To drain, or not to drain

(Joe Schuyler) #1

Hi, all.

Real quick question: What’s your rule on draining fat from the ground meat that you cook?

Thanks!

(Erin Macfarland ) #2

I would not drain the fat off, it will help keep you satiated and also the juices that run off meat are full of nutrients!

(VLC.MD) #3

Drain it into a cup and drink it !

(Sheri Knauer) #4

I just listened to a podcast today with Amber O’Hearn and she said the same thing!

#5

I don’t spring for pastured beef, so that’s probably not a kind of fat I should be going out of my way to eat extra of. I don’t drain as thoroughly and carefully as I used to, but having an extra cup or more of undrained fat swimming around the dish just isn’t appealing to me.

(Chris) #6

I eat ground beef in a bowl with a spoon and pour the fat over it.

#7

I don’t have a rule, it just depends on what I’m making. If I’m following a recipe and it says to drain, I do. If I’m just whipping up some homemade taco meat, probably not unless the meat is really too wet.

(Jack Brien) #8

I drain. Onto the plate. Why throw away good food?

#9

I want to clarify/understand this in my mind because beef fat/tallow has virtually no nutrients (or vitamins) whatsoever. So, to the extent you mean beef fat is nutrient dense, I am not sure that’s correct. However, if by “juices” you mean some other liquid from cooked beef (but not fat), which may contain some vitamins and minerals, then I guess that’s possible. I just didn’t want someone misinterpreting your post to believe that beef fat contains anything remotely close to a meaningful amount vitamins and minerals, because it doesn’t (it’s close to zero).

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/482/2

(Erin Macfarland ) #10

The fat is important insofar as it’s important to increase the fat to protein ratio, so you’re not just eating lean meat. The fat helps with satiety and can be utilized as energy.

#11

Right. Totally agreed, especially for satiety. I tried to limit my clarification/comment above to the nutrient density angle.

(Joe Schuyler) #12

Thanks for the great article!

#13

I drain it off beef, pork, chicken, etc. because the fam would not enjoy a super-greasy dish. With bacon fat, I save it for use in other cooking.

#14

I don’t intentionally go out of my way to eat grease or excess oil. I can meet my fat macros from adding it only where it adds taste (ie. cream sauce, butter) and by avocado, nuts, dairy, olives, etc.

(Bunny) #15

I save it, put it in the fridge and cook with it!

(VLC.MD) #16

Wean them to a higher fat gradually :bacon:

(Sjur Gjøstein Karevoll) #17

I don’t drain so much as I don’t go out of my way to include it, then throw it away when I wash the pan, but I don’t often cook meat alone. When cooking ground beef I usually add mushrooms which will soak up a lot of fat, to the point I’m adding more, as well as give the mix extra taste and bulk. When cooking bacon it’s often as a prelude to scrambled eggs or hamburger instead of using pure cooking fat to cook those items. Again though, if there’s extra fat after all the cooking is done I throw it away. Overly soggy food is not that appealing.

#18

Ha ha----no, they get plenty of fats. However, they would not enjoy a dish swimming in beef fat. It’s an aesthetic thing.

(VLC.MD) #19

I had the same reaction from my kids. They said I made the meatballs TOO fatty.

(Richard Hanson) #20

Hi PrimalBrian,

Fat is a nutrient. Not a micro nutrient, but arguable the most important macro nutrient. More important than any of the micro nutrients. I think we need to get away from the idea, the misconception, of empty calories. Energy is a nutrient and the best source for a large majority of our energy is fat, saturated fats, animal fats.

If we ate nothing but micro nutrients, we would soon parish from a lack of nourishment, starvation, from a lack of macro nutrients. Animal fats are perhaps the single most nutrient dense foods that we can eat.

Keto for Life!

Best Regards,
Richard