Mince

[mum2westiesGill]

Just a couple of general questions.

If cook anything using mince what type do you use? Beef, Turkey, Chicken.....?

Also if using turkey or chicken mince what do you cook ie do you cook anything you can cook using minced beef eg spag bol....?

At the moment I'm in between using minced beef and turkey mince.

 

[Northerner]

I use lean beef mince for things like chilli, bolognese, shepherd's pie. I fry it first also to remove most of the remaining fat and then use vegetable oil for any remaining frying 🙂 Never used any other type of mince (except Quorn, that I didn't really like as it tasted really salty to me).

 

[LeeLee]

My choice is also very lean beef, except for meatballs/meatloaf when I mix it 50:50 with chicken or turkey. For bolognese/chilli/shepherds pie, I use beef 50:50 with very finely chopped veg done in a food processor (courgette, carrot, mushroom, onion).

 

[Dory]

I don't discriminate against mince - i use all ! 🙂

but yes, for heartier things, tomato based dishes, etc i use extra lean mince or quorn, for burgers I use any - turkey (always the healthiest of the meats) or extra lean pork mince (all available from tescos) - which is particularly good for thai dishes.

i only really use quorn for saucy (oo er) dishes as it tends to be a lot drier and doesn't hold together well for meatballs, burgers, bites, sausages etc.

 

[trophywench]

I use lean pork and beef, depending on recipe but for stuff that's otherwise highly flavoured like bolog or mince it doesn't relly matter what the meat is when it starts off cos it absorbs the flavours from the rest of the ingredients anyway - just trying to think what the hell it was I made recently with the pork we hadn't tried before - but anyway, with the pork I usually only have a teaspoonful of oil in the pan for starters for the frying of it, cos there's still enough comes out of it anyway.

Ah, yes, stuffed veg - peppers and courgettes where you want a REALLY dry 'stuffing' mix otherwise your veg go soggy.

 

[DeusXM]

Depends on what I'm making.

If it's moussaka, then I'll use lamb.

If it's something like Phad Kra Phraw then I'll use pork.

Lasagne and spag bol are usually made with regular lean steak mince, although I very rarely have these because of the carb count. I can make a damn good chili without rice though (or use cauli rice) so I make that a lot and use lean steak mince too. While if I'm making burgers I'll use a high fat content mince (something in an 80/20 ratio).

And when I'm feeling particularly carnivorous I'll make a meatloaf out of everything.

 

[Dory]

I can make a damn good chili without rice though (or use cauli rice)

oooooh what's cauli rice????? 🙂

 

[DeusXM]

Cauliflour rice. Chuck some florets into a food processor to turn it into little grains. You can then microwave it to make steamed rice or you can fry it to make fried rice. Works great for dishes where rice is sauce delivery mechanism - curries, chilis, stir fry rice dishes. Doesn't work for things like paella or risotto. But the upshot is you can turn extremely carby meals in zero carb and get an extra veg portion. It's also a handy way of knocking about 75% of the calories out of a meal yet you still feel full after.

 

[Dory]

oh my god! I am going to HAVE to try that!!! I'm not really a fan of rice as it leaves me bloated and obviously the carbs are ridiculous, but additionally on SW Original plan, rice is out full stop!!

thanks D 🙂

 

[Vicsetter]

For tasty Lasagne/Spag Bol, use half beef, half lamb (or pork) mince + finely chopped up bacon.

 

[Rivki061]

I use minced beef,chicken and Quorn mince.
We eat very little meat here and my older daughter is a vegetarian so it's often easier to make a Quorn bolognaise or shepherds pie for all of us than it is to make a meat version for the rest of the family and a vegetarian one for her.
That's not to mention the carbs in the spaghetti or the mashed potato!

 

[DeusXM]

Why not use shiritake noodles in place of spaghetti, or mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potato?

 

[Rivki061]

Why not use shiritake noodles in place of spaghetti, or mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potato?

Good idea about the noodles,maybe I will give them a try but not the cauliflower no body in my house likes it.
Besides which we have mashed potato only very occasionally!

 

[DeusXM]

You'll be surprised. I don't like cauliflower either. But if you boil it, mix it with butter, salt and pepper and then mash it up, it doesn't actually taste or feel like cauliflower at all. It tastes and feels very much like mashed potato. Serve it without telling people and no-one will be able to tell the difference. And if it's not 100% there, why not do a 50/50 cauli/potato mash? You'll at least halve the carb-count without compromising on texture or taste.

Seriously - I didn't believe this either until I tried it. I don't even like cauliflower cheese, let alone 'proper' cauliflower with a roast dinner. But I do like cauliflower mash and cauliflower rice.