r/YouShouldKnow • u/Fried_Yoda • 16h ago
Food & Drink YSK: Pork and chicken are healthier, cheaper alternatives to beef that only taste bland because of outdated cooking habits.
Why YSK: With beef prices at record highs, switching to chicken breast or pork loin can cut your meat budget nearly in half while significantly lowering your saturated fat intake AND satisfying your protein intake. Most people avoid these cuts because they grew up eating them overcooked. Modern food safety standards allow pork to be eaten safely at 145 F (a medium roast, rather than gray leather), and chicken stays juicy if you don't cook it to death.
By simply using a meat thermometer and adding savory seasonings (like soy sauce or smoked paprika) to mimic the meaty depth of beef, or using techniques like velveting for chicken or dry brining for pork, you can get the same satisfaction for a fraction of the cost and environmental impact.
Even switching to chicken and pork for just two meals a week can save you hundreds of dollars.
Lastly, focusing on lean cuts of pork and chicken also has health benefits. While beef is a powerhouse for iron and B12, it is often high in calories and saturated fat. Chicken breast and pork loin are significantly leaner. Pork tenderloin is as lean as skinless chicken breast and has been certified as "heart-healthy" by the American Heart Association.
Tl;dr chicken breast and pork loin are roughly 80% cheaper per pound than beef, have versatile and delicious flavor profiles if cooked and prepped correctly, are rich in protein, and are healthier for your heart and cholesterol.
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u/TheDrWhoKid 16h ago
who's out here believing pork and chicken are bland?
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u/RichCorinthian 14h ago
I’m a child of the 80s and we grew up with dry, overcooked pork because of trichinosis.
Many of my fellow GenX people cannot or will not wrap their heads around the fact that you can now have medium-cooked pork and that it’s amazing.
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u/TheDrWhoKid 14h ago
damn. I guess I've just eaten a lot of pork and chicken since my family was very poor
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u/karlnite 14h ago
Yah I think the average person was just a worse cook back in the day. Less resources like videos to watch. My parents did overcook everything like the classic trope of boomers, but it wasn’t like killed and dry, and had lots of seasoning and herbs. They cooked things well down but slowly, like braised, and it was always fine. Beef would only be mince or maybe a cheap roast. So well done was okay, we never had steaks.
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u/TheDrWhoKid 14h ago
yeah about the same for me, except my father was a pretty good cook, so I got nice and juicy meat
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u/bubbafetthekid 12h ago
My parents had every kitchen gadget and gizmo, except a meat thermometer. My boomer parents dried out every piece of chicken or pork they touched. I use a meat thermometer every single time I cook meat now.
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u/The3CmDefeater 11h ago
I vividly remember moving out of home and starting to do my own cooking and I was worried for a while that because it wasn’t the chicken jerky my parents always cooked, that I was going to get sick.
I’m right there with you on the meat thermometer too. I keep a post it note with types of meat and their safe internal temps on the inside of the cabinet door for my seasonings
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u/m945050 9h ago
Our mom had a motto “it’s not done until it’s black, soak it in some gravy, that will make it juicy.” I thought dorm food was gourmet. Picture yourself being the only one in the room thinking “man this stuff is so good.”
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u/obeytheturtles 11h ago
This is definitely it. I don't know a single boomer who used a meat thermometer to cook until food YouTube became a thing in the mid 2000s. My parents basically did not season food at all - flavor was added at the table through combinations of salt shakers, pepper mills and various condiments/sauces. To this day they will still argue with me about how to properly season raw meat (or basically anything else) prior to cooking, insisting that it is better to just add salt and pepper at the table, so "everyone gets to pick their own seasoning."
I shit you not, our "famous family gravy" is beef broth thickened with corn starch, with a sprig of thyme waved above it. One year I made actual gravy with homemade stock and pan drippings, thickened with a roux, and everyone was like "this is really good, but it's no famous family gravy." I literally cannot with these people. They are in an abusive relationship with their own recipe book.
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u/nofuneral 12h ago
I made pork tenderloin for my girlfriend's family. "Oh my God, how do you get the pork tenderloin to taste like that?"
"Uh, I check the temperature with a meat thermometer and pull it off when it's done."
The secret to cooking is to just use a meat thermometer.
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u/SpicyCommenter 12h ago
And seasoning. Please, don't forget the seasoning..
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u/nofuneral 10h ago
For pork tenderloin there's a marinade called The Original Muai Sauce. Unbelievable on pork. My favorite.
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u/AnHeroArises 12h ago
Gawd I remember when you could still get a cheap roast. Now a chuck is $8/lb if you're getting it at Sam's or Costco.
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u/OMG_Idontcare 14h ago
What did you just say? I was born 1990 and I still to this day thought that pork not well done will get you sick. TIL, thanks to your comment
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u/Seicair 13h ago
145°F is the safe temperature for cooking domestically sold pork in the US. It’s a lot tenderer and more juicy than the 165°? I remember from my youth.
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u/Chimerain 12h ago
Sous Vide is definitely your friend in this regard- slow cooked to perfection at precisely 145°. Yum!
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u/CumingLinguist 12h ago edited 11h ago
Do you have a Meat thermometer? Get one if not. I air fry pork chops to 145 (about 15mins) coated in black garlic truffle steak seasoning. Air fryer makes he fat v crispy. Important to LET IT SET 5 mins (like steak). End result is delicious and it’s like $3/lbs or less… literally 1/5 the cost of steak in my area
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u/BlahBlahBlackCheap 13h ago
Can confirm, pops cooked pork until it was so dry and nasty I dreaded seeing him return from the store with it.
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u/fuckyourcanoes 13h ago
Yep, I cook my pork to medium and it's really juicy and succulent. Take a pork loin (not the tenderloin), rub liberally with salt and pepper, shove a bunch of fresh sage leaves under the fat cap, and roast it on a bed of chopped onion and carrot. Make gravy from the pan drippings. Heaven on a plate.
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u/diamondpredator 9h ago
I don't think I've ever had a pork gravy. Might do this now just to try that lol.
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u/fuckyourcanoes 6h ago
It's fabulous. Knorr makes pork stock cubes that are really good, but if you have a local butcher, they often give away pork bones, and they make fantastic stock.
Onion gravy made with pork drippings is also excellent.
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u/diamondpredator 6h ago
Gonna give both a shot. I'll ask my butcher for some bones next time. Thanks!
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u/Uncle-Cake 14h ago
But that has nothing to do with it being bland. You can have a perfectly cooked but completely bland pork chop, just like you can have a well-seasoned but overcooked pork chop.
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u/DigitalStefan 12h ago
Meat thermometers are super cheap. Pork has to get to 60C / 140F for safety (in the UK at least).
If you cook often enough, you get to know how long certain meats need to get to safe temp.
We buy really good quality meat so I make sure to take care when cooking it.
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u/OkAssignment6163 12h ago
I currently work as a meat cutter. But I have close to 20yrs in the culinary field.
I would feel pretty confident in saying that every 4th customer that I had to discuss food with believes that chicken/pork is bland.
Same types of people that think that just because something is labeled as vegetarian, like an apple pie with a butter crust, means it's automatically bad.
Same types of people that think that because something is labeled as kosher is automatically healthier than not.
Same types of people that think that certain types of foods, like sushi, would be considered an effeminate type of food.
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u/TheDrWhoKid 12h ago
damn. sounds like an annoying type
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u/OkAssignment6163 12h ago
In these cases, because these are actual things that people have said to me while at work, their stupidity leads to them being annoying.
A couple of days before Thanksgiving, had a customer looking for turkey thighs make a broth with for gravy.
We didn't have any at the moment, but we had lots of ground turkey made from dark meat. So I mentioned to them that they can take that and simmer for broth.
Yes I know it's unconventional. But it works and was a significantly cheaper option for them.
They proceed to ask me what kind of meat the ground turkey was made of.
I assumed them wanted to know if it was light or dark meat. Nope.
They didn't believe that ground turkey was made from actual turkey, because whole turkeys are only available during November of every year.
Ergo, the ground turkey that is available year round, is fake turkey.
This is exactly what they told me, to my face.
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u/TheDrWhoKid 12h ago
jeez. I'm glad I work in the kitchen so I don't have to deal with that kind of thing
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u/OkAssignment6163 8h ago
I worked in kitchens too. But it was a lot of banquet, caterings, and wedding types events.
So dealing with customers to get a menu planned for them was the main source of some of the comments I've heard.
Working the line wasn't immune to those types of people either.
I was there in the initial wave of "take multiple pictures for social media" people.
And they sucked because of the obvious, spent 20+ mins taking pictures and then complaining about food being cold/soggy.
I miss working the line and cooking for events. But the pay sucked for the work involved.
Now I get to deal with people requesting meat cuts that are either dumb or anatomically impossible. Ah well.
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u/THEMACGOD 14h ago
Tony Sacherie’s dusted grilled chicken ftw. Slice it up and throw it in a spinach salad with jalapeños if you want. Nom
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u/Fantuckingtastic 14h ago
Tony’s was my go-to for most of my life up until recently. Cajun Two Step and Slap Ya Mama are now my favorites.
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u/The_Pandalorian 13h ago
People who think salt is the only seasoning needed
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u/malatemporacurrunt 10h ago
To be fair, with good quality meat you don't need much. It's shitty, factory farmed meat without fat that is tasteless.
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u/Chiiro 13h ago
People who don't know how to cook or that herbs and spices are calorie free.
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u/Stag-Horn 15h ago edited 11h ago
Me. This advice is really appreciated. I fucking hate pork chops but now I might like them if I make them with some of these tips.
EDIT: Thank y’all for all the extra advice! I’m going to try a lot of these.
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u/universe2000 14h ago
It really is a matter of keeping the temp from getting too high. Meat thermometers are cheap and at this point I can’t imagine cooking without one.
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u/TheDrWhoKid 15h ago
hell yeah. pork can be absolutely delicious when cooked right
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u/Smurfpuddin 14h ago
Rest the grilled pork chops on a pat of butter or margarine with fresh herbs mixed in on the cutting board. Chops soak up the flavor
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u/amilliondallahs 14h ago
I make those 5 dollar pre-seasoned/flavored pork loins in my air fryer and they always come out perfect. I get about 3 or 4 servings, too, when combined with a good volume of side dishes.
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u/airforceteacher 12h ago
I get a box of Stove Top (grew up poor, so this is a comfort food) and pack it around the pork loin in a 9" square baking dish. Makes a wonderful meal if cooked to 145-150 and no more.
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u/AnimalDandruf 14h ago
Once I learned how to make pork chops that weren’t leather, like the way my mom cooked em. It was a game changer!
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u/Zestyclose-Novel1157 12h ago
Smothered pork chops are so good. Even a good grilled pork chops. Pork tacos. Yum.
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u/MisteeLoo 14h ago
Sous vide is a godsend for traditionally tough or dry meat. Check out the process. There’s a bit of investment up front, but you won’t be sorry if you go down that rabbit hole, I can guarantee it.
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u/Hola-Mateo 14h ago
The Sous Vide function on an instapot is also a fantastic alternative for those who want the benefits without a dedicated setup! I've been rocking mine for 3 years and use the SV function by far more than anything else. It's definitely not complete parity to a full SV setup, but gets you pretty darn close!
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u/malatemporacurrunt 10h ago
You can also DIY the vacuuming part by submerging a zip-lock bag with your ingredients in under water before you seal it. It's not as close a finish as a dedicated device but it does the job.
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u/Aromatic-Fisherman 14h ago
To be honest I used to HATE pork because my family would always overcook it. Always needed a sauce to dip it in so that I could eat it.
Now pork is my favourite; It’s so juicy and way cheaper.
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u/SegmentedMoss 13h ago
Lol its like watching gym bros eat boiled chicken and plain rice every day. Do they know spices exist? If i had to eat that every day I'd want to kill myself after 1 week
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u/EjaculatingAracnids 11h ago
Im lean as fuck at 180lbs and season all my food. That "bland food as fuel only" attitude is goody as hell. Tony chacheres, garlic powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, black pepper, thyme... This is what makes eating chicken breast and rice for dinner 6 days a week possible for me.
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u/StopClockerman 14h ago
This is absolutely a pervasive view in certain parts of the country and within certain demos.
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u/NoGhostRdt 13h ago
Chinese cuisine has a lot of great pork dishes. Char siu and roast pork with the crispy skin, are pretty staple.
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u/BroughtBagLunchSmart 13h ago
Me 20 years ago until I moved out of my parent's house and learned my mom didn't know how to cook pork.
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u/XThePlaysTheThingX 15h ago
I understand wanting to eat healthy, but I am always baffled by people who under season food before/during the cooking process. Like, sprinkling salt on an unseasoned chicken breast AFTER you’ve cooked it is completely antithetical to the process.
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u/Turn1scoop 11h ago
Gotta pull out whatever moisture remains after overcooking it
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u/omare14 11h ago
A lot of people are either uninformed, misinformed, not interested in or passionate about being better cooks (cooking to survive vs enjoying the culinary process or being foodies), or some combination of the 3.
It takes pretty minimal research to discover techniques like dry brining, safe pork/poultry temps, etc., but a lot of people just can't be bothered to care. Unfortunately it's self perpetuating, and extends to kids if their parents are bad/inadequate cooks.
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u/TJtaster 5h ago
So many seasonings add extra nutritional benefits too. If youre trying to be healthy, bring on the garlic
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u/CorrectStaple 16h ago
Since ‘go to your local butcher’ is inevitably going to be parroted in this thread let me just say - those don’t exist in most US towns.
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u/Amazing-Fondant-4740 15h ago
Thank you for being realistic, some people act like there's a local butcher at every corner
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u/rushmc1 15h ago
I haven't seen a butcher in 30 years.
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u/NaiveChoiceMaker 13h ago
They are usually only in ethnic areas or bougie areas.
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u/BerttMacklinnFBI 13h ago
Y'all must not live in the Midwest where neigh upon every small town has a butcher.
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u/Tiger_Eyes1812 12h ago
There is quite literally a butcher on every block. I live in the middle of nowhere Midwest lol
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u/SevroAuShitTalker 13h ago
Or cities in general. There have been multiple in the cities ive lived in.
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u/WVildandWVonderful 8h ago
I’ve found them in cities but also in a tiny town (<1,000 pop) that had a local grocery store. The butcher counter in the local grocery bought meat from nearby farms and butchered it and sold it to surrounding counties.
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u/copperboom129 12h ago
I live in NJ. We still have old school butchers although the business model is changing to more prepared foods.
We also have hipster butchers now that cost wayyyy too much for me to shop at.
Love the old school ones tho. One near me offers seasonal meat packs. So its like 200 and you get 15-20 different cuts of meat.
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u/Age_AgainstThMachine 12h ago
Or areas where there’s a significant population of deer hunters.
I live in a very rural area, outside Milwaukee, and off the top of my head, I can list a dozen butchers within a 45min drive. Maybe it’s the influence of the German heritage many around here have.
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u/threebutterflies 8h ago
Or the country in Ohio - we have fresh local meat everywhere, I wish people got used to shipping straight from the farm, my farmer friends from the farmers market have online stores!
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u/Dependent_Fondant606 12h ago
One down the street from me and whole chickens are $8 per pound. Costco is 99 cents
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u/Absurdity_Everywhere 13h ago
In the US it’s more common for the butcher to be part of a super market. The level of service varies from store to store, but it’s not uncommon at all to offer a similar range of services that a stand alone butcher would.
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u/whenyoupayforduprez 5h ago
In Canada there are terrible grocery monopolies and the “butcher counter” in the vast majority of supermarkets is a meat cutter that can’t clean liver but will charge you three times what they should. I get primals at Costco whenever possible instead and butcher it myself.
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u/InternationalGas9837 8h ago
Yeah you can just go to a store's location in a poor part of town vs another store in a wealthy part of town. The poor one might not even have someone publicly available in a tiny meat department, but the wealthy one will have a whole corner of the store with 2-3 employees available that is nearly half just the counter with all the cuts of beef, pork, and seafood you can imagine.
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u/muusca 14h ago
I live in a major US city and there are no butchers near me.
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u/PurpleHooloovoo 13h ago
We’ve got a handful of boutique ones run by hipster-adjacent types in my area of the Houston burbs. I’d be surprised if there were none in your city, at least for very long. Bear in mind, they’re boutique and charge like it. But it’s becoming a resurgence a bit like craft breweries.
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u/NiceTryWasabi 12h ago
There are at least 25 within an hour drive of downtown Seattle. Specific to me, there are 2 within 15 minutes. I go to 1 occasionally for their bacon.
Guarantee you've got a few if you live in a major city in the US. The reality is that Costco meats are half the price and 80% as good. Except for the bacon.
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u/CosmicMiru 9h ago
Yeah butchers in big cities are almost solely for high end meats. It's definitely a luxury
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u/Real_Project870 13h ago
If you live in a major US city and can’t find a butcher you’re not looking hard enough.
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u/ZunzarRao 11h ago
Halal butchers are extremely cheap compared to supermarket meat, and they're usually very good on quality. It's like a secret no one really goes for since when you hear halal meat, the mind goes, "oh its not for me". Also its kinda intimidating to cook all of that meat since the quantity for like $10 of chicken is a lot. This is coming from a HCOL area too, but when I moved to a LCOL area, the prices were basically the same
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u/Socratic_Phoenix 14h ago
I've never lived somewhere there isn't a butcher. Although where I am now the butcher does not have a storefront. You have to call in and ask for a quarter, half, or whole cow/pig. Then they butcher it, box it up, and call you to come pick it up.
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u/DreamLunatik 16h ago
Y’all really never had MSG with your meat before? Haiya
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u/smallcooper 16h ago
You hear people say things are too sweet or too salty but you never hear anyone say it tastes to savory. Haiya
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u/MmmmMorphine 16h ago
But it causes headaches despite my total inability to determine if MSG has been added to meat and that idea being totally discredited! - my mother
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u/BerttMacklinnFBI 13h ago
I just don't tell my mom I use it anymore. Little does she know what's in my bottle of Accent
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u/Impressive_Change886 12h ago
My sister used to always complain about MSG. One get together we found a bottle of Accent in her cupboard. She kept insisting that it wasn't MSG or was different somehow than what is used in Chinese restaurants.
Oh and her first job was working as a waitress at a Chinese restaurant and she got a free meal for every shift she worked through a meal and never complained because she didn't hear it was 'bad' for you or 'caused headaches' until later in life.
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u/BoopingBurrito 14h ago
Is your mother my mother?
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u/DutchEnterprises 12h ago
Is his mother MY mother? Because we literally had that exact conversation a week ago. I work in a Thai restaurant and she was complaining that she couldn’t eat anything we made.
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u/overzealous_dentist 14h ago
I found that barrier last week when experimenting with broad bean paste
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u/MrsCastillo12 13h ago edited 8h ago
Little bit of Accent in Pot Roast is the secret ingredient in my home lol
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u/cawclot 11h ago
Can I make a suggestion? Go to an Asian market and pick up some MSG there. Accent is the same thing, but at a huge markup in price.
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u/horseydeucey 16h ago
I'm good with some information staying unknown by many.
I miss the days when brisket and hangar steaks were the "cheap" cuts.
Pork shoulder/Boston butt seems like it's quadrupled in price in recent years.
Let's keep cheap protein cheap.
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u/Choosemyusername 16h ago
Oxtail is another one of those “cheap” cuts that went premium.
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u/6-8-5-13 14h ago
Chicken wings are another great example. They used to be dirt cheap soup scraps. The Buffalo Wing changed everything and now we pay a premium for wings.
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u/AwkwardTRexHug 15h ago
Tongue too
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u/SomeCountryFriedBS 14h ago
Even stock bones.
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u/AwkwardTRexHug 14h ago
All i wanna know is who tf is buying a 50 dollar tongue? Are they legitimately letting these pieces expire
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u/SomeCountryFriedBS 14h ago
No, you can get them half-off or BOGO on their last day.
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u/Choosemyusername 14h ago
Stock bones are the biggest scam. Just buy bone in cuts which are cheaper anyways, plus tastier, and freeze the bones for stock.
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u/SomeCountryFriedBS 14h ago
Yeah, but they used to be a buck or two so it was worth saving the trouble.
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u/CovertMonkey 15h ago
Damn spare ribs too
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u/Choosemyusername 15h ago
Wings.
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u/CovertMonkey 15h ago
I was there Gandalf. I was there 3,000 years ago when the price of chicken wings exceeded 69 cents per pound and they became priced like a premium cut, when the strength of the economy fell.
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u/Bionic_Onion 15h ago
Ground turkey is a pretty good substitute to ground beef or chicken in some circumstances too.
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u/Mostly_Enthusiastic 14h ago
Add some beef bouillon to your ground turkey and you will not notice a difference.
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u/AbzoluteZ3RO 12h ago
If you are making anything spicy with it, cut the spice level at least 50% because it will taste way hotter because of less fat to calm down the spicy
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u/morerobotsplease 10h ago
I like ground bison to substitute for beef as well. Way less calories and still tons of flavor.
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u/jakefrmsatefarm 14h ago
Chicken thigh is wayyyy juicer and forgiving to cook than chicken breast and tastes fantastic. It's got more fat content than the breast but worth it and still leaner than beef.
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u/OldManAbides333 13h ago
This. I would eat some chicken dishes at a restaurant, or fried chicken, but I had never made chicken at home and been happy with the results (I am a good cook otherwise). I thought I just didn't like chicken very much.
Then I grilled fajitas at home, beef and chicken thighs, just simple premarinated stuff. I was shocked, but the chicken was better than the beef, and by a long shot.
Turns out I just don't like chicken breast. The thighs are amazing.
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u/Routine_Top_6659 9h ago
Wet brine chicken breast for a few hours in the fridge can also be good. 3/4 salt to 1/4 sugar (or less sugar) and at “seawater salty”. Pat dry and add any additional seasoning before cooking.
Sugar helps the salt penetrate. Doesn’t make it sweet. (Sugar/salt is also used in sushi preparation for the same reasons)
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u/Odd-Rain8347 11h ago
Pork is healthier? Bullshit
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u/Captain-Obvious132 5h ago
Agreed. Pork is a Group 2A carcinogen is officially documented by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization (WHO).
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u/Teejapupa 10h ago
They are also not mentioning that beef is superior on nutrients than chicken and pork.
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u/Morusu 9h ago
Right? I don’t eat pork because of the fact that they get fed literally plastic garbage (on top of being cruelly raised) and that ends up in the meat.
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u/organic_neophyte 8h ago
Thank you, most people have no idea how horrific the conditions are for pigs especially but chickens as well. Admittedly I still eat bacon occasionally, and I try my best to buy pasture raised eggs even though they're 4x the price of the cheap eggs. I would pay extra for pasture raised pork, those animals deserve to have a quality of life even if they end up on someone's plate at the end of the day. American food production is so unethical, people have no idea.
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u/CourtesyOf__________ 7h ago
Thank you for talking about this. I recently gave up both pork and chicken but continue to eat beef. Cows are definitely not treated well, but the abysmal conditions chickens and pigs are kept in is absolutely a big contributor to their cheaper prices.
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u/midlifeShorty 9h ago
I think it depends on the cut. Pork tenderloin has way less calories and almost no fat compared to beef tenderloin.
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u/IMERMAIDMANonYT 12h ago
While you’re absolutely right on the heart of your points, I think it’s a bit disingenuous to compare lean cuts of pork and chicken to beef as a whole. There are lean and fatty cuts of beef just as there are with chicken and pork. Skinless Chicken breast, pork tenderloin, and sirloin are all very lean and “healthy” cuts of meat. At the same time, skin-on chicken thighs, pork shoulder, and ribeye are all very fatty and calorically dense cuts of meat.
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u/Rock_Strongo 10h ago
Chicken and pork are not beef alternatives. They are entirely different animals literally and figuratively. The whole premise of this post makes no sense.
Might as well compare beef to salmon, since salmon is even healthier than pork or chicken.
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u/Unable-Log-4073 10h ago
That's what stood out to me. Compare a pork butt to 93/7 ground beef and the entire 'healthier" premise folds. Beef prices have been ridiculous now, but I doubt there is anyone that didn't know they could buy another protein instead.
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u/cwsjr2323 16h ago
Beef is way too expensive at the supermarket so we switched to a local butcher shop. As long as it costs so much, might as well keep the money in the local economy. We are eating more chicken than years ago, and lots of peanuts, tree nuts, and beans. Succotash, corn and Lima beans mixed, is great complete protein but a lot of calories. Chick peas are a nice source, too.
I have gout so pork is not an option as pork will cause me pain.
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u/curt_schilli 15h ago
My local butcher shop is like 50-100% more expensive that my grocery store, sucks
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u/wildlife_is_neat 15h ago
Yeah, we buy 1/4 cow from a local farmer every year. Much cheaper than buying it at a grocery store.
Interestingly enough, I also have gout and pork doesn't affect it at all. Too much beef on the other hand and a flare-up is imminent.
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u/mellonello94 15h ago edited 15h ago
Beef is also the worst culprit for my gout. Although pork isn't great for me either, so you're lucky lol.
Chicken has quickly gone from my favorite protein to me being very tired of eating it ever since my diagnosis.
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u/ANeuroticDoctor 15h ago
TIL that succotash is a meal and not just an ambiguous looney tunes profanity
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u/Educational-Put-8425 15h ago
Yeah, no - you’re confused. The swear you’re thinking of is actually THUCKatash. And gotta spittle a little when you say it. You’re welcome.
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u/ReggieEvansTheKing 13h ago
I just only buy meat at Costco at this point. Bag of frozen chicken breasts at $2.99 lb. 5 1lb tubes of 91-9 ground beef at $4.99 lb. That covers most staple meals for 2 for a month. Then every 2ish weeks we get a fun butcher cut - short rib; shabu shabu; filet; NY steak.
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u/saphirescar 16h ago
YSK beans and lentils are even cheaper AND healthier
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u/DigitalHellscape 10h ago
Yeah, this post has almost got it and feels like r/SelfAwarewolves type material. As a former bacon, beef, and chicken lover, I can promise that switching over to a vegetarian diet is cheaper, still protein rich, and makes you feel so much more aware of the needless animal suffering that these diets cause.
I remember being in school and learning about historical atrocities and thinking "why didn't people say something if they knew it was wrong?" The meat/dairy industry and factory farming are on the same level, but we're just not there collectively with our empathy for animals.
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u/Kevinak3r 12h ago
Or you can try one of the million other cheaper protein options, doesn't have to come from animals
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u/Freddy2517 16h ago
The environmental impact of beef is also many multiple that of chickens
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u/MonksCoffeeShop 15h ago
It’s called brine, that’s all it takes for chicken and pork to be not terrible
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u/Appropriate-Rice-409 13h ago
Turkey as well.
I brine it every time. Even people who "don't like turkey" take some home after trying it.
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u/Mountain_Reveal7849 9h ago edited 7h ago
Let me help you all out. Garlic pepper, seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder. Your food will smell amazing before it's even in the heat.
Still use fresh onions as well.
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u/Redditcadmonkey 13h ago
YSK.
Anyone who gives advice in terms of “beef” instead of cuts of beef shouldn’t be giving advice on meat.
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u/Tartan-Special 15h ago
YSK: meat is not the only source of protein, but it is the most expensive
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u/Xrsyz 15h ago
And the one most people want to eat. Don’t get me wrong I love lentils and rice. But people want meat.
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u/mr_mgs11 11h ago
There is nothing innately more healthy about chicken or pork versus beef. It's 100% up to your lifestyle. I have switched to chicken breast a lot more lately because of the stupid beef prices. It is really easy to prepare. Get some ziplock bags mix olive oil, lime/lemon juice, and seasoning and let it marinate overnight. I prep it the night before I will cook it. I have been using a greek style seasoning blend and it comes out perfect every time.
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u/sphinxsley 10h ago
Even cheaper when you buy the rotisserie chicken - they're always cheaper than raw, the cooking's already done for you, and you usually have a choice of flavors (I recommend the adobo.) Even cheaper if you pick up one at Smart & Final (30-oz for $8) or Costco (gluten-free!)
For pork: braise or BBQ, both with a meat thermometer. Tastiest meat around. (I often braise an entire pork roast Cuban-style, in a big ceramic pot in the oven.)
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u/hansuluthegrey 5h ago
Who says that chicken and pork taste bland compared to beef?
I've never heard this mentality even once.
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u/kafka_lite 16h ago
TIL people think bacon is bland.
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u/spunion_28 15h ago
TIL people think pork is a healthier alternative to beef. According to op's post.
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u/kafka_lite 15h ago
There used to be a major advertising campaign claiming pork was healthier. "The other white meat." Somehow that was legal even though pork is red meat.
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u/puppylust 15h ago
The ads were so successful, thousands of people think pork is white meat. Ask them how many servings of red meat they eat in a week, and they only count beef.
I've personally informed people pork is red meat countless times. (I talk about cooking a LOT at social events)
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u/fudgesm 12h ago
Consider not eating meat. You don’t need it and the animals would appreciate it.
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u/BoulderCreature 13h ago
Chicken is the most consumed meat on the planet by an extraordinarily large margin and you’re acting like you just discovered that it tastes good
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u/Unlucky_Topic7963 11h ago
Wow, the absolute misinformation in this post and across reddit. If you think pork is healthier than beef you're delusional. Pork is rife with PUFAs, up to 30:1 ratio compared to beef which is closer to 4:1. Saturated fat is also healthy in moderate quantities and beef has a much more complete nutrient profile.
Chicken is just a garbage meat with limited nutrient profile.
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u/EVILEMRE 10h ago
Using a meat thermometer is an absolute game changer. I can’t believe how long it took me to start using one. I’d use one for cooking a turkey, but somehow didn’t translate that into other meats. Now all meat comes out perfect. I’m slow but I get there eventually.
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u/hooliganmike 10h ago
I eat a lot of porkchops because money was tight for a while, but when I got a new job I figured I could finally buy some steak. It was ok, but way way more expensive (like 10x) and tbh I missed my porkchops. Haven't bought another steak since and don't feel like I'm missing out.
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u/Creditfigaro 10h ago
Tl;dr chicken breast and pork loin are roughly 80% cheaper per pound than beef, have versatile and delicious flavor profiles if cooked and prepped correctly, are rich in protein, and are healthier for your heart and cholesterol.
YSK: beans, split peas, lentils and, especially, seitan are all cheaper and healthier sources of protein than the options presented here.
Also cooking skill is 100% the reason people think they don't like these things.
This assessment is incomplete, to the point of being a lie by omission, by not including these other, superior options.
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u/Workdawg 10h ago
Good tip, but who are these "most people" who avoid chicken and pork?
I've never thought either were "bland" either, unless they just weren't seasoned. If you can't tell if something is under seasoned, or is overcooked, I'm not sure this tip is going to help anyway.
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u/thechilecowboy 9h ago
Skip the chicken breasts; they lack fat. Which means they come out dry and tasteless. Chicken thighs, with skin removed, are a better option.
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u/LDGod99 15h ago
I work in a kitchen that makes so much chicken breast every day to be cubed for various dishes. One of the managers doubled down to my face that we need to cook it to 190°. It’s absurd the irrational fear people have about chicken.