based on 93/7 beef stats, but my protein content will be a bit overestimated if I do that. Thoughts?
If you wanted to get a more accurate estimate on the fat/water, you could leave the paper towel out to 'dry' and weigh it later when the water has evaporated, leaving only the fat?
But, unless you know what you start with, you won't know what you have that accurately anyway, so I would stick with the 90/10 range after fat is blotted out, and not worry about measuring.0 -
Ground beef? You can't really squeeze it out. Just cook it and drain the fat away before adding it to a dish.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
Ground beef? You can't really squeeze it out. Just cook it and drain the fat away before adding it to a dish
so, what do you call it when you put some cooked ground beef on a paper towel, and put another paper towel on top, and press down?
It's a method of 'draining' the fat, by applying pressure so that the excess liquid (be it fat or water) is absorbed by the towel, but I think you are being far too literal and technical.0 -
But, unless you know what you start with, you won't know what you have that accurately anyway, so I would stick with the 90/10 range after fat is blotted out, and not worry about measuring.
That seems like the best plan. I have cooked store-bought 80/20 in the past, and this beef has a lot less fat than the 80/20, so ball-parking after I drain the fat would probably take me to about 90/10 anyways.for getting as much fat out as you can: after the meat is browned, put it in a strainer and let the fat drip our. then you can pat it with a towel or paper towel.
Thanks snow for all the great info besides this, and this seems close to what I do currently.
Thanks for the replies everyone.0 -
so, what do you call it when you put some cooked ground beef on a paper towel, and put another paper towel on top, and press down?
It's a method of 'draining' the fat, by applying pressure so that the excess liquid (be it fat or water) is absorbed by the towel, but I think you are being far too literal and technical.
Maybe I'm pressing out magical cow goo?0 -
Maybe I'm pressing out magical cow goo?
LOL - I think this is what niner is implying that YOU meant when you said 'squeezing out the fat', but c'mon, we all know what you meant. I hate when people get into semantics.0 -
When I cook with ground beef (I mostly use ground venison) I put the meat in a strainer and rinse it with hot water to get the fat out of it. I then put it back in the skillet to dry it. As for the change in macros I have no idea.0
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When I cook with ground beef (I mostly use ground venison) I put the meat in a strainer and rinse it with hot water to get the fat out of it. I then put it back in the skillet to dry it. As for the change in macros I have no idea.
A trainer at my gym uses a method similar to this, I'll have to try this as well. Thanks!LOL - I think this is what niner is implying that YOU meant when you said 'squeezing out the fat', but c'mon, we all know what you meant. I hate when people get into semantics.
Haha, agreed!0 -
When I cook with ground beef (I mostly use ground venison) I put the meat in a strainer and rinse it with hot water to get the fat out of it. I then put it back in the skillet to dry it. As for the change in macros I have no idea.
This is what I do as well. I then use the 90/10 ground beef item in the database for my recipe, and figure it gets me close enough. I have noticed that when I fry up the beef I got from a local farmer, and processed at a local butcher, the amount of fat I actually get out of it is pretty minimal.0 -
Ground beef? You can't really squeeze it out. Just cook it and drain the fat away before adding it to a dish
so, what do you call it when you put some cooked ground beef on a paper towel, and put another paper towel on top, and press down?
It's a method of 'draining' the fat, by applying pressure so that the excess liquid (be it fat or water) is absorbed by the towel, but I think you are being far too literal and technical.
You are pressing out the moisture. It will have some slight fat content in it. But why this would be important to you is beyond me. Drain the excess and you are good to go. Why do you want to squeeze every last bit of fat out Fat doesn't make you fat. Excess calories do.
Additionally, fat helps with flavor and is essential to heatlhy hormones. Why try to eliminate all fat?? The pressing and the rinsing with hot water are both ridiculous in my opinion. Waaaay overkill. (FTR, I am a proffesional chef with a fairly extensive background in nutrition.)0 -
Ground beef? You can't really squeeze it out. Just cook it and drain the fat away before adding it to a dish
so, what do you call it when you put some cooked ground beef on a paper towel, and put another paper towel on top, and press down?
It's a method of 'draining' the fat, by applying pressure so that the excess liquid (be it fat or water) is absorbed by the towel, but I think you are being far too literal and technical.
You are pressing out the moisture. It will have some slight fat content in it. But why this would be important to you is beyond me. Drain the excess and you are good to go. Why do you want to squeeze every last bit of fat out Fat doesn't make you fat. Excess calories do.
Additionally, fat helps with flavor and is essential to heatlhy hormones. Why try to eliminate all fat?? The pressing and the rinsing with hot water are both ridiculous in my opinion. Waaaay overkill. (FTR, I am a proffesional chef with a fairly extensive background in nutrition.)
Well, if I press out some fat (which, I was assuming, was substantial) then I reduce my caloric intake, and subsequently can eat other foods on top of my ground beef, thus making my diet much more satiating. If I press out, say, 5 g of fat, that's 45 calories, which I can then put towards a huge plate of spinach, which will fill me up a lot more than beef fat.
I get your point, though. It may look like was implying that I was a fat-o-phobe, but that's not the case.
EDIT:
I ran the numbers, and if I eat 3 lbs of ground beef a week, and "press out" the fat where a rough calorie change would be from 80/15 to 90/10, I would cut about 800 calories a week, so giving me a bit over 100 extra cals per day to eat. Maybe not a lot to some, but definitely allows for an extra snack every day.0 -
Can I have the fat drippings?0
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For ground beef, I always strain it in a strainer. Sometimes I rinse it in hot water.
Wellbert, you can have my extra ground beef fat, but NOT from my bacon. I use that! :smokin:0 -
Yep - I rinse it in hot water and put it back in a hot pan to dry out.
For measuring the fat/water, weigh the meat before and after pressing or rinsing/draining. I don't know how you'd differentiate between water and fat, however. :ohwell:0 -
I think your over stressing this whole thing. I think much more simple thing to do either is a) move more so you can eat more or b)raise your cal intake by 100Ground beef? You can't really squeeze it out. Just cook it and drain the fat away before adding it to a dish
so, what do you call it when you put some cooked ground beef on a paper towel, and put another paper towel on top, and press down?
It's a method of 'draining' the fat, by applying pressure so that the excess liquid (be it fat or water) is absorbed by the towel, but I think you are being far too literal and technical.
You are pressing out the moisture. It will have some slight fat content in it. But why this would be important to you is beyond me. Drain the excess and you are good to go. Why do you want to squeeze every last bit of fat out Fat doesn't make you fat. Excess calories do.
Additionally, fat helps with flavor and is essential to heatlhy hormones. Why try to eliminate all fat?? The pressing and the rinsing with hot water are both ridiculous in my opinion. Waaaay overkill. (FTR, I am a proffesional chef with a fairly extensive background in nutrition.)
Well, if I press out some fat (which, I was assuming, was substantial) then I reduce my caloric intake, and subsequently can eat other foods on top of my ground beef, thus making my diet much more satiating. If I press out, say, 5 g of fat, that's 45 calories, which I can then put towards a huge plate of spinach, which will fill me up a lot more than beef fat.
I get your point, though. It may look like was implying that I was a fat-o-phobe, but that's not the case.
EDIT:
I ran the numbers, and if I eat 3 lbs of ground beef a week, and "press out" the fat where a rough calorie change would be from 80/15 to 90/10, I would cut about 800 calories a week, so giving me a bit over 100 extra cals per day to eat. Maybe not a lot to some, but definitely allows for an extra snack every day.0 -
First you can probably ask the farmer what the approximate fat content is.
Second you could try weighing it before cooking and after cooking to get a better estimate of what is left over. But its really not going to get you much closer knowing how much fat was removed.0 -
I also get my beef from a local farmer, and have it processed locally. My ground beef is 90/10. I rinse it very very well after browning in a colander with hot running water. I wipe out or rinse pan, and return ground beef to pan and warm back up and Voila! I still stick with the 90/10 nutrient count.0
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Yes, I've heard people that have washed their cooked ground meat to make sure they kill the last of those wretched fatty acids.0
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Ground beef? You can't really squeeze it out. Just cook it and drain the fat away before adding it to a dish
so, what do you call it when you put some cooked ground beef on a paper towel, and put another paper towel on top, and press down?
It's a method of 'draining' the fat, by applying pressure so that the excess liquid (be it fat or water) is absorbed by the towel, but I think you are being far too literal and technical.
You are pressing out the moisture. It will have some slight fat content in it. But why this would be important to you is beyond me. Drain the excess and you are good to go. Why do you want to squeeze every last bit of fat out Fat doesn't make you fat. Excess calories do.
Additionally, fat helps with flavor and is essential to heatlhy hormones. Why try to eliminate all fat?? The pressing and the rinsing with hot water are both ridiculous in my opinion. Waaaay overkill. (FTR, I am a proffesional chef with a fairly extensive background in nutrition.)
Well, if I press out some fat (which, I was assuming, was substantial) then I reduce my caloric intake, and subsequently can eat other foods on top of my ground beef, thus making my diet much more satiating. If I press out, say, 5 g of fat, that's 45 calories, which I can then put towards a huge plate of spinach, which will fill me up a lot more than beef fat.
I get your point, though. It may look like was implying that I was a fat-o-phobe, but that's not the case.
EDIT:
I ran the numbers, and if I eat 3 lbs of ground beef a week, and "press out" the fat where a rough calorie change would be from 80/15 to 90/10, I would cut about 800 calories a week, so giving me a bit over 100 extra cals per day to eat. Maybe not a lot to some, but definitely allows for an extra snack every day.
Why wouldn't you just buy 90/10 or 93/7 if that concerned about the added cals?0 -
I cook mine and then I rinse the grease off with hot water.0
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There you go, I wasn't kidding.I cook mine and then I rinse the grease off with hot water.0 -
Ground beef? You can't really squeeze it out. Just cook it and drain the fat away before adding it to a dish
so, what do you call it when you put some cooked ground beef on a paper towel, and put another paper towel on top, and press down?
It's a method of 'draining' the fat, by applying pressure so that the excess liquid (be it fat or water) is absorbed by the towel, but I think you are being far too literal and technical.
You are pressing out the moisture. It will have some slight fat content in it. But why this would be important to you is beyond me. Drain the excess and you are good to go. Why do you want to squeeze every last bit of fat out Fat doesn't make you fat. Excess calories do.
Additionally, fat helps with flavor and is essential to heatlhy hormones. Why try to eliminate all fat?? The pressing and the rinsing with hot water are both ridiculous in my opinion. Waaaay overkill. (FTR, I am a proffesional chef with a fairly extensive background in nutrition.)
Sorry, but I'm with this poster... Why you'd want to lose that delicious flavor and moisture is just... wrong *LOL*0 -
Ground beef? You can't really squeeze it out. Just cook it and drain the fat away before adding it to a dish
so, what do you call it when you put some cooked ground beef on a paper towel, and put another paper towel on top, and press down?
It's a method of 'draining' the fat, by applying pressure so that the excess liquid (be it fat or water) is absorbed by the towel, but I think you are being far too literal and technical.
You are pressing out the moisture. It will have some slight fat content in it. But why this would be important to you is beyond me. Drain the excess and you are good to go. Why do you want to squeeze every last bit of fat out Fat doesn't make you fat. Excess calories do.
Additionally, fat helps with flavor and is essential to heatlhy hormones. Why try to eliminate all fat?? The pressing and the rinsing with hot water are both ridiculous in my opinion. Waaaay overkill. (FTR, I am a proffesional chef with a fairly extensive background in nutrition.)
Sorry, but I'm with this poster... Why you'd want to lose that delicious flavor and moisture is just... wrong *LOL*
Well if you're using the ground beef in some kind of sauce you will not notice the loss of flavor as much.0 -
Says the person who washes his ground beef.Ground beef? You can't really squeeze it out. Just cook it and drain the fat away before adding it to a dish
so, what do you call it when you put some cooked ground beef on a paper towel, and put another paper towel on top, and press down?
It's a method of 'draining' the fat, by applying pressure so that the excess liquid (be it fat or water) is absorbed by the towel, but I think you are being far too literal and technical.
You are pressing out the moisture. It will have some slight fat content in it. But why this would be important to you is beyond me. Drain the excess and you are good to go. Why do you want to squeeze every last bit of fat out Fat doesn't make you fat. Excess calories do.
Additionally, fat helps with flavor and is essential to heatlhy hormones. Why try to eliminate all fat?? The pressing and the rinsing with hot water are both ridiculous in my opinion. Waaaay overkill. (FTR, I am a proffesional chef with a fairly extensive background in nutrition.)
Sorry, but I'm with this poster... Why you'd want to lose that delicious flavor and moisture is just... wrong *LOL*
Well if you're using the ground beef in some kind of sauce you will not notice the loss of flavor as much.
Which begs the question, why are you looking for less flavor, because not only are you rinsing away fat which, if you believe is a bad thing, is one reason, but your also rinsing away the natural juices that beef inherently has to offer?0
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