Volume to Mass Ratio for Locally Ground Beef, or Why are My Burgers Bigger?
I've noticed that the ground chuck I get from my local butchers tends to have a larger volume to mass ration than similar products I get from my supermarkets. Which is to say I'm getting "more" beef for the same weight.
Has anyone else noticed this? Do you have any idea why this occurs?
Your supermarket might pack their products tighter after grinding to use shelf space more efficiently. It could have more water and/or less fat than your butcher's ground beef as well.
The whole idea that we can now buy ground beef by its percentage of fat per weight instead by the pre-ground cut is a bit disconcerting. Even with the holdover, ground sirlion, there's the 90%, 93%, and 95% lean ground sirloins. I can't even pretend my 80% on the button is ground chuck.
-Thom Brogan
"I knew you before you knew you had hands!" ~Tracey Brogan
Serenity Prayer - Calvin's Edition: For the strength to change what I can, the inability to accept what I can't, and the incapacity to know the difference. ~Bill Watterson
Water, water everywhere.
Supermarkets tell you how much the fat content is but not how much water they add, free extra weight = more profit.
I got some chuck on sale and convinced the wife to let me grind it for burgers. She was surprised it didn't splatter all over the stove like usual, why? very little water.
Also we ended up with a slighty smaller and tastier burger after cooking instead of a 1/2 size tough little puck.
Glen
if your market is adding water, tell the Feds.
see:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Ground_...ood_Safety.pdf
Interesting, I wonder if there is a loophole somewhere, you know like some approved additive that just happens to have a high moisture content.
laws are funny things. just read a case (IRS tax thing but....) a guy lost at the IRS, took it to court, lost, appealed it, lost again. as he protested because it just didn't make sense, the judge told him - and this is the best part - "there's no requirement for a law to be logical. this one isn't, and you lose."
USDA is very picky about specific words used on packaging labeling - not _all_ words, just specific ones. like the recent "organic" thing.
the word "natural" is not officially defined - you can call _anything_ "natural"
but a package labeled "hamburger" or "ground beef" - yeah, they got rules about that.
do people break the rules? yup.
that ref link is a "plain english" version; the real rules, aka law, are in the Code of Federal Regulations which is not very readable....
specifically as to adding water, probably not beyond some minor % carry over from processing. stuff that's injected, for example, must state on the label the % of "retained" water.
Talked to one of the local grocers meat dept. mgrs. He said while the adding of water is prohibited they are allowed to add ice during grinding to keep the product cool.
The corporate office determines how much ice they are "required" to add.
He laughed and said I'd be amazed how much ice goes into the meat.
Glen
That's too funny! I mean the joke is on me and any other buyer of ground beef from US supermarkets, but it's still too funny. Thanks for ferretting out that tidbit, Glen!
somebody is skating on real thin ice.
unless they are draining the melted ice (aka "water") it's added water and and added weight and it's not legal unless labeled as containing x% retained (alternated absorbed) water.
iqf patties for example are misted with water prior to entering the freeze. the manufacturer must verify that the patties exiting the freeze are no heavier than the unmisted product. the water sublimes in the freezer . . .
ice added when making sausage or meat blends is not subject to such a rule as it is an ingredient in the finished product.
BreadFan, I'll check the labels.
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