You can stand at the display case with beautiful balls of minced meat for several minutes. Ready-made semi-finished products are not only beautiful, but also convenient. Cooking with them is much easier and faster: buy it and a delicious dinner is almost ready.
But nutrition experts say that high-quality minced meat is not always on the shelves. The finished product is a lottery in which you can lose both money and health.
Experts highlight 3 good reasons to make minced meat at home.
1. Composition “invisible”
Often we don't know what exactly is in the package.
- Trimmings and additions: skin, cartilage, fat – this is normal. But unscrupulous manufacturers often add cheap animal or plant components.
- Soy, starch and fiber add weight and retain moisture. And after frying, the minced meat decreases in volume.
- Colors and flavor enhancers impart a pink color and a “meaty” flavor, but may be chemical rather than natural. And in the end, you pay for meat, but get a “diluted” product.
2. Bacteria
Ready minced meat spoils very quickly.
- Unlike a whole piece, minced meat comes into contact with the air, the hands of workers, and equipment, which creates an ideal environment for bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli.
- Storage dates and conditions are difficult to know, and it is unclear how fresh the meat was when it was ground.
- And “meat juice” in packaging (exudate) is a breeding ground for microbes and a sign of poor storage. Even if the meat was of high quality, the risk is still high.
3. Taste and quality of the dish
- Cutlets and meatballs from store-bought minced meat often come out rubbery, dry or loose.
- You don’t control the fat content in them, nor the ratio of meat to fat.
- Fresh homemade minced meat has a light sweetish aroma, while store-bought minced meat is often sour or odorless.
We make minced meat ourselves
- Choose good meat: neck, shoulder, ham that look fresh.
- Twist at home. It will take 15 minutes, but you will control the quality.
- Add onion, salt, and spices to taste.
- And get safe and tasty homemade minced meat.
This is an investment in your family's health and a great way to prepare delicious meals without low-quality imitations.
