How much is the fat in meat

We all know that eating too much fat is bad for us. How does one know how much fat is actually there in a pound of meat? Try out this kitchen based science experiment to find out. You may be surprised with the results.

You will need a pound of ground beef. A non stick skillet, a fine mesh strainer and a wooden spoon. A plastic cup and a kitchen scale. A heat source like a hot plate or a stove. Make sure you have an adult supervise your moves.

What you need to do is make two equal portions of the ground beef. Weigh them on the kitchen scales to ensure they are the same weight. Record the weight on paper. Now keep one portion away while you add the second portion to the skillet. Put this on the heat source and use the wooden spoon to cook it evenly.

Break up the meat and you will soon see some bubbles oozing out. This liquid is the fat contained in the meat. As the liquid begins to boil, strain it out of the meat containing skillet  into the plastic cup. Use the fine mesh strainer so that you get just the liquid fat and none of the meat.

Now weight the fat in the cup and the cooked meat separately. The meat usually contains between 7 to 22 percent fat. You can repeat the process with the raw meat to see if you get the same results. Try out more science projects here.