Do I need to strain off the fat from bolognese?

[frogspoon]

I have made bolognese quite a few times, and usually it tastes great (in my opinion it is better than my mum's recipe). We always use high quality lean minced beef from a butcher (as opposed to supermarket)

When I was making it for dinner tonight, my mum popped in as I was browning the meat and told me not to forget to strain off the fat. I have never strained off the fat before, to be honest there wasn't much fat there anyway as it is lean beef, but decided to do so today.

When we sat down to eat, I found the sauce much less flavourful than normal, and the texture wasn't as creamy. I can only assume that removing the fat caused this effect, as I did nothing else differently.

My mum is very paranoid about her health, as both her parents (my grandparents) have died from a combination of diabetes and heart disease. She already has slightly high blood pressure, which is currently being monitored (no medication). She always strains fat off everything, and never adds salt to food. Is straining off the fat likely to make a big difference, bearing in mind that it is already lean meat?

Disclaimer: Our bolognese isn't really a true bolognese as for religious reasons no dairy products are added to the meat sauce, and we also don't add wine. So it's basically minced beef and vegetables (onions, carrots etc) in a tomato sauce. It still tastes nice though (when the fat isn't skimmed off!)

When I make bolognaise in the slow cooker I add 100ml milk.

What is the scientific reason for adding milk?

Anyway OP I agree with most posters, fat is part of the sauce, don't strain it away, especially when it's lean good quality meat. Not all fats are bad.

I wouldn't with beef mince (generally buy quite lean stuff) but do with lamb mince as it seems to produce quite a lot of fat.

Interesting that there are so many different opinions on how to cook bolognese!

I know some people have said that they don't like oily fatty sauce, but I can honestly say that my usual bolognese has never felt or tasted fatty, and it doesn't have visible fat droplets. I think that a small amount of fat seemed to improve the texture and make it smooth, but not oily. I wonder if perhaps it is forming an emulsion with the water based tomato sauce?

BIWI is correct that actually certain types of fat (monounsaturated e.g. olive oil, nuts, avocado) are actually better for your health and lower risk of heart disease, as they raise HDL (good cholesterol).

However the type of fat in bolognese (and other meats, as well as dairy products) is saturated fat which is currently considered to be something to eat only in moderation as it raises LDL (bad cholesterol), so I do understand why my mother is wants to remove the fat.

I am going to try removing some, but not all of the fat next time, to see the effect it has on flavour and texture.

I spoon some off but not all of it. I agree that the fat adds flavour and gives a different texture to the sauce.

Saturated fat isn't bad for you see here

There isn't actually any evidence to support the claim that saturated fat is bad for you - but conventional wisdom has it that there is.

Milk is supposed to bring out the meat, I don't believe in it though.

You definitely don't need to strain it! You'll strain the taste!

Anyone remember the mince rinsing thread?

Buy decent mince and you won't get an oil slick or those nasty orange blobs.

What is the scientific reason for adding milk?
I read it's meant to make the meat more tender. This is probably more applicable in a real ragu with finely chopped meat rather than mince as such.

Yes Grimma I meant to mention that too

Interesting about the milk.

Yes, scientists are beginning to turn round on evidence linked to saturated fats being bad fats.