Don't Cut the Fat!

Don't cut the fat! There I said it, now let me explain what I mean.

I'm all for staying healthy and eating right. However, there is an increasing movement that disturbs me as a foodie. There is an increase demand to cut the fat from everything in our diet. People think that by buying lean cuts of meat, or fat free products they will instantly lose all the weight they want. You may be cutting the calories, but you are also cutting the flavor.

Fat is flavor. I'm sorry to say it, but it is true. Let me set an example for you. When you buy a steak, what do you look for? Generally you look at price, size, cut, and marbling. But which of those actually affect the flavor? The cut is from the which part of the cow the meat is from. That can affect the tenderness. But it is the marbling that actually affects the flavor. Yes, it is the fat that provide the juiciness and taste. Without the fat, your steak dry and bland. If you were to go to the finest steak house, they have people that do nothing but buy the best marble beef they can get their hands on. The best steak I ever had in my life was 50 percent fat. That's right, 50 percent! It was the famous Kobe beef I had in Japan. The steak cost me 110 dollars, but in my opinion worth every penny. The marbling consisted of nothing but fat with a few streaks of meat. You can instantly tell a Kobe beef from any other beef simply by the marbling. It was so tender, that no knife was required. Your fork was enough to cut through the meat. A hamburger that is extra lean, tends to be dried out and bland. That's why most restaurant uses the fattest ground beef. Restaurants and meat aficionados knows that fat is where the flavor is at.

I'm not saying that you should not cut any fat out. If you just see a large piece of fat hanging out after cooking, by all means cut it off and not eat it. However, wait until the cooking process is done and the meat have rested (rested meaning the juices have redistributed after cooking), then cut off all the excess fat you want. The meat will still be juicy and flavorful, yet you still cut out some calories. Granted if you want to cut out as much calories as possible, you can cut the fat earlier in the process, but what is the point of eating that piece of meat then? You probably end up with a piece of beef jerky.

People will always tell you that a certain dish or product is leaner and you won't miss the fat. I have yet tasted a dishes or product which this holds true. Look at ice cream for example. Some of store bought ice cream claims either low fat, or low calories. They even give them fancy names or marketing jargon like "Double churn" or "Lite." But have any of you tasted these abominations? First, they taste neither like ice cream or anything edible for that matter. More often than not, the calories you saved is minimal at best. I would rather eat less of a great product to save calories then a great quantity of a poor tasting product. If you're eating ice cream, are you really going to be concern about that extra calories? I rather eat the calories and do jumping jacks, than eating one of the low calorie products.

Still don't believe me? How many of you drink diet soda or one of the many new knock off one calorie sodas? Some people say they have drink diet soda so long that regular soda taste too sweet. Once again, what is the point? I tried for awhile to stick to diet soda, then I realized that I could be drink plain water and it would taste infinitely better. In fact, I often would forgo the soda and just stick with plain water. It cleanses the pallet, no guilty calories, and no terrible after taste.

If you're going to eat something, really eat something. Eating artificial or bland, only cheats yourself. Why not eat something that truly satisfies that craving, rather than something makes you wish you were dead. I know diets are good, and trust me, I can stand to lose a few pounds myself. There are other ways to cut the calories without cutting the flavor. You can simply order a smaller portion. Still have that steak, but prepare to work harder to work it off the next day. I believe that taste is paramount. I have a personal motto, live to eat, not eat to live.

By sacrificing the flavor of the food, you are only sacrificing your enjoyment.

So remember, "Don't cut the fat!"