Mince meat never ever ever buy

[Ivykaty44]

tesco basic mince meat, it was the worst meal ever and it all went in the bin.

I usually buy sainsbury basic mince and it is fine - so had to do a quick shop in tesco as itis closer to home, brought tesco basic mince meat, thinking it would be fine. made the same ragu sauce I made two weeks ago and whereas the irst time it was fab - this was greasy, I had drained the fat from the meat when i had browned it - it was still very very greasy, so i put a little flour but it just ruined the meal.

I have learnt my lesson

you know I don't like buying cheap meat, and if I wasn't trying to save money we don't have for me to move then I wouldn't be buying it.

'tis a case of "needs must" and all that, and not wanting to make things noticeably different for the boys (if we went totally veggie a) it wouldn't cost me much less as I need to spend just as much on extra veg and pulses to fill 'em up b) they'd notice and wonder what was going on c) DS3 (2 3/4yrs) would be devestated if he didn't get his mince and pasta, roast chicken and sausage )

But I'd buy cheap meat and cook it (and eat it) any day over any piece of offal.

My mum used to cook a lovely (apparently) liver and onions........everyone (except me) loved it.

Then when I was living/working in Zim I had my meals in the school dining hall (they had a separate room for staff) and they served up (very badly cooked) liver at least twice a week. blurghhh

Liver is vile.
The first time I met ex-fiancee's mother she cooked liver. I had to try and force it down. When she wasn't looking I put it on ex-f's plate

BLimey, I;m glad I don't shop at Tescos - never had any trouble with Sainsbury's reduced meat.
Oh and liver and bacon casserole is fab, DS loves it too and it;s dead cheap (basics bacon, pack of liver, onions, spuds, bit of oxo).

This is why I buy cheap stewing steak (usually butcher but sometimes from supermarket) and mince it myself. It tastes so much better, and best of all - you know what is in it

Want to know the real truth behind the very cheap mince?..... Mostly it's cheap because of the fat content - fat is cheaper than meat. Often it's cheap because it includes mechanically recovered meat (check the label). And quite often it's because the meat has come from countries that don't have the same production or welfare standards as the UK (again check the label).

It's also legal to soak meat in a lot of water before sale to plump it up. If you've ever cooked a cheap piece of meat and a lot of water has run out of it, that's why. So avoid the basic chicken for that reason.

'No meat' is better than 'poor meat' (remember the BSE CJD situation?) and if you're on a limited budget it's a lot healthier to make things with cheap pulses (beans, lentils, chickpeas) and to treat meat as an occasional luxury.

yes I remember the CJD whatsit - I was the only one in my entire boarding school to vote to keep beef on the menu

I've worked out cost for cost for the amount of "bulking" I need for pulse/bean based meals v (anything but value) meat based meal there's virtually no price difference.

And please get off your moral high horse.