We are on a mission to start eating more healthly. Now for our spag bol we shold have lean meat but it's expensive. Is there a way of getting the cheaper mince leaner by boiling the fat of somehow?
Can you make lean minced beef
If you could stretch to investing in a mincer, you could buy cheap cuts of beef from the butcher, trim off the fat and make your own lean mince. Otherwise, tweak your usual recipe a bit. Use less mince and bulk it out with things like mushrooms and lentils. Or maybe try out a few new, healthier recipes. I love a spag bol, but it's not really something you want to eat too regularly if you are are trying to be healthier...
You really need a mincer. I'm lucky to have a kenwood major with a mincer attachment. I must admit, I only ever buy good quality meat to mince- always topside/ rump, never cheap cuts. I haven't bought shop mince for over 7 years- the difference with the home made mince is incredible.
Originally Posted by bryemycaz:
“We are on a mission to start eating more healthly. Now for our spag bol we shold have lean meat but it's expensive. Is there a way of getting the cheaper mince leaner by boiling the fat of somehow?”
“We are on a mission to start eating more healthly. Now for our spag bol we shold have lean meat but it's expensive. Is there a way of getting the cheaper mince leaner by boiling the fat of somehow?”
Same trick for all mince recipes. You lightly fry up the mince in a nonstick pan - no oil - for a few minutes, boil some water, add the water to the mince and then drain into a sieve which leeches away the rendered fat., Put the mince back in the hot pan to quickly steam off any spare water, then once it is dry again set aside and add to your recipe when needed.
Originally Posted by grassmarket:
“Same trick for all mince recipes. You lightly fry up the mince in a nonstick pan - no oil - for a few minutes, boil some water, add the water to the mince and then drain into a sieve which leeches away the rendered fat., Put the mince back in the hot pan to quickly steam off any spare water, then once it is dry again set aside and add to your recipe when needed.”
“Same trick for all mince recipes. You lightly fry up the mince in a nonstick pan - no oil - for a few minutes, boil some water, add the water to the mince and then drain into a sieve which leeches away the rendered fat., Put the mince back in the hot pan to quickly steam off any spare water, then once it is dry again set aside and add to your recipe when needed.”
Wouldn't you lose a lot of flavour doing this? I'dve thought the buying lean meat and mincing it to be the best way.
Originally Posted by Shrike:
“Wouldn't you lose a lot of flavour doing this? I'dve thought the buying lean meat and mincing it to be the best way.”
“Wouldn't you lose a lot of flavour doing this? I'dve thought the buying lean meat and mincing it to be the best way.”
Well, of course you lose flavour if you throw away the fat.....
I'd go with the filler route. Bulk up your meal with more veg or pulses and use regular mince (not too lean but not overly fatty).
Originally Posted by indianwells:
“As I cook my Bolognese for 3-5 hours all the fat renders out and I just skim it off at the end.”
“As I cook my Bolognese for 3-5 hours all the fat renders out and I just skim it off at the end.”
3-5 hours
, around 20-30 mins in our house 
Originally Posted by -GONZO-:
“3-5 hours, around 20-30 mins in our house ”
“3-5 hours
, around 20-30 mins in our house ”
I hour absolute minimum for me. I usually aim for at least two. You'd be amazed how much more flavour you get when you cook it long and slow.
Originally Posted by bryemycaz:
“We are on a mission to start eating more healthly. Now for our spag bol we shold have lean meat but it's expensive. Is there a way of getting the cheaper mince leaner by boiling the fat of somehow?”
“We are on a mission to start eating more healthly. Now for our spag bol we shold have lean meat but it's expensive. Is there a way of getting the cheaper mince leaner by boiling the fat of somehow?”
Do what I always do. As soon as you go to the supermarket, head straight for the reduced section and see if they have steak mince ( 5% fat ) in there. Often they have packs of 500gm down from £4 to £2.60, with that days date on. No problem, just store them in your freezer for using later. I've always done this, and got organic steak meat at a fraction of the cost sometimes as well. I wouldn't ever buy cheap value range mince, bits of tube / gristle / bone - would rather not have beef in that case, and substitute lean pork or chicken. They make a delicious Bolognese.
A food processor is fine. It shreds beef with no problem. Use braising steak, or shin. Cook gently for several hours. Far far better than shop bought mince.
Originally Posted by -GONZO-:
“3-5 hours, around 20-30 mins in our house ”
“3-5 hours
, around 20-30 mins in our house ”
Seriously, cheap cuts need hours to tenderise and render down. Needs much longer. Try it, you will be amazed.
You can't boil-off fat, only water. You can pour out the water that appears after a few minutes of frying, but you'll be pouring out a lot of flavour as well as some (not all) fat.
If you buy a hand mincer (like this or this), you can then carefully select, steaks, beef joints or any other piece of meat that has less fat on it, cut it into strips (removing even more fat if you want) and mince it yourself.
A 21-day matured beef joint in Aldi costs about £8/Kg, so 500g of mince could cost £4, with no extra fat at all. That's probably comparable to extra lean minces from supermarkets, and they're probably not made from 21-day matured meat.
But something made with mince containing no fat will lack flavour and be dry.
If you buy a hand mincer (like this or this), you can then carefully select, steaks, beef joints or any other piece of meat that has less fat on it, cut it into strips (removing even more fat if you want) and mince it yourself.
A 21-day matured beef joint in Aldi costs about £8/Kg, so 500g of mince could cost £4, with no extra fat at all. That's probably comparable to extra lean minces from supermarkets, and they're probably not made from 21-day matured meat.
But something made with mince containing no fat will lack flavour and be dry.
Just goto the local butcher and ask them to mince some lean meat.
If they won't then they're not a very good butcher.
If they won't then they're not a very good butcher.
Why don't you try using turkey mince instead of beef? Deboned turkey drumstick minced and seasoned, I swear it has texture just like beef in spag bol, and it's really delicious, lean and healthy.
