Basics Mince?

jo1972

Chicken mince is delicious in spag bol or chilli, not many places stock it anymore unfortunatly

aaroncaz

basic mince has more fat in it,i'd say, but that is better if you want to make burgers,than lean mince!

Herbaholic

jo1972 wrote: »

If you really want a cheaper option then some of the frozen mince isn't bad, wouldn't buy the value personally tho. Frozen mince cooks up quite good in spag bol or chilli altho not tried it in sheperds pie doubt it would work as well.

I won't touch value mince due to the high fat content, tried it once and a 500g bag left me with 200g of mince meat a very false economy!!! The Asda frozen steak mince which is around £1.69 for 500g is okay for making shepards pie and any other dish eg chilli, spag bol, lasagne and mince beef curry.

I make shepards pie with the asda mince like my Mum did (although she used fresh from the butchers), it's a dry mince mix and not a sloshy gravy one, sounds too dry but once the meat is added to the casserole there's enough liquid to soak into the other stuff and make it really yummy.

I cook the mince in enough water to cover the mince with a chopped onion, some stock eg oxo, some worcestershire sauce and some salt & pepper. If you're really worried about the fat content boil the mince in plain water then drain off all the liquid and start again adding the stock and seasoning. Once cooked, drain the mince (as the meat is leanish I skim the top off and save the rest of the liquid to make the gravy).

You put the layer of mince on the bottom of the casserole dish and add a layer of mashed carrot & onion, boil them together, the onion adds to the taste of the carrot and brings out its flavour somehow. Topped with creamy mash potato, brown in the oven and serve with veggies and the gravy made from the reserved mince stock which just needs thicking with a little cornflour! I sometimes add some grated cheese to the top, but mainly do it like my mum did with a blob of butter and some pepper on the top Mmmmmmm, comfort food just like Mum used to make

Sarahsaver

tr3mor wrote: »

Try pork or turkey mince, they're cheaper and healthier than beef, and work just as well in most dishes.

If you have ever been in hospital for a long stay Turkey mince would be on your 'never again' list! :eek: But I am sure it has its uses.

pipkin71

I mince my own beef nowadays, as the thought of what goes into basics makes me shudder. Then again, a couple of years ago I never really thought about the food we ate - yes, I gave dd's cheap reconstituted chicken nuggets:eek:

However, I have to say, basics never affected them health wise, so although I personally wouldn't now, you have to go with what you can afford.

Taste wise, I think home made nuggets, burgers etcetera taste so much better than shop bought.

Pipkin xxx

Bear_family

If you're worried about the fat content of mince trying mixing half of your usual mince with Quorn or your supermarkets own vegetarian mince, or add a can of lentils to bulk it out. These options will also save you some pennies.

Bf