your best ways to dress up cheap cuts of meat...

ruhbehka_re_reformed

21 years ago

Ok, what are your best ways to "dress up" (ie make tasty food from) cheap cuts of meat?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

ruhbehka_re_reformed
Original Author
21 years ago
Here's mine...

The cheapest, toughest roast: put it in a crockpot on low with a half bottle of ketchup and a can of Coke, all day. It will be tender with a barbecue flavor when you get home from work.

Leftover, dry cooked poultry: "marinate" it in gravy all day (in the fridge, for heaven's sake!), then bake it in the oven (cover each piece with a mixture of melted light cream cheese, light mayo, and parmesan cheese)

cheap hot dogs: cut them super thin and mix them into mac and cheese, baked beans, etc.
bbonnn
21 years ago
Ooh, one of my friends collects cookbooks from the 1920s-1940s, which are chock-full of meat-extending recipes. Not only do they offer ideas for using less meat in each meal, but they deal with cuts of meat that today we would consider unsavory: tongue, kidney, brain, heart -- and types of meat most folks don't eat these days: elk, squirrel, possum. I kid you not. There were possum recipes. This particular publication was put out by the USDA.

Wish I could dredge up the book from my friend, but he's across the country. It had hundreds of recipes. If all else fails, maybe your grandmother has kept cookbooks from that era, and would be willing to let you root through them.

Depression-era cookbooks are a treasure trove for that kind of information. Also for "household tips & tricks" like how to get ring-around-the-collar out without using special preparations like Shout, making your own lemon oil furniture polish, stuff like that. I love reading them.
Related Discussions
Cheap ways to make stock
Q
Comments (46)
LOVED this thread, if it wasn'tfor the fact my parents are dead, I wold have thought it was them writing it, my mum used to put all types of "waste" into stock and I do the same, I hate reading receipy that call on you to use the "good stuff", then discard it such as a lot of stock/soup receipy have! I am in family of 4 and we rarely buy the cooked chilcken in store, but we do buy raw, Sunday roasted, I remove the legs as none of us like them, giblets on to boil with carrot and onion peel (sometimes I save the livers by freezing until I have enough for pate) after it is cooked me take the fleshy part and give to our cats. I use the gilbet juice and chicken juice to make gravy. whilst the chicken is cooking I put on my slow cooker and toss in the chicken legs, with storks of brocoli, carrot & onion peel outer leaves from cauli or cabbage. after the meal chicken striped and bones added to slow cooker. Sunday tea is chicken sandwiches, toms and chips. monday is Monday pie! this is not really a pie it just the chicken in white sauce and left over veg. also sandwiches for hubby tuesday is another roast this time just sliced meat reheated in gravey in the oven (stove) VEG GALORE! MORE SANDWICHES FOR HUBBY! Wednesday, maybe enough for sandwiches, but the soup phase arrives! from the freezer! IT IS SO EASY! I am not as you can tell vegaterian, and never will be, but I can not tell you how much it annoys me to waste meat! so I am frugal with it and I let my children know! I cried the day they opened the fridge just as we where going out last summer as meat was ruined, it wasn't the cost, it was the fact, that I try to get them to understand, an animal died so you can eat don't waste it, don't increas the numbers! I worked on farms and have seen slaughter, I have killed a chicken and a rabbit, not put me off eating them but made me look very hard at my useage of them. My boys are 4 ane my hubby get upset when they ask whats this and I say "its a pig/chicken/cow/lamb" ect but honesty is the best policy I think and if they want to be vegaterian I will support them whole heartedly, but I personal like meat, but will never waste it if I can help it.
...See More
Way to test meat thermometer?
Q
Comments (31)
Dcarch, I've been considering ordering an infrared thermometer for a long time, thanks for providing a few uses for it that I hadn't thought of! (a little extra justification never hurts!) Jadeite, thanks for pushing me over the edge by providing the link to the sale at Thermoworks. I've purchased a few items from them, and I'm on their mailing list. I don't know why I didn't get that email! DebraK, I had and threw out a number of digital thermometers because I couldn't trust them to be accurate. I asked for, and received, my Thermapen for Christmas a year ago and I use it all the time. It's accurate and reliable, and best of all it has a very slim, very sharp probe that can be used on thin things, like a steak, thin pork chop, or pounded chicken breast or even fish (though it's easy to tell when fish is done). I have also used it to find out how hot foods are in a warming tray on my Thanksgiving buffet--and also how cold a salad is, so I know when to put it back in the fridge. I've also used it to measure the temp of hot water for brewing green tea or coffee, and the temperature of the water going into the fish tank, and various other things. It's one of the most used things in my kitchen, and I count it very much worth the money spent. Cj
...See More
What is the proper way to defrost meat?
Q
Comments (15)
Even with the preponderance of chickens born with salmonella already in them, the incidence of getting infected poultry is pretty low. The reason for the care is that if you should be infected the results are really awful and potentially life threatening if not treated right away. The worry about other raw meats usually comes from poor sanitary practices and shortcuts taken during the initial slaughter and handling, from what I've read, and it's more likely to be e. coli from an animal's digestive system contaminating the area (through said poor practices) than any kind of endemic infection. The results can be just as dire, if there's an infection, especially for the vulnerable like little kids, but the incidence is much lower than for poultry, from what I've been able to find out. Annie grows her own, mostly or knows the growers, and the butcher, so her risks aren't the same, as those of us relying on city food sources. Re utensils, it's better to switch out the raw chicken utensils right away, but if the meat has been cooking for good and long enough at high enough temperature to kill the germs (there are tables you can look up) then you can switch to your finished tongs, etc., then. What you don't want to do is keep rebacteriaizing your food as it cooks. If you do a marinade, after the meat is put on to cook, you can add the remaining sauce, but you should discard the rest right away. Similarly, if it's something that gets mopped with sauce regularly, you should pour a small amount into a dish for each basting and change over your basting brush as it gets to temperature. All of that is "shoulds". In real life, most people manage not to poison themselves if they take any care at all. The problem is that even the people who are the remainder who do poison themselves may be a small percentage of the population but in absolute numbers it's a lot of people! Take some care, don't stress yourself out over exactitudes--just get into a habit of not spreading potential contamination, and be extra careful when cooking for small children, the elderly and people with illnesses or immunity issues.
...See More
Best meat grinder for Kitchen Aide K5SS mixer =?
Q
Comments (7)
Islay, OT: I never have issues with pasta on my hand crank machine, this is my go-to recipe: 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (or flour and semolina as per preference) - amount is not exact, see below 1 egg 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 tablespoon olive oil (you can omit the oil, but I prefer it) 1/4 tablespoon lukewarm water I use my food processor with the dough blade to mix the dough. I start with all the eggs (room temperature), the salt, oil and enough flour to make a wet slurry. I keep adding flour(s) until the dough gathers together to form a single cohesive ball/blob, then continue adding flour - a little at a time - until the ball starts to crumble. When it does, I stop and pinch some of the them together to test the consistency - at first the crumbles are large and pinch together in a wet, sticky dough. I keep processing in more flour, again and again, until the crumbles get smaller and start resembling coarse meal - a little smaller than the size of peas. When I can finally pinch the crumbles and they hold together without being remotely sticky, I gather and pinch it all together by hand forming a somewhat shaggy looking ball. (If I add too much flour while the dough is in the food processor, I process in a few drops of room temperature water to correct it.) Whether you make your dough by hand, in a stand mixer, or any other method, this is the consistency the dough ball should be before resting it. Wrap balls of dough in plastic wrap, rest on counter (never fridge) and rest 20-30 minutes. Dry, never wet, before resting. I don't knead mine, I just run a portion it through the first setting a few times, folding, the continue on until I get the thinness I want. I typically double or quadruple the above recipe for the food processor. I never have to add flour, water, anything. It runs through the hand crank Marcato Atlas Pasta Machine like butter. No sticking, no messes. No cleanup other than wiping down with a cotton cloth. Back on topic: I've not got a KA, but rather an Ankersrum assistant, and am considering the meat grinder attachment for it, at a later date.
...See More
ArtsyCraftsy
21 years ago
hahaha...look in your "Joy of Cooking". Mine still has a diagram of how to skin a squirrel!
My tip is to invest in one of the hand-held meat tenderizers. Not a mallet, but the type with the teeth blades. It punches holes clean thru the meat and whatever you marinade it in just absorbs right up.
Also try using a pressure cooker. My mom always used it for beef heart or tongue (yuumy!) which is not easy to cook. The new models are very easy, quick and safe.
ruhbehka_re_reformed
Original Author
21 years ago
sadly, my gram was born at the end of the depression and doesn't remember anything about it. She might have some of her mothers old cookbooks somewhere, though, i'll have to ask...
Meghane
21 years ago
This is a great marinade for flank steak. I have used it for steaks on the grill and for chopped up steak to use as taco filling. It tenderizes the meat very well. I have marinated for up to 3 days- it only gets better- but 1 hour is sufficient.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Steak Taco Filling

Recipe By : Meghan
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :1:30
Categories : Meats

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 pounds flank steaks
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup tomatillo salsa
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Combine onion, salsa, hot sauce, and chili powder in a large ziploc bag. Add steak and marinate in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Heat skillet or grill and cook steak until desired degree of doneness. For taco filling, chop the steak into bite-sized pieces before marinading.
budster
21 years ago
I do all the suggestions, marinate, pressure cook, slow cook....and I love it when we have "bits of" say porkchop or chili or steak left...I do all kinds of leftover stuff .....meat pies, stirfry, macaroni casserole....I find I can use up the stuff easily and get another meal for the family without wasting a thing. Some are really successful and some have mixed reviews but they all get eaten!
bouncingpig
21 years ago
I love marinates too and also do a lot of slow cooker and pressure cooking. My pressure cooker works great for tender beef. I love good old fashioned beef and noodles.

Brenda
lazy_gardens
21 years ago
"make tasty food from cheap cuts of meat?"

They are cheap because they can't be thrown on a grill for a quick meat, or are not fashionable in that area. I used to get really cheap beef shanks in Virginia, but here they are widely used in a Mexican soup, and not nearly as cheap unless I'm shopping in a moistly anglo neighborhood.

Careful use of spices, marinating, slow cooking and good side dishes.

Chicken and dumplings, good beef stew with lots of perfectly cooked potatos and carrots and onions and french bread to sop up the juice ... yum! A nice fluffy denver omelet ... also YUM!
yellowhair
20 years ago
For meatloaf, you can take ketchup and grape jelly, or any jelly for that matter, and mix together for a sauce. Yum!

Sometimes I add chunks, or slices, of fruit, like peaches, apples, etc. Lemons are good also. Onions, rosemary, both good with soy sauce on meats.
mid_tn_mama
20 years ago
Our easy favorite is chuck steak in the crockpot with a package of onion soup. You can add some stale carbonated cola drink (why throw anything out)

OR whole chickens when they get very inexpensive: rub with olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 package dried ranch/or italian dressing. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. You can add potatoes and carrots to the bowl to get the residue off the bowl you used for rubbing the chicken and roast those too.

You can add oatmeal and mashed pinto beans to any ground beef dish to stretch it.

your best ways to dress up cheap cuts of meat...

Comments (10)

ruhbehka_re_reformed
Original Author

bbonnn

Related Discussions

ArtsyCraftsy

ruhbehka_re_reformed
Original Author

Meghane

budster

bouncingpig

lazy_gardens

yellowhair

mid_tn_mama

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

your best ways to dress up cheap cuts of meat...

Comments (10)

ruhbehka_re_reformedOriginal Author

Related Discussions

ruhbehka_re_reformedOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

ruhbehka_re_reformed
Original Author

ruhbehka_re_reformed
Original Author