How do I get over my fear of "fat" in meat?

Personally, I can’t stand the chunks of fat left in some cuts, but it’s rarely a problem since my wife (the one who does most of the cooking) is pretty good at trimming meat and we’re both good at selecting hunks that are easily trimmed.

When confronted with meat that wasn’t trimmed neatly, I do a little creative cutting to get the meat and leave the fat. I mean, knives are meant to cut, right? If you leave a few hunks of fat with no meat attached to them, then that’s really no different from removing a shell from a nut or peeling a banana; you’re getting the actual food part of it.

I cut it off, I find it disgusting, especially if you aren’t expecting it and it looks like meat but it’s just a mouthful of fat, eyuch,

What is it about the fat that revolts you? Is it the look/feel/taste that turns you off or do you fear becoming fat by eating meat containing fat?

If it’s the latter, educating yourself on nutrition would be useful. Fat in food is not what makes you fat. If it’s the former, you can either (1) cut the fat off like many of us do, or (2) continue not eating it and tell your parents why you’re opposed to it. We all have foods we dislike, and we usually just avoid eating those foods.

Do you not like any meat or do you just have an aversion to particularly fatty meat? I always buy the leanest cuts of meat because the texture of gelatinous fat along the edges grosses me out. My husband, on the other hand, doesn’t like steak unless it’s “marbled.” Gross.

I say cut away the fat and throw it out. It’s bad for you. You naturally don’t like the fat, and that is a gift.

My son never liked it and I don’t like fat in certain cuts of meat, like stew meat. Sometimes I will cut it out pre-cutting but some fat like in steaks adds to the taste while cooking. In that case, my son would trim carefully while eating it. Why not do that?

When I was a kid, my father forced us to eat a cut of beef, fat and all. I was disgusted by the mouth feed, the texture and the bland slimy taste of unroasted fat (the crispy edges are pretty good). I developed an overall distaste for beef, and eventually became (for various reason) a vegetarian.

You do need the protein if you’re a teen. Instead of throwing the entire piece of meat away, try eating just the center, solid meat parts. Will they let you dress the meat up? Steak sauce, ketchup or some other condiment? We weren’t allowed condiments, but if you drown small fat-free pieces in something you like, that may help.

Instead of hiding the entire piece of meat and throwing it away, just toss the intolerable parts.

Am I the only one in the world that LOVES fat on meat? After reading all these posts, including and especially the ones where people describe fat in all its gory detail, I had to go make some bacon so I could have some tasty fat.

Bacon is different, @keobooks, and no you’re not the only one that likes the fat.

We ate out recently and 2 had steaks. One says to the other’ “Hey, once you get all that fat trimmed off, pass it over here…I’ll eat it.” I wasn’t revolted, but maybe a tiny eye-roll.

Well, THAT’S gross. That would be like asking someone if you can gnaw on the bones when they are done eating the meat.

HEY! @keobooks, we used to do that when I was a kid! lol

Yeah but not in a restaurant with your friends.

I mean, there is fat inside the meat. Literally inside… all over! Ack! I cannot “trim” it out because the fat is inside the meat. It’s everywhere.

The fat inside the meat or ‘marbling’ is the sign of a tender and flavorful steak. The ‘white meat’ as my teacher used to call it, gives moisture and flavor to the steak. That is how they grade beef; by the amount of fat contained within the muscle tissue. Choice has the highest, Prime next, then standard. In my opinion, diminishing returns beyond prime. After the chef removes the rind (the outside ring of fat and tissue) more waste with Choice.

Bacon doesn’t count. It trancends meat. A supra meat. It should be permitted in even Vegan diets.

What my mom’s solution was for me to eat the outside fatty part and she eats the lean. I loved that deal. I discard too much meat otherwise.

@kimchi Once cooked you shouldn’t even notice the fat that’s “in” the meat.

Maybe you just don’t like meat. Possibly you can read up on nutrition and educate your parents that you don’t need to eat meat to be ok.

@kimchi “I mean, there is fat inside the meat. Literally inside… all over! Ack! I cannot “trim” it out because the fat is inside the meat. It’s everywhere.”

Well, the fat is in your meat because the meat comes from an animal. Animals, just like people, have fat in their bones and around (and to some extent in their muscles). You can cut away some of the fat before cooking, but the effect is to make the dish less flavourful. You can cut away some of the fat after cooking and before eating, but it sounds like you don’t like that idea. You cannot get meat that has had no contact with fat. Such a thing does not exist.

This leaves you with no options, unless you want to give up meat altogether and become a vegetarian. There’s nothing wrong with that, it just means that if your parents are cooking for you, they need to do some homework to find out how to feed you nutritiously. And if you are going to cook for yourself, you’ll need to do that homework.

So, choose – get over your distaste for fat, or accept trimming it off your plate, or do what you must to become a vegetarian. It’s up to you.

^^^ Dem’s the choices. Next question?

There are some really cheap cuts of meat that are very lean you could try. There is a lot of nasty tendon and ligaments though. If you really want meat in your diet you could try that. But I think no meat at all would be a better option

@kimchi Your body needs a certain amount of fat per day. If you don’t get enough your body will suffer. Don’t fear fat, just limit it.

I just ate a steak and I ate the lean parts (the parts I hate) and left the good parts in the fridge. Its possible to overcome a phobia of fat by eating the parts you hate first and saving the good parts for later. Or you can always find someone to eat the fat parts for you.

@talljasperman

Jack Spratt could eat no fat
His wife could eat no lean
So between them both, you see
They licked the platter clean.

Songs the Children Love to Sing (1916)

You need fat, the good fat that is found in marbled steaks, salmon, avocados and so on. Young women especially need this, it helps ensure you will be able to bear children if you want to. I’ve been eating fat for years and I’m not fat. You cut off the parts you don’t want. Healthy brown fats are necessary for many functions.

How old are you, @kimchi, and where are you located, nationality wise?

I ask to see how much longer before you determine your own diet, and how meat is integrated into your diet/culture.

How do you feel about seafood? Is it just large cuts of meat that disgust you, or are you okay with meat cut up in dishes, say stir fry?

Do you feel this way about all meat? Beef, pork, poultry? As Keobooks suggest there are cuts of meat that show virtually no signs of fat: beef=eye of round; pork=loin; chicken=boneless, skinless breast.

You probably need to get your head around what you can and cannot stand, then have a talk with your parents. Tell them you know it might be a phase – and that you hope it is – but ask that they indulge you for now. Understand yourself, then ask them to understand you too.