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Whenever I browned hamburger meat for tacos, spaghetti, or whatever, I used to take the meat out of the pan, transfer it to a strainer to drain the grease and then return it to the pan to finish cooking.
I have found an easier way to handle the excess grease without all the work. This is so much easier and less mess to clean up. Just brown the meat, tilt the frying pan so the grease drains to one side.
Take a couple of paper towels and soak up the grease, the more grease there is the more paper towels need to be used.
Remove the grease soaked paper towels and discard on a paper plate or some other type of container. Then toss the paper towels in the trash. I use this method all the time now and it's so much easier.
When using ground beef cooked for a soup, spaghetti or tacos etc., drain hamburger through a colander before adding to your soup recipe. This takes away the extra fat and tastes great, even in chili.
By 123helen from Senoia, GA
I use browned ground meat a lot. I like to remove as much of the liquefied fat as possible after browning to make the dish healthier. To do this, I place the skillet on something so that it rests at a slight angle, and pull all of the ground meat to the upper side.
I have been buying cheap ground meat to save money but my husband just got a not so great cholesterol test result back. Instead of paying 3.00-4.00 a pound for 96/4 lean meat, I have been boiling the hamburger meat draining it, boiling a second time, then frying in the frying pan.
After draining the fat from ground meat, place the meat on a brown paper bag lined with paper towels. Fold the bag over and squeeze. It's amazing the amount of fat that comes out! Jen
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To keep ground beef recipes from being so high in fat, I brown the ground beef, then rinse the beef in a strainer using the hottest water I can. This allows the fat on the ground beef to run down the drain!
My family cannot taste the difference!
By Gina from Kentucky
Great idea! I'm going to try it! (02/02/2009)
By Dawn Rager
Great idea to remove as much fat as possible but here's how to dispose of grease properly and the reasons why:
This is a PDF file so if it's too small or too large to read when opened you can zoom in or zoom out ...
http://www.dwrcymru.com/English/library/publications/Stop%20and%20think%20not%20down%20the%20sink/english.pdf (02/02/2009)
By Deeli
I've been doing this forever and it works :) (02/02/2009)
By mindy
I would not pour grease down the drain as it can harden and then clog the pipes. I spoon out the grease out of the pan and then put it in a jar and it hardens and then I throw it in the trash that way. (02/02/2009)
By Robyn Fed
I do the same thing. I add a little water and freeze the cooked ground beef in a bag with no air. I do it in big batches. It is great to pull out a pound of precoked beef to start a meal. (02/02/2009)
By scott E.
Never put any type of grease or grease residue in your drain. As you know, it doesn't take much for that grease to solidify. It will coat the inside of your drain pipes and maybe even clog them up. Also, its not good for your septic tank or sewer connection. It's just not a good idea.
My family drains off grease and puts it into the garbage can. Thanks for sharing your good idea. (02/03/2009)
By Carol in PA
I have been doing this for years. Funny thing, I keep having drain 'issues' and clogs. The guy that works on it for me found out I was using hot water to make it go down the drain and he told me that really does not help it go down the drain at all. Long story short. It's not fun when it catches up with you and actually backs the grease up in your bath tub. Anyway, strain the grease... great idea! Just DO NOT RUN IT DOWN THE DRAIN. trust me! =o) (02/04/2009)
By Jenny
