If you ask someone to bring a pack of mincemeat from the store, you pretty much know what you’re going to get.
400 grams of minced beef, with 14 percent fat.
When it comes to pork dough, however, it’s more of a lottery.
The percentage of fat on pork dough varies between 9 and 20. And although the majority of the packages are 400 grams, some of the packages have shrunk to 300 grams. And there is no clear correlation between fat percentage and size.
For consumers, this is quickly problematic. Because it doesn’t matter which fat you use.
Food profile Helle Øder Valebrokk has no doubts about which one she would choose.
– Nine percent is the most applicable, she says to DinSide.
But it is not only the fat percentage that is important.
– A good product
– After all, meat dough is made from the pieces that are left over, which they cannot sell, and often also from frozen meat, says Valebrokk.
– There is often a small pile of things, and from an environmental perspective it is a good product to support.
But she thinks it’s easy to make a mistake, if you don’t check extra thoroughly.
Valebrokk works as a food writer and has just sent his fifth cookbook – specifically about minced meat – off to the printer.
At Coop we find two types of pork dough from their own brands.
The “Coop” variant costs five kroner more for a package.
If you ignore the packaging and the brand, there is another reason why the Xtra minced meat is cheaper.
It says in small print: Fat percentage.
This is what the manufacturers say
It is part of the story that there is also an even leaner variant, at six percent, which is called pork chop dough, just like for beef.
Grilstad has had a pork chop dough for a while, while Gilde launched a variant at the end of February.
But when it comes to the mince, it’s still smart to check.
The vast majority of manufacturers tell DinSide that they clearly mark the front of the package. This applies to everyone we found, with the exception of one, from Jacob’s Selected. Here we had to look in the nutrition declaration on the back of the package.
As a general rule, the lower the fat percentage, the larger the font used to indicate the number.
NorgesGruppen has several varieties of pork dough under its own brands.
Most have the same fat percentage…
This one also has 9 percent fat, but do you see anything else that’s different?
Right! It has shrunk by 25 percent.
So does this one. In return, it is more than twice as fat.
Senior communications advisor at Coop, Knut Lutnæs, tells DinSide that they label their products well on the front page.
– So there is no reason to be confused.
He says that there is a natural explanation for the different pork dough packages having different fat contents:
Knut
Lutnæs
Coop
– In the same way as for beef mincemeat, i.e. mincemeat and pork chop dough, pork mincemeat is produced with different fat percentages. But unlike beef mincemeat, pork mincemeat is not standardized, which means that pork mincemeat should not contain a certain percentage of fat, he says, explaining that their suppliers have standardized production processes for the various fat percentages in order to satisfy the regulations for nutrition declarations.
At Rema 1000, they are quite unanimous:
– Both products are pork mince and meet the requirements for what can be called mince. The difference is the fat percentage, says Hege Rognlien, head of communications, to DinSide.
High
The roe
Rema 1000
– The fat percentage is clearly marked on the packaging, so that customers can easily choose what suits the dish they are making best, she says and clarifies that as the fat percentage can vary more, there are also different varieties in the shop.
According to Kine Søyland, communications director at NorgesGruppen, they have different varieties of pork dough to give customers more choice, both when it comes to price and areas of use.
– In any case, all varieties must be clearly marked with fat percentage on the label, so customers can make informed choices, says Søyland on DinSide.
Kine
Søyland
NorgesGruppen
– We launched pork mince with a fat percentage of 9 instead of 14 to have a keyhole branded alternative.
They previously also had a variant with 6 per cent, but it sold poorly, so it is no longer in the range.
Fat gives flavor
It is the fat that gives the otherwise rather lean pork flavor, according to food profile Valebrokk. And it is not just the taste that is linked to the proportion of fat.
– The more fat, the juicier it will be.
She therefore recommends choosing a mincemeat with a little fat in it if you are going to make meatballs, for example, so they won’t be so dry.
– But 20 per cent is a lot, then you’re in rough medisterkaker terrain. They must have such a high fat percentage, says Valebrokk.
The same goes for burgers.
Own sizes for pork mince dough: – Problematic
Another thing you should look for is whether the minced meat contains salt and water.
– That is perhaps what I think is most important. I like the food to be as clean as possible, but with water and salt in it, it is processed, says Valebrokk.
She emphasizes to DinSide that the manufacturers could do well to communicate much better, here too it is easy to make mistakes, and she reveals that she too has missed a shop.
It also affects the actual kilo price you pay for the minced meat.
This new variant from Nordfjord contains 9 percent fat.
This package is lighter in color but contains more than twice as much fat.
In return, the pack is a bit slimmer.
If we look at the dairy shelf, a lighter color on the packaging often indicates a lighter product. This is not necessarily the case when it comes to pork dough.
– When it comes to pack size and design of the packaging, this is developed by the supplier. The purpose is to offer different options to customers, both in terms of fat content and size of the pack, says Hege Rognlien in Rema 1000.
How to use the patty dough
So which one should you choose? Can you just as easily choose the easiest alternative, the carbonated dough?
– This is for those who are more concerned with lean food and health than taste, says Valebrokk.
– If you have to cut back on fat, this is a good alternative. But if you like the taste, and have to fry it up with a lot of oil so that you think it will be good, then the winnings will go up in the spinning.
The seasoned food writer and recipe developer obviously has a tip up his sleeve for those who choose the leanest option.
– It can work well in pots, but fry it a little first, and get good caramelisation on the meat, then you will get more flavour.
To achieve this, it is important not to fry too much at a time, and to have a properly hot pan. Because if there is too much meat, it will cool down the pan, and you risk cooking the meat.
FRYING: If your minced meat is always perfectly fried, this is not for you. But if you’re struggling with bad, watered-down minced meat making the Friday taco sad, then you should take a look at the video! Video: Embla Hjort-Larsen.
This also applies to all mincemeat – and is a simple way to ensure the most possible taste of the mincemeat dinner.
If you want to make burgers or meatballs, it is best to use slightly fattier meat, because meatballs made from lean meat will crumble easily.
– Then you have to add a binding agent, such as eggs, breadcrumbs or other, or more fat, says Valebrokk.
Burger fat level
Although there is a lot of flavor and a good binding agent in fat, 20 per cent is a bit excessive for the vast majority of dishes.
– 20 percent is burger fat content. It can work if you are going to make a burger or meatballs, but for a regular pasta pot, for example, there is so much fat that a slightly indelicate layer of fat can quickly form on top of the food.
Even when you make wok dishes and dumplings, it’s okay to add a little fat, says Valebrokk.
She herself would probably go for the lightest mincemeat variety of nine percent.
Helle Øder Valebrokk’s Lab
4 people
40 minutes
It may seem pointless to shake grains of rice which you then grind into powder, but here you just have to trust me. If the process is a bit heavy, it is also this powder that gives larb its characteristic consistency. Larb is a Thai dish eaten in lettuce leaves like a taco. It is sour, spicy and funky, simply a real flavor bomb
Ingredients:
1/2 dl jasminris
400 g minced pork or chicken
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 lime
2 lemongrass
1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
1 teaspoon finely grated garlic
1 tablespoon of neutral oil
1 red chili
Fresh coriander
Fresh Thai basil or mint
Lettuce leaves
Here’s how to do it:
Toast the rice in a dry pan until golden. Put it in a mortar and pound to a fine powder.
Fry minced meat until golden in oil. Add a few tablespoons of the rice powder, garlic, ginger, lime juice, brown sugar and fish sauce. Finely chop the white part of the lemongrass and fold into the mixture.
Coarsely chop the herbs and cut the chilli into slices.
Fill the lettuce leaves with the meat mixture as well as chilli and herbs and eat with your hands
Recipe and photo: Helle Øder Valebrokk / The great mincemeat book
It’s easy to get confused on the Swedish mincemeat shelves, but it’s not always so easy here at home, either.
In recent months, many new variants have appeared on the market. Mixes of beef and pork are now standard in most stores, and NorgesGruppen has launched a mix of beef and chicken.
