Waitrose Meat

[User211]

Bought 800g of Waitrose beef to make bourguignon. This is the worst case I have ever seen. It has been bad before, but this is just nuts.

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g436/User_211/Waitrose/IMG_20131028_103754_zps2c3f1cdc.jpg

Just look at the water after attempting to fry it. It ends up boiling.

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g436/User_211/Waitrose/IMG_20131028_103021_zps86db9fb2.jpg

And after it has boiled for many minutes, the goose fat suddenly appears and it starts to fry.

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g436/User_211/Waitrose/IMG_20131028_103510_zpsb459046e.jpg

Thought I'd weigh it:

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g436/User_211/Waitrose/IMG_20131028_103648_zps3cde5451.jpg

That's 265g of added water to 535g of beef - or thereabouts.

The line has been crossed here. Surely this is illegal is some way, shape or form?

[synsei]

You don't get that with Aldi's braising steak... :sofa:

[The Black Adder]

Get your self to a good butchers, not a supermarket.

[synsei]

Are you attempting to fry off the entire 800g's in one go? This is a definite no-no as any chef will tell you. Put too much meat into a hot wok or frying pan and it will lower the temperature to the point where it will braise rather than brown. Fry the two packs off separately for best results ;)

[User211]

Yeah I know - trouble is no decent butcher here.

Tis a blinking scam though. I'll have a go at them next time I'm in there.

[User211]

Are you attempting to fry off the entire 800g's in one go? This is a definite no-no as any chef will tell you. Put too much meat into a hot wok or frying pan and it will lower the temperature to the point where it will braise rather than brown. Fry the two packs off separately for best results ;)

I know - it was the "can I be arsed" factor?. TBH though the meat was fine as the result tasted excellent.

The fact is conventional wisdom with cooking and reality does divulge. The f%*^ing stuff fries eventually when the water disappears. The meat is so frigged small batches makes no difference - it always boils first with this stuff.

[walpurgis]

Unlikely to affect me. I'm not keen on meat!

[synsei]

I know - it was the "can I be arsed" factor?. TBH though the meat was fine as the result tasted excellent.

The fact is conventional wisdom with cooking and reality does divulge. The f%*^ing stuff fries eventually when the water disappears. The meat is so frigged small batches makes no difference - it always boils first with this stuff.

Seriously, give the Aldi's stuff a try if you don't want to pay butchers prices, it is seriously good quality with no added water. It's £2.99 for a 400g pack :)

[User211]

Seriously, give the Aldi's stuff a try if you don't want to pay butchers prices, it is seriously good quality with no added water. It's £2.99 for a 400g pack :)

No local Aldi's. The Waitrose stuff was 3 for a tenner. But even when there's no "deal" it is still pumped full of water.

Used to use a great butcher - no added water. Not cheap, though. But worth it. He used to do amazing rib-eye steaks.

[The Black Adder]

Nah... Butchers are not that much more expensive... if anything they can be a lot cheaper indeed.

I'm sure you can find a Butchers somewhere. If you can find yourself one then why not buy in a fortnights worth of meat, or just your favorite meat like beef for example, whack it in the deep freeze and dip in as and when.

Supermarket meat is O.K. but a lot is spiked with water and salt (as well as other things like chemicals) to add bulk and to make it keep longer on the shelves.

I shop at Waitrose/Ocado and I don't buy my meat from there. I've heard Aldi meat is much better too.

[User211]

I very rarely buy meat from Waitrose but convenience got the better of me that day. It is generally over priced and not great. This just pissed me off. So I thought I'd rant - and make those that don't know aware.

[sq225917]

Don't buy pre packed meat get it from the counter instead.

[User211]

I'm going in to complain this w/e. I'll tell them I want at least 265g of beef from the counter...:)

It's usually Angus on the counter. I haven't bought any from the counter for a while and can't remember if it has the same issue. I'd be amazed if it doesn't have at least some water added, though.

[User211]

OK they gave me a £10 voucher after I complained.

I bought some M&S stewing beef before Xmas and it had no added water. Thinking it was excellent (it was) I bought some more.

1200g to be precise. Shock! Horror! This 3 for a tenner deal weighed in at 702g after frying to lose all the water. Worse than Waitrose by some margin. Time for another compliant.

If you want free beef - this is the way forward!:lol:

TBH that was a REAL pain, it takes ages to fry off the water.... my meal is now half an hour late for the guests.

[The Black Adder]

Well done, a lot of people wouldn't complain so good stuff... I bought a small cheese board the other week from Waitrose, found that one of the cheeses were totally moldy so I complained, got £12 worth of vouchers! :)

[Effem]

I have searched the internet for a picture of a water injection machine I once saw at a food exhibition but cannot find one. Damn great big thing that can do a beef or pig carcass in one go. Huge great plate mounted from the ceiling with thousands of spikes around 3 inches long and the operator rams this spiked plate into the carcass and squeezes a trigger.

On a smaller scale, here is a machine that does smaller joints and cuts

http://www.food-processing-machinery.com/food-processing-machinery.com/resources/Images/_thumbs/sim/Automatic-Saline-Injection-machine.jpg

Found plenty of images of large syringes being stabbed into chickens but that would simply not be viable in a busy processing factory.

[loo]

Don't buy pre packed meat get it from the counter instead.

or better still get it from a Butcher

[Audioman]

I'm surprised at Waitrose putting water in this unless it is frozen. I know that steak bought at Tesco has no water. Best to buy a pack of braising steak not that diced stuff and cut it up yourself. As mentioned before it should be browned quickly on high heat before adding to the other ingredients to cook. Also I note the pack is marked 'essential' which suggests this is their cheopo product. Buy the best supermarket quality if there are no local butchers. There aren't any proper butchers where I live either.

BTW that pre packed stuff should have a list of ingredients somewhere incl % water content.

[loo]

WOW no Butchers in warickshire , I might try a career change
I find Lentils are a nice substitute for the crap supermarkets call meat:eyebrows:
Paul

[The Black Adder]

Chances are, all supermarket meat will have water injected. Shelf life is paramount to them.

I'm lucky enough to have a butchers 5 doors down with it's own slaughter house to the back. "Zero meat miles" is what they say!... lol

[Audioman]

Chances are, all supermarket meat will have water injected. Shelf life is paramount to them.

I'm lucky enough to have a butchers 5 doors down with it's own slaughter house to the back. "Zero meat miles" is what they say!... lol

I Regularly buy rump steak from Tesco and no sign of water when frying unlike bacon. I think some of those ready cubed packs must be processed beef.

[Clive]

I'm not convinced water was added but it could have been, I don't discount it. As has been said if the temp isn't high enough water comes out from the meat so you end up boiling it. Meat naurally contains water, just as our bodies do.

[User211]

I'm not convinced water was added but it could have been, I don't discount it. As has been said if the temp isn't high enough water comes out from the meat so you end up boiling it. Meat naurally contains water, just as our bodies do.

Trust me - good stewing steak - virtually nothing comes out and it fries.

[User211]

BTW that pre packed stuff should have a list of ingredients somewhere incl % water content.

It just doesn't, though. This is part of the crime. And it is exactly that, my friends. It is nothing short of deception and theft, IMHO.

[Clive]

It will happen with the best steak. This is meat cooking basics....you should brown it in smaller quantities and decant it.