Mince
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Discussion

Invisible man

Original Poster:

39,731 posts

305 months

Wednesday 27th May 2009
quotequote all
Can anyone tell me how best to cook it for Shepherds pie etc? no matter what we do it always tastes fatty and we can't reproduce that nice meaty flavour

Plotloss

67,280 posts

291 months

Wednesday 27th May 2009
quotequote all
Shepards Pie = Lamb Mince but I'm assuming we're talking lamb mince here.

Fry it off first over a high heat, after the onions but with them removed from the pan.

Then add your flour, stock etc after its fried off.

Davi

17,153 posts

241 months

Wednesday 27th May 2009
quotequote all
to start with, buy decent quality mince - go to the butchers and ask him to mince you a nice lean bit. You'll never get a nice meaty taste from tesco's value gristle packs.

Invisible man

Original Poster:

39,731 posts

305 months

Wednesday 27th May 2009
quotequote all
Davi said:
to start with, buy decent quality mince - go to the butchers and ask him to mince you a nice lean bit. You'll never get a nice meaty taste from tesco's value gristle packs.
we do, same as our stewing steak etc

Davi

17,153 posts

241 months

Wednesday 27th May 2009
quotequote all
in that case you aren't frying it off fast enough - high heat as plotloss says, got to seal it rapidly. If it's all looking a bit greasy in the pan skim off a good portion of the fat but leave the juices!!

OllieWinchester

5,694 posts

213 months

Wednesday 27th May 2009
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Crumble an oxo cube over the mince as it is being browned over a high heat.

Steamer

14,093 posts

234 months

Wednesday 27th May 2009
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Talking about mince...


...I did a bit of a comparison recently of a few supermarket minces - Aldi was the best, even their regular mince was very low in fat, no gristle and was about a £1 cheaper than the Big T.

Plotloss

67,280 posts

291 months

Wednesday 27th May 2009
quotequote all
You want fat in mince, thats where the taste is.

Proper mince should be 50% meat and 50% fat.

This extra lean nonsense is why no one can make anything that tastes as it should.

Bloody supermarkets.

Melman Giraffe

6,794 posts

239 months

Wednesday 27th May 2009
quotequote all
OllieWinchester said:
Crumble an oxo cube over the mince as it is being browned over a high heat.
+1 and drain off any excess fat

Pot Bellied Fool

2,239 posts

258 months

Wednesday 27th May 2009
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Add a teaspoon of marmite to the pan of mince & onions... lick

Don

28,378 posts

305 months

Wednesday 27th May 2009
quotequote all
Plotloss said:
You want fat in mince, thats where the taste is.

Proper mince should be 50% meat and 50% fat.

This extra lean nonsense is why no one can make anything that tastes as it should.

Bloody supermarkets.
yes

Tastes delicious. Makes you fat, though. irked The wife now has us on a diet.

I'm having to cook bloody everything with aerosol-oil "Fry-lite" at the moment.

Nothing tastes right. You have to bump up the herb/spices/flavourings content by a vast amount to make things taste of something.

So far I reckon I'm on the "add six chillies to everything" diet.

Edited by Don on Wednesday 27th May 13:27

zakelwe

4,449 posts

219 months

Wednesday 27th May 2009
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Hmm he is saying it is too fatty and you are saying add fat.

All that tells me is you are now commentating on you rather than him wink

If you want to reduce fat on lamb mince fry it with no fat on a heat that is very very low and use kitchen cloth to wipe away the excess as it goes. It will take a long time but it will work out ok.

Regards

Andy


Mobile Chicane

21,737 posts

233 months

Wednesday 27th May 2009
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I roast a fatty joint of lamb - eg. shoulder, and then mince the cooked meat for shepherd's pie.

Lefty Guns

19,243 posts

223 months

Wednesday 27th May 2009
quotequote all
Plotloss said:
You want fat in mince, thats where the taste is.

Proper mince should be 50% meat and 50% fat.

This extra lean nonsense is why no one can make anything that tastes as it should.

Bloody supermarkets.
Bang-on.

My butcher's mince is good meat, good bit of fat but no gristle. beautiful stuff.

With good mince you shouldn't be adding stock cubes!

Edited by Lefty Guns on Thursday 28th May 11:02

grumbledoak

32,322 posts

254 months

Wednesday 27th May 2009
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If you don't know a good butcher, don't buy mince. Get a cheap cut of beef, stewing/braising steak etc., and either chop it very small, or 'blitz' it in a processor (carefully, or you'll get red wallpaper-paste).

Fry it, very hot, in small batches.

Then, start your dish. thumbup

spikeyhead

19,487 posts

218 months

Wednesday 27th May 2009
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There should be fat in mince, especially lamb mince.

Start off frying it on a high heat until its brown and well sealed, then add stock and simmer on a lower heat. Let it reduce, you need the fat in there to keep the meat moist, otherwise it'll end up dry, Once the stock has reduced, after perhaps an hour of simmering, then up the heat again to burn off the last of the fat. Then use that to make your shepherds pie.

wmg100

1,698 posts

235 months

Wednesday 27th May 2009
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Not much to add that hasn't already been said but good quality meat with decent fat content, and a hot, uncrowded pan are all you need. Oh, and no OXO