Re: Hamburgers vs. ground meat

jamie said:

Ignoramus25655 said:

I like the taste of fast food hamburgers. I'd like to know if I can
simply buy ground meat, form it into patties, and fry them. Somehow,
from my past experience, it results in completely different sort of
taste and texture. So, what is the secret? How could I make fast food
style hamburgers at home? Any ideas?

The texture is different because commercial hamburger is typically a
mixture of cheap (lean, tough) beef from unfattened, grassfed cattle,
mixed with the excess fat from grain-fattened cattle. The use of
cheap beef and waste fat for the fast food industry keeps the price
of steaks and other cuts of beef down.

Nothing like the great taste of cheap junk in your fast junk food.

Ignoramus25655 said:

jamie said:

Ignoramus25655 said:

I like the taste of fast food hamburgers. I'd like to know if I can
simply buy ground meat, form it into patties, and fry them. Somehow,
from my past experience, it results in completely different sort of
taste and texture. So, what is the secret? How could I make fast food
style hamburgers at home? Any ideas?

The texture is different because commercial hamburger is typically a
mixture of cheap (lean, tough) beef from unfattened, grassfed cattle,
mixed with the excess fat from grain-fattened cattle. The use of
cheap beef and waste fat for the fast food industry keeps the price
of steaks and other cuts of beef down.

That makes sense. Is "hamburger meat", sold in huge sausage like form
at Sams Club, made in a similar way? I am basically trying to find out
if I can find a cheap and wholesome hamburger like product.

No, it isn't and in all my years of buying commercial meats for
restaurant use, I've never once encountered this blending of lean and
fat this way.

Pastorio

I agree with you. I've never seen anything like that. Just more urban myth.
--
Bear-
Grrrrrrrrrrrr :o)
353/285.5/210

"Bob (this one)" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Ignoramus25655 said:

jamie said:

Ignoramus25655 <[email hidden]> wrote:

>I like the taste of fast food hamburgers. I'd like to know if I can
>simply buy ground meat, form it into patties, and fry them. Somehow,
>from my past experience, it results in completely different sort of
>taste and texture. So, what is the secret? How could I make fast food
>style hamburgers at home? Any ideas?

The texture is different because commercial hamburger is typically a
mixture of cheap (lean, tough) beef from unfattened, grassfed cattle,
mixed with the excess fat from grain-fattened cattle. The use of
cheap beef and waste fat for the fast food industry keeps the price
of steaks and other cuts of beef down.

That makes sense. Is "hamburger meat", sold in huge sausage like form
at Sams Club, made in a similar way? I am basically trying to find out
if I can find a cheap and wholesome hamburger like product.

No, it isn't and in all my years of buying commercial meats for
restaurant use, I've never once encountered this blending of lean and
fat this way.

Pastorio

Bear said:

I agree with you. I've never seen anything like that. Just more urban myth.

The source (mixing unfattened cattle beef with waste feedlot fat
for fast food burgers) was the "Holy Beef, U.S.A." chapter of "The
Sacred Cow and the Abominable Pig: Riddles of Food and Culture" by
Marvin Harris, which discusses how beef consumption didn't surpass
pork consumption nationally in the USA until the 1950s.

It also details the difference between "hamburger" and "ground beef"
in US legal statutes, where "hamburger" is defined as beef that may
have added beef fat (from a different animal), while "ground beef"
may only have the fat that was already in the beef.

Either may contain seasoning, but no fillers, binders or extenders.
The statutes also say they may contain no added water -- which makes
me wonder about the legality of WalMart's labels of "enhanced with
up to 15% solution", but I won't buy any of their watered meats.

--
jamie ([email hidden])

"There's a seeker born every minute."

:
: Either may contain seasoning, but no fillers, binders or extenders.
: The statutes also say they may contain no added water -- which makes
: me wonder about the legality of WalMart's labels of "enhanced with
: up to 15% solution", but I won't buy any of their watered meats.
:
: --
: jamie

After this thread started, I got so hungry for a hamburger that I went to
Wal-Mart today to look over their offerings. To my surprise, none of the
ground beef states that any water was added (although that is common on the
labels of their other meats). I got the 93 % lean / 7% fat pre-shaped
hamburger patties and a package of Mission low carb tortillas, a big 1015
onion and I am ready to go!

Oh--here's something else I found out. Today is the 24th and there was an
employee going around and marking down all of the meat which was labeled to
expire on the 26th. This was about 4:00 p.m. this afternoon. I saved 95
cents on the package of 4 ground beef patties after she marked it down for
me.

Pat in TX