The fat content of mince

[40andlovelife]

I'm making lamb koftas tomorrow and the lowest fat content I could find was 20%, I would usually go for 5% when I buy beef but couldn't get 5% for lamb. Anyway the calorie content of each pack is massive. Surely when I cook them ( air fry) the calorie content will reduce by losing fat during the cooking process?

I don't have an air fryer but I find lamb mince is very fatty by its nature so I mix beef and lamb for kofte which helps. I tend to grill lamb ones and lots of the fat drips out. We do a type that we fry and I add no fat then and pour the fat that comes out off. Is that possible in an air fryer?

Yes the fat should hopefully drip in to the drip tray. Good idea about mixing lamb and beef!

I also wish they would put the calorie content of steak once you have trimmed it on the packets, as I don't eat the fat on steak

Ha I cut the fat off too but then always feel smug about being under my calculations of calories and eat a bag of chocolate as reward sigh I've given up calories counting though as we cook from scratch every day and it's so wearing trying to work out what the calculations are. I've been toying with the idea of an air fryer but as they're no cheaper than normal on black Friday I'm leaving it as I don't think it will help my weight loss journey as much as I'd hoped.

Fat isn’t bad for you in this way, we need some fats in our diet. Trans fats are not good for you but natural fats (fish, meat, oils, nuts etc) aren’t bad in moderation. Processed meats and processed foods are not good. Low fat diets are outdated now.

Totally agree. I don't do low fat. All yoghurt, cheeses, butter ect that I buy, I always go full fat. I eat loads of fish, nuts etc. But the calorie content of this mince is sooo high that if I don't try and get some of the fat out I would be way in excess of my goals for the day!

I always use 15% mince as it tastes better and cooks more tender IME. I skim excess fat off when it rises to the top of eg bolognese.

This is why I buy rib eye when we have a steak. Even though I trim the fat, there's still enough running through it and it's faaaar tastier than fillet because of this

Sounds like the latest Booker prize winner 😆

This has gone way over my head haha and I'm an English Teacher!

My mum used to boil mince, so the fat melted into the water. She'd then remove the mince and fry it or use it in the recipe as normal. Once the cooking water cooled, you'd see how much fat solidified on the top! 😩

This is such a good idea but the thought of boiling mince makes me really queasy I really don't know why!

I don't eat a low fat diet but high fat mince is high in saturated fat and not very pleasant to eat.

OP, excess fat is easy to drain once you have fried it off at the start.

You can get 10% lamb mince in sainsburys, but it is quite pricey!

Fry it and put a tampon in the pan it will soak up all the fat.

How about draining the fat after it's has been fried (or air fryer-Ed which works well for me)

Measure how much fat you have drained, calculate the calories of the amount of fat and reduce the overall calorie count by the amount you have drained off.

I fry off the mince then pour the fat away. Presto!

I am in a low fat diet. Sadly they are not outdated and mine is due to a medical problem. I use turkey mince as the lowest u can get from that is 2%. Not as nice a taste as the others but it’s okay. I just add lots of herbs and garlic etc. it’s okay.