Crumbly versus Chewy Hamburger
mg
fat. Personally, I don't care all that much. In fact, if the hamburger
is too lean, I always wind up putting a lot of miracle whip on it
anyway.
What I focus on is texture. Crumbly hamburger is good hamburger;
crumbly hamburger almost melts in your mouth. I can't hardly stand to
eat chewy hamburger. I've never known where they get chewy hamburger
from, but I don't like it. I've always wondered if maybe they cut to
close to the bone or something. I just don't know what the deal is
with chewy hamburger -- I'd like to know, though.
The type of hamburger I usually buy is pre-frozen patties from Costco.
They're OK, I like them, and I always get the most expensive ones.
Recently, though, I was in a pinch and bought some pre-frozen patties
hamburger from Winco. Winco is actually one of my favorite stores, so
I don't want to slam it, but their hamburger is chewy. Some dog is
going to get it. It won't be my dog, though, since she's allergic to
beef.
Rubaiyat of Omar Bradley
> I can't hardly stand to
> eat chewy hamburger. I've never known where they get chewy hamburger
> from, but I don't like it.
The chewy texture comes from the hamburger being manipulated too much
after it is ground, especially if it is handled mechanically. For the
best texture, buy fresh ground hamburger, not frozen. Form it into
patties by hand with as little excess handling as possible.
Some people even grind their own meat, but it is quite a bit of extra
trouble.
Glenn
"Rubaiyat of Omar Bradley" <cowar...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:b9b3a2af-2226-4307...@o21g2000prh.googlegroups.com...
==============================
One of the local butchers grinds up two parts chuck with one part
rib-eye. Doesn't seem to be much trouble and the service is free.
--
Glenn
Rumpelstiltskin
I remember buying a cheap hamburger once from a place that
had a clown motif (It wasn't a Jack-in-the-Box). I took one bite
out of the hamburger, spit it out into a trash can and dumped
the uneaten rest of the hamburger into the trash can too.
I get Costco hamburger patties too, the most expensive ones
which aren't very expensive since it's Costco. I usually partiall
boil them in a frying pan with water, take them out when they
get soft so that I can cut them into small pieces, then put them
back with some Worcestershire sauce and MSG and Montreal
Steak Seasoning. Meanwhile, rigatoni has been boiling in a
separate pan, and I've been cutting up some raw spinach.
When the frying pan boils dry and the rigatoni is "al dente",
I mix it all up with some I-can't-believe-it's-not-butter, and maybe
some Italian style tomato sauce or pesto. The result is delicious.
I bought some frozen Fettucini Alfredo yesterday from
Safeway, on a whim, since it was on half-price sale, two dollars
a package. I nuked it up and ate it yesterday evening. It was
OK, but I was looking at it thinking that I could have made
something similar but better myself for probably about fifty cents.
mg
wrote:
That's interesting. I did actually grind my own hamburger for awhile
after I retired. I even bought an expensive grinder. I remember at the
time that I had a hard time deciding on what kind of meat to buy. I
think I eventually decided on some sort of roast, but I can't remember
what kind it was.
Anyway, I got tired of doing that so that I started buying fresh
hamburger. Even with fresh hamburger, though, I found a big difference
in quality. I remember that Walmart's hamburger, for example, really
sucked, and I eventually decided on Albertson's which was pretty good.
Then I got tired of mashing the patties myself, and finally wound up
buying the prefrozen patties from Costco and was pleasantly surprised
at how good it was, all things considered.
El Castor
<PleaseDoNot...@nowhere.net> wrote:
>On Fri, 15 Apr 2011 09:26:38 -0600, mg <mgke...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>>When buying hamburger, I think most of the world focuses on percent
>>fat. Personally, I don't care all that much. In fact, if the hamburger
>>is too lean, I always wind up putting a lot of miracle whip on it
>>anyway.
>>
>>What I focus on is texture. Crumbly hamburger is good hamburger;
>>crumbly hamburger almost melts in your mouth. I can't hardly stand to
>>eat chewy hamburger. I've never known where they get chewy hamburger
>>from, but I don't like it. I've always wondered if maybe they cut to
>>close to the bone or something. I just don't know what the deal is
>>with chewy hamburger -- I'd like to know, though.
>>
>>The type of hamburger I usually buy is pre-frozen patties from Costco.
>>They're OK, I like them, and I always get the most expensive ones.
>>Recently, though, I was in a pinch and bought some pre-frozen patties
>>hamburger from Winco. Winco is actually one of my favorite stores, so
>>I don't want to slam it, but their hamburger is chewy. Some dog is
>>going to get it. It won't be my dog, though, since she's allergic to
>>beef.
>
>
> I remember buying a cheap hamburger once from a place that
>had a clown motif (It wasn't a Jack-in-the-Box).
Clown Alley. I once bought a cup of coffee there, and found a penny in
the bottom.
Evelyn
I buy freshly ground chopped meat, usually 90% lean, and form it into
patties myself, then wrap them individually in press 'n seal wrap,
then freeze them. We nuke for 1 minute to thaw before cooking. They
are always outstandingly delicious. There are several kinds. You can
get ground round, ground sirloin or ground chuck. Those are all very
good.
If you buy what is labeled ground beef, it might be the kind you don't
like much. It usually has a high fat content and they use cheaper
cuts of beef. It also usually has little bits of gristle in it and
even occasional bits of bone. That is why I never buy that kind.
Evelyn
High Miles
so it's what
I grind for meatballs, meat loaf, or burgers.
It's what my kids grew up with, so they could never acquire an
acceptance for
what passes for burgers at fast food joints.
Plus, I just don't care for meat that's been frozen. Personal taste only.
Sordo
wrote:
The local Costco stores, here in Socal, stock Angus beef, precooked
and frozen hamburger patties which are quite good. They are not cheap,
but well worth the price in taste and quality. All it takes is two
minutes in the nuker and they are ready to go.
Evelyn
It's always best fresh, but sometimes you need to freeze for
convenience sake.
Evelyn
Rumpelstiltskin
wrote:
I bought a beef something once from a Chinese Restaurant
next to where I often go to get Dim Sum in New Chinatown.
It had little bits of bone in it. I guess bone isn't bad for you,
since dogs like bones, but I'll never go there again.
Rumpelstiltskin
Costco's meat is very good. I never buy Safeway's
meat because it leaves a funny aftertaste.
mg
> On Fri, 15 Apr 2011 09:17:43 -0700 (PDT), mg <mgkel...@yahoo.com>
I've never tried the precooked, but I'll probably give it a try. I
have a nice convection toaster that would make this very easy.
mg
<PleaseDoNotReplyByEm...@nowhere.net> wrote:
> On Fri, 15 Apr 2011 09:17:43 -0700 (PDT), mg <mgkel...@yahoo.com>
Isn't it weird how hamburger from different stores can taste funny?
One would think that hamburger is hamburger, but that obviously isn't
the case. My guess is that it is just the quality of the carcass they
use that makes the difference.
Here's a funny story, I think. I once had a boss who had a very large
family and when he bought beef he would buy a whole cow from a large-
scale butcher that he knew. One day my boss was talking to his friend
in a refrigerated room with dozens of dead cows hanging on hooks on a
roller track. The guy was busy sorting the carcasses and he would look
at them and he would grade them and then slide them along the track
and put them all together in separate areas by grade. So the guy would
look at a carcass and he would say, for instance, "standard" and give
the dead cow a slide, then maybe "choice" and a slide, and "prime" and
then a slide, and then "Dees" and a slide. So after watching for a
while, my boss says to him, "you know I understand a little bit about
the grading system, but I never heard of "Dee's". What grade is
that?". Then the butcher said, "DEE'S , DEE'S, YOU KNOW, THE
RESTAURANT". So ever since then, whenever I get a bad tasting
hamburger, I always figure that the bastards are probably buying the
very lowest grade they can get, like Dee's restaurants did.
mg
Oh! I hate that when you get little bits of bone. The only time I've
ever had that happen to me, that I can remember, is in a Mexican
restaurant I used to go to when I was working. I never did like their
food much, but they were closeby. So I went there anyway.
Evelyn
wrote:
>On Apr 15, 11:12 am, Evelyn <evelyn.r...@gmail.com> wrote:
I am fortunate in that I live near several really good butchers who
use grass fed or really fresh locally grown beef. The burgers are so
good they are like the best steak you ever had. They grind the meat
as the day goes on. Never all at once or the day before.
Fry up some onions and mushrooms and smother them with a sprinkle of
kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper ..... amazing!
Evelyn
Rumpelstiltskin
>> Costco's meat is very good. I never buy Safeway's
>> meat because it leaves a funny aftertaste.
>
>Isn't it weird how hamburger from different stores can taste funny?
>One would think that hamburger is hamburger, but that obviously isn't
>the case. My guess is that it is just the quality of the carcass they
>use that makes the difference.
Possibilities are something added to the meat after it was killed,
or something fed to the meat before it was killed, I guess.
The peculiar aftertaste I've gotten from Safeway meat is pretty
consistent, so it might be something they use as a preservative.
mg
> On Fri, 15 Apr 2011 13:57:31 -0700 (PDT), mg <mgkel...@yahoo.com>
My wife used to buy meat from a store like that about 25 years ago,
but they went out of business. I would look around to see if I can
find another one, but I'm too lazy to make my own patties and freeze
them. So I figure I deserve what I get.
Evelyn
wrote:
>On Apr 15, 5:11 pm, Evelyn <evelyn.r...@gmail.com> wrote:
I can only agree with you on that! :-) :-)
But hopefully you will shop around and find a good place like it for
some special occasion when you really think you deserve a super good
burger. Buy enough to make two and freeze one for next time.
mg
> On Fri, 15 Apr 2011 17:40:15 -0700 (PDT), mg <mgkel...@yahoo.com>
Oh! Good Point! Special Occassion! Yes I really do need to do that,
and I'm going to for occassions when I have the family coming to visit
or when I want to treat myself.
Evelyn
wrote:
>On Apr 15, 7:05 pm, Evelyn <evelyn.r...@gmail.com> wrote:
Ah when family comes to visit you can enlist them to cook! You are a
man alone, and they don't expect you to put out a meal do they?
Tonight we will be having a somewhat special meal. Awesome tuna
steaks, just lightly floured then seared in olive oil on the stovetop
leaving the center rare with nothing but a squirt of lemon juice and a
sprinkle of salt. Easy as hamburger. Accompaniment is just a
salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Maybe some other
additional thing, but those two for sure.
Evelyn
Rumpelstiltskin
<snip>
>Ah when family comes to visit you can enlist them to cook! You are a
>man alone, and they don't expect you to put out a meal do they?
>
>Tonight we will be having a somewhat special meal. Awesome tuna
>steaks, just lightly floured then seared in olive oil on the stovetop
>leaving the center rare with nothing but a squirt of lemon juice and a
>sprinkle of salt. Easy as hamburger. Accompaniment is just a
>salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Maybe some other
>additional thing, but those two for sure.
>
>Evelyn
Tuna isn't meat, it's fish. You can't fool me that easily!
It is more palatable than most fish, to be sure, but it's still
fish.
When my Alaskan friend went back to Alaska, he left
some Copper River salmon in the frij, even though I'd told
him to take back whatever he didn't give away. He called
me and said approximately "Don't flip out, but there is a
slab of salmon in your frij. Don't let it sit there too long. It
costs about $40 a pound in the supermarkets." It's still
in the frij. Maybe I should pack it in ice, put it in a
transparent plastibox, and leave it on the front steps with
a "free salmon" sign on it, because I'm never going to eat
it, that's for sure. I offered it to the girls downstairs, but
they're veggies so they don't want it. My cat doesn't like
anything but cat food and occasionally a little ice cream.
mg
> On Fri, 15 Apr 2011 18:14:37 -0700 (PDT), mg <mgkel...@yahoo.com>
My wife used to make delicious "fish patties". I'm not sure if she
used tuna fish or salmon, for instance, and I don't know how she made
it. I'm pretty sure she just used ordinary tuna fish, though. It was
breaded and then fried and it used to actually be crispy on the
outside. I used to love to heat up the leftovers and make sandwiches
out of them.
High Miles
if you like it.
Shape into patties. Let 'em set for a bit. Dip 'em in beaten egg
and then into
Panko bread crumbs. Of course add whatever seasoning you like
during the
mixing phase. I splash in some Trappey's hot
sauce..................but that's me.
Evelyn
That sounds pretty good. I might try my hand at them. I make crab
cakes sort of like that.
Evelyn
High Miles
There are gobs of recipes for salmon croquettes which are in the same
family.
I toss fresh parsley in mine.................................but that
may not be Kosher.
Anything in patty form can be fried to crispy goodness, but the trick with
fish cakes is to make them firm enough to hang together, but not so firm
as to become - clay cakes.
Rumpelstiltskin
<2blue...@comcast.net> wrote:
When it comes to salmon, I'd just toss mine rather than
tossing it with parsely. Too bad you don't live near me,
you could have the salmon Rook left in my freezer. I'll
never eat it, unless the only other thing I have to eat is
haggis, that is. I might try the haggis first, just to see if
I'd find it at least more palatable than salmon, but my
suspicion is that I'd wouldn't. I've seen people stuffing
down haggis in contests on TV. The contestants have
pretty much the same facial expressions they'd have if
it were a worm-eating contest.
I was at a business banquet once in Oregon, and the
native Oregonian host had everybody down for salmon.
Four of us, out of a crowd of fifty or a hundred, would
rather not eat than eat salmon. We four got salads as
a last-minute substitute, but I don't much care for salad
either, so I'd rather have gone hungry. I did eat the
salad, though I didn't want to, just so as not to be any
more difficult than I already had been.
Evelyn
Ask around your neighborhood, someone may want that salmon! I cook
salmon several different ways, cajun, poached and grilled. All are
delicious.
Evelyn
Rumpelstiltskin
wrote:
I haven't asked either of the other two flats in my building.
The heterosexual couple in the other top floor flat are never
home, and I haven't thought to ask the cute young guys
diametrically downstairs when I've run into them.
Rumpelstiltskin
>>Ask around your neighborhood, someone may want that salmon! I cook
>>salmon several different ways, cajun, poached and grilled. All are
>>delicious.
>>
>>Evelyn
>
>
> I haven't asked either of the other two flats in my building.
>The heterosexual couple in the other top floor flat are never
>home, and I haven't thought to ask the cute young guys
>diametrically downstairs when I've run into them.
>
I was taking out the trash, and the guy from the couple in
the flat on the same level as myself was just coming up the
back stairs, so I asked him if he wanted the salmon, and
he did! So I got rid of it and I didn't have to waste any food.
It bothers me when I waste food.
Evelyn
Me too! That's good!
Evelyn
mg
Jeeeeeesus, you mean that's all there is too it!? If I'd have known
that I might have been making me some years ago. I don't know why I
always want to assume things are more difficult than they really are.
Don't you have to separate the white and the yolk or anything like
that? I think my wife used to fry them and not bake them. Would I just
put butter in the frying pan, I wonder?
Evelyn
wrote:
>On Apr 16, 8:22 pm, High Miles <2blues1...@comcast.net> wrote:
Here's a recipe I found on cooks.com, which by the way is a great
resource. All you do is type in the name of a dish, and dozens of
recipes for that dish appear. Of course you do have to pick through
them and find the one that appeals to you best. I found this recipe
for codfish cakes, which seemed to be similar to all those shown for
any kind of fish cakes. There are a couple of extra ingredients I
found in some of the recipes that I saw, so I just added them on to
the notes at the end to include or try.
1 sm. onion, chopped
1 tbsp. parsley flakes (or fresh parsley chopped).
2 c. mashed potatoes
2 eggs
3 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 lb. cod fish (cooked and flaked)
1/2 - 3/4 c. seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 c. vegetable oil
Mix first 8 ingredients and refrigerate at least 1 hour (great done
night before). Shape into 1/3 cup patties and coat in in bread crumbs.
Fry in oil until golden brown.
(other ingredients to consider)
Old bay seasoning
lemon jc.
splash of hot sauce
You could nuke the potatoes and mash them, or else use leftover.
This calls for a pound of fish and two eggs, you might want to cut the
recipe in half just for yourself.
Some of the recipes called for fresh fish of some variety or other.
Some called for canned tuna or salmon. This is just the one I saved.
You could go to cooks.com and look and see the one that looked easiest
to you.
Evelyn
High Miles
butter tastes
better. Guess you could us olive oil if the 'flavor' doesn't turn you
off.
I try to simplify everything in life, so you'll not get complicated
recipes from me.
:-)
Rumpelstiltskin
>On Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:06:07 -0700, Rumpelstiltskin
><PleaseDoNot...@nowhere.net> wrote:
>
>It bothers me too but it very rarely happens around here since the
>crows will eat almost anything. Last week I decided I'd kept a box of
>Orville Reddenbacher popcorn so long that we were never going to eat
>it, so I popped up a bag every morning for the crows. They loved it
>and had their own little contest to see who could cram the most pieces
>in their beak at one time.
I love crows, and especially ravens. I feed the pigeons peanut
bits from my front steps sometimes, just to watch their version of
Wall Street, trying to scarf up as much peanut as they can but
not get too close to the cat.
High Miles
> On Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:06:07 -0700, Rumpelstiltskin
> <PleaseDoNot...@nowhere.net> wrote:
>
> crows will eat almost anything. Last week I decided I'd kept a box of
> Orville Reddenbacher popcorn so long that we were never going to eat
> it, so I popped up a bag every morning for the crows. They loved it
> and had their own little contest to see who could cram the most pieces
> in their beak at one time.
>
Their behavior has amused me since childhood.