How much fat does draining ground meats save?

d_cruise78
d_cruise78 Posts: 4
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Hi all,

Always wondered how much fat/calories does draining ground meats save? is it negligible? How, if at all, does everyone calculate that into their daily calories? I mainly buy 85/15 turkey or beef and after cooking I drain, wash, and press using a fine mesh strainer...

thanks for any input!

Replies

  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    washing cooked ground beef seems a bit over the top? if it makes you feel better well then fine...but it seems it would not taste good. We need some fat in our diet. 85/15 is ok as is. Rather than wash your meat...seems it would be better to buy 90/10?

    dont over think this whole process. Enjoy yourself.
  • idauria
    idauria Posts: 1,037 Member
    I don't know, but I just buy 93% lean meats and save myself the trouble.
  • smae1980
    smae1980 Posts: 794 Member
    85/15 ground beef means that 15% of the meat is fat. To put this into perspective, if you eat a 1/4 lb burger with all the fat kept in the burger, a little over 1/2 an ounce is fat. I'd say drain it for sure. As for needing fat in your diet, that is true, but animal fat is pretty much pure saturated fat which we should limit in our diet as much as possible. Focus on getting good unsaturated fats in your diet. I wouldn't wash the meat, though that just sounds gross
  • Curvy1taliana
    Curvy1taliana Posts: 371 Member
    I buy 96/4 and do not drain it.
  • maryjay51
    maryjay51 Posts: 742
    i usually buy extremely low fat foods except when it concerns strip steak or filet mignon.. i almost always grill my meats on my george foreman grill which does the draining of fatty juices for me during cooking ..i believe it does make a difference because thats fat you are not digesting. really , take those juices and let them sit for a few hours. watch it solidify and thats what you wouldve had in your body
  • tinydancer24
    tinydancer24 Posts: 98
    I have always rinsed my ground beef even when I buy 90/10. once you do it and see the amount of oil that comes off of it, you will continue to do it forever. I am interested in the answer to this question too....
  • DiannaMoorer
    DiannaMoorer Posts: 783 Member
    I always drain my meat but never wash it. I put it one of those sieves you drain noodles in. Give it a few min. A little fat in your diet won't hurt you.
  • d_cruise78
    d_cruise78 Posts: 4
    Agreed that fat in the diet is a good and necessary thing, i just try to get it from a bit more healthier sources, as for buying lean to begin with there is a huge price difference around my here for the leaner ground meats. One of the three stores has 85/15 turkey on sale each week at a steal so I stock up on it. rarely is the "good stuff" on sale :) thanks all
  • d_cruise78
    d_cruise78 Posts: 4
    And as for the taste when you rinse it, if you eat it plain, sure it will be pretty intolerable but if you use it to add some protein to already favorable dishes you don't notice any difference.
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    I don't know, but I just buy 93% lean meats and save myself the trouble.

    This. You're not really saving any money if you're throwing away all that fat anyway -- that fat was factored into the weight when they packaged it up.
  • smae1980
    smae1980 Posts: 794 Member
    I don't know, but I just buy 93% lean meats and save myself the trouble.

    This. You're not really saving any money if you're throwing away all that fat anyway -- that fat was factored into the weight when they packaged it up.


    Isn't the leaner meat usually more expensive?
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    I don't know, but I just buy 93% lean meats and save myself the trouble.

    This. You're not really saving any money if you're throwing away all that fat anyway -- that fat was factored into the weight when they packaged it up.


    Isn't the leaner meat usually more expensive?

    Yes, but that's what I'm saying. You pay less initially, but that 2 pounds of ground beef you bought becomes a lot less than 2 pounds after you drain off all that fat. If you buy 2 pounds of the leaner stuff, you pay more initially, but you have more when you're done cooking it.
  • IvoryParchment
    IvoryParchment Posts: 651 Member
    If it isn't measurable, I don't log it. I would buy the lean meat and count the calories the same as if you didn't drain it. What's the worse than can happen? -- you lose weight faster.
  • JulieF11
    JulieF11 Posts: 387 Member
    I must say I'm impressed with not only the effort you take in preparing the meat, but also the fact you must make such an effort to clean all those dishes. I'm with the others in buying the lean meat... it develops a nice brown crust instead of the pallid grey boiled look.
  • IvoryParchment
    IvoryParchment Posts: 651 Member
    One thing I will do, if a recipe calls for browning ground beef and then adding water, I add the water as part ice cubes. The fat becomes solid and can be picked off with a fork, then you reheat the water and continue cooking as usual. There's less loss of meat juices.
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