Mince is DISGUSTING! Help with alternatives please?

KittyKate

Hi all,

I've been having some real problems with meat recently. I got put off Tesco stewing steak because my OH made a lovely pie but I almost broke my tooth on a huge (and I mean bigger than a 50p) shard of bone nestled in one of the chunks of beef. Now I cannot stand mince. Tesco mince we made a chilli with and it was just full of gristle, the really chewy stuff which you just can't eat. Asda mince we made a pie with last night. I cut the pie open and was confronted by a collection of veins (some split open, some intact). On examining the mince it was scattered with veins of various sizes. Disgusting.

I like meat, but I've decided only to buy good cuts from my butcher (who I can only get to once a week if that sadly). I'm totally put off mince, I find it cheap and nasty and a way for butchers to get rid of offal/old cuts.

So what I am looking for is a mince alternative I can use in spag bol, chilli, pies and such. I like veggies in those things but like something 'meaty' too (as does OH). I saw 'Beanfeast' but I'm confused as to how to prepare it (can you fry it??). I hate tofu as it's wobbly and not very meatlike. Can anyone help please??

love_lifer

i think beanfeast has to be hydrated and then can be fried...its pretty healthy too
frozen quorn mince might be easier?

boo81

Quorn is easy to cook with but I think you need about twice the amount of flavouring than you do with meat as it is fairly bland. It also can go quite dry so you need to be careful how you cook it! The quorn website used to have lots of nice recipes.

scuzz

Why not select a cut of meat at your butchers and ask him to mince it for you. They should be more than happy to do this for you.

As far as alternatives go, all I can think of is quorn

goonieman

My wifes a veggies and uses Quorn mince in her spag bol, cottage pie etc..
And if you use the right sauses and seasoning you can hardly tell the difference. Its also alot healthier. Give it a try, you might be pleasently suprised.

MRSMCAWBER

Hi there Kittykate

Loverlife is right..beanfeasts need to be re-hydrated but i love em and they are filling....

Give RELATE VEGGIEMINCE a go...its more like minced beef than the minced quorn-which i treat like minced chicken/turkey

You will find it in the freezer and quite often it is on offer...do you have a FARMFOODS near you? if so, they usually work out cheapest for it!!

If you do want decent mince i go for extra lean minced steak...obviously more expensive than bog standard mince....but you dont get loads of fat coming out of it - would rather pay for it and be able to eat it...and you can always bulk it out with grated carrots etc....morrisons usually have 2 packs for £3.50 i think.....

Debt_Free_Chick

I never buy "mince" - whenever I see it, I think "minced what, exactly??"

I do exactly what Scuzz suggests - either choose a cut of meat and ask the butcher to mince it there & then. Or simply take it home, whole, and pulse it through the food processor (carefully - otherwise it will turn to mush). Of course, you don't get those squiggly worm looking strands of mince - but they just break down anyway when you cook then.

Surprising, some very cheap cuts of meat make excellent mince - Beef skirt, which would generally be regarded as something that needs long, slow cooking (ideal for spag bol etc) makes brilliant burgers. I think the processing helps to break down the tough fibres making it more tender.

Anyway - go for a specific cut and not necessarily an expensive one.

sleepymy

I find the dehydrated soy mince much nicer. Marinate it in the sauce of your choice for a few hours and it absorbs the flavor much better than the frozen stuff plus doesn't take up room in your freezer.