You can also eat less meat in favour of more legumes and tofu, and why not add a meatless Monday to your menu. But, beyond these habits, are there other tricks you can apply to save money on meat? Here are some tips to help you.
1. Think About the Yield
The price per kilogram varies greatly from one type of meat to the next and from one cut to another. As you strive to save money, your first instinct is to choose less expensive cuts. The price per kilo of fish, for example, may discourage you, especially compared with cheaper meats, such as chicken or pork. At first glance, if you rely solely on the price per kilo paid at the grocery store, a whole chicken seems to be a much better buy. But is it really?
Whole raw chicken
- Purchase price: $10/kg
- Yield after trimming and cooking: 40%
- Actual cost:* $25/kg
Raw salmon or trout fillet
- Purchase price: $36.75/kg
- Yield after trimming and cooking: 80%
- Actual cost:* $45.95/kg
*The actual cost takes yield into account and is calculated as follows: price per kilo/yield x 100.
Chicken contains a lot of bones and other parts that are not normally eaten, such as the offal bag and the skin, not to mention losses that occur during cooking (water loss and melting fat). These losses, which we pay for at the cash register, account for more than half of the chicken’s weight, so its net yield ends up being around 40%. As for fish fillets, they have a yield that is twice as great, around 80%, after cooking. In concrete terms, this means that you would have to buy twice as much chicken to get the same amount of cooked meat as fish.
By calculating the actual cost per kilo, you can see that the real price of chicken is only slightly less expensive than fish fillets. Of course, prices do vary and rebates can make a difference; plus, if you save the chicken bones to make homemade broth, you’ll get a better return on your purchase.
Large chickens (more than 2 kg) and turkeys have a better yield than smaller chickens and are often less expensive per kilo.
A TIP TO REMEMBER
Are you hesitating about buying a fish fillet on sale, even if it’s more expensive than a whole chicken? Simply divide the price of the fish per kilo by two. If the result is equal to or lower than the price of the chicken, the fish is the better deal.
2. The Cooking Method Changes Everything
You can also save more by better controlling the cooking technique. In the following experiment, three sirloin tip roasts were cooked at 275°F/135°C (a low-temperature cooking technique) or at 350°F/180°C, until they were cooked rare, medium rare or well done. Each roast was weighed before and after cooking.
Cooking Techniques*
- Oven roast at 275°F/135°C until an internal temperature of 145°F/63°C is reached (rare): 20% loss
- Oven roast at 275°F/135°C until an internal temperature of 160°F/70°C is reached (medium rare): 27% loss
- Oven roast at 350°F/180°C until an internal temperature of 170°F/77°C is reached (well done): 35% loss
*Average result obtained on 1 to 1.5 kg sirloin tip roasts.
The results were surprising; the percentage of weight loss varied from 20% to 35%. Why? The meat lost more weight the longer it was cooked. Heat causes meat to firm up as its proteins coagulate. This causes water to be expelled, which shrinks the meat. Bottom line? You get less meat for your money.
In concrete terms, a 2 kg roast cooked at a low temperature (275°F/135°C) until rare weighed 1.6 kg (20% loss) while the same roast cooked at 350°F/180°C until well done weighed 1.3 kg (35% loss). This difference represents two generous 150 g portions. As an added bonus, roasts cooked at a lower temperature were juicier and more tender.
3. Be Your Own Butcher
To save time, the meat counter offers cuts of meat that are already deboned, such as ready-to-use cutlets, strips or cubes. Without getting into the science of deboning chicken breasts, the art of cutting is not only something that anyone can do, but also another great way of saving money. Here’s an example.
RAW BONELESS CHICKEN
- Breasts: $20/kg
- Fillets: $24/kg
- Cutlets: $24/kg
Boneless chicken breasts can easily be cut into strips. This essentially gives you a result similar to fillets, and at a much lower cost (the chicken fillet is the long, small triangular muscle located under the breast). For successful strips, simply cut the breasts against the grain in the desired width.
As for cutlets, they’re more or less boneless breasts that have been cut horizontally. The technique is a bit trickier, but absolutely doable at home. Simply press the palm of your hand flat on the breast, then cut through the flesh horizontally using a sharp chef’s knife. You can usually get two or three cutlets per breast. It’s worth the effort to save as much as $4 a kilo! You can also save money if you cut your own chicken thighs and drumsticks: it’s much cheaper than buying them separately.
4. Cut Up Your Roasts
There are other ways to save money, too—and not just on chicken cuts. Make your own stewing cubes from nicely marbled boneless beef roasts, such as blade roast or shoulder roast, or make beef fondue cubes from a French roast. You can also do the same with pork, lamb or veal. Take advantage of special offers on these types of roasts to stock up.
Is it possible to eat less meat to save money? Yes, if you follow these practical tips.
- Reduce the frequency of your red meat consumption (eat it only 1 to 3 times a week).
- Limit your portions to 3 oz (85 g), about the size of a fist.
- Serve your meat with generous portions of vegetables.
