draining fat off of hamburger - yay or nay?
zanyterp
Posts: 291 Member
ok. i know this is an odd question, considering where i am posting, but i am conflicted (and figure it comes down to "what works for me & my family," but wanted to get opinions of others as well: when i cook hamburger for things like tacos, casseroles, etc the recipe almost always calls for draining off the fat. until recently (even after staring keto), i have done this thinking it was for allowing the seasonings to soak in and simmer/soak into the meat…but now i am not sure that is the reason. after listening to 2ketodudes, i am wondering if it is tied to the myth that eating fat makes us fat rather than a benefit to the recipe/flavor itself.
do you continue to drain the grease & toss it (or have a way to save it for use later)? do you use it as seasoning and try to let it simmer/reduce with the meat & seasoning just as you would with water?
do you continue to drain the grease & toss it (or have a way to save it for use later)? do you use it as seasoning and try to let it simmer/reduce with the meat & seasoning just as you would with water?
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Replies
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I save bacon fat. Always have. My Mom and grandma always did also. In fact, most people I know save at least a little to season something at sometime: Green beans, collards, cabbage, fried eggs, hot bacon dressing for a spinach salad.
I don't save other fats and often drain the fat (as with taco meat) or spoon/skim the grease off something such as simmering spaghetti sauce or chili.
On the other hand I often save a little chicken fat (schmaltz?) to make gravy.1 -
I do still drain the fat from the hamburger only because my family is eating it too and it grosses them out when I’ve tried to leave it in.1
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I don’t drain ground beef or pork, just keep the fat in whatever I am cooking. If cooking bacon, I leave the fat in, unless cooking large quantities of bacon. In that case, I always save the fat in a jar for cooking with later.2
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I drain everything...I have enough fat already on me, I don't need the extra, plus I just don't like the super greasy texture...and the dog loves it over his food...and he's old so he's a bit spoiled.4
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thank you all for your thoughts & help0
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I drain it. I’m not trying to eat meat soup. I have plenty of my own fat and for that matter, the meat still has a lot of it’s own fat even after draining it.
I actually prefer to buy 85 or 90% lean beef also. There’s still plenty of fat and I often add cheese so I don’t need to add fat to my fat
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thank you
, @Sunny_Bunny_ 1 -
It depends on what I am using it for and what kind of beef it is. If I have grass fed beef then I'll probably leave it in because of the better Omega 3/Omega 6 ratio.0
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Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »I actually prefer to buy 85 or 90% lean beef also. There’s still plenty of fat and I often add cheese so I don’t need to add fat to my fat
Ditto. A lot of times the meat I buy is more lean than that, like 93/7. I even trim most of the fat caps off my briskets and pork when I'm firing up the smoker or making carnitas.
I do occasionally save and filter a bit of bacon grease, it's good for seasoning my cast iron pans or seasoning greens but I don't go crazy with it.
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