I just found out a great idea from a frugal site

@dragon54u (31633)
United States
June 5, 2009 12:51pm CST
Stretcher dot com has so many great suggestions! I like steak sometimes but can't afford good cuts and I never go out for steak. I think I'll try this way of preparing cheap cuts of steak: Steaks that are made at home can be even better than those from a restaurant! Quality butchers dry-age meat to improve flavor and texture. I do the same thing to the bargain-priced steaks that I buy on sale. While the best steakhouses use prime grade beef, most supermarkets sell the next grade below that, which is "choice." The bargain steaks that are on sale are the lowest of the three grades, which is "select." The main difference is the amount of internal fat marbling in the meat, which contributes flavor and tenderness. Dry-aging can make a select steak taste like prime! Start with a steak that is thicker than you want your final steak to be. Rub a generous amount of salt onto both sides of the steaks and put them in the fridge on a rack over a tray for two to three days, flipping the steaks once halfway through. The steak will shrink as it loses moisture and might develop a hard layer on the outside. The water loss concentrates the flavor and increases the fat-to-lean ratio so it is more like prime grade. Inside of the steak, enzymes are working to break down proteins in the meat, making it more tender. After the steaks are dry, they can be frozen as-is and the outer layer acts as protection against freezer burn. A thin layer needs to be shaved off of the outside of the steak before cooking it. This is made even easier if the steak is partially frozen to make it firmer. You lose some of the steak this way, but it is worth it for what is gained in flavor and tenderness. This is why buying dry-aged meat at the butcher is so expensive. I'm going to try this. Next time I shop, I'm going to get a nice, thick, cheap cut of meat and do this. It won't be for a couple of weeks so if anyone tries it before then, please let me know how it turned out! I love Stretcher dot com, there's so many great things there that save me money!
4 responses
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
11 Jun 09
Wow dragon, you are making us hungry. Got to punish you. Please serve the steak to all of us here! Long ago when I was working in a marine chandler company, we ordered and supplied a lot of deep frozen beef topside to the sailors. I do not know if you can find a supplier that supply deep frozen product, I think buying in bulk can reduce cost, and keep the meat fresh for a long time.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31633)
• United States
11 Jun 09
I got a bit hungry myself when I read that suggestion, and I'm not a regular eater of beef. It's just too heavy for me and if you eat too much it's bad for you. But that sounds sooooo good! I worked for a chandler company, too, about 35 years ago. Fascinating work. I was in the office, the supply department was nearby and most of the guys I worked with made hatch covers and sails. They taught me quite a bit and I actually got to make a few hatch covers for the Navy! It's amazing how much it takes to supply a ship full of people.
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
11 Jun 09
Hi Dragon54, those ships the chandler company supplied are all big oil tankers, and those guys really can eat. They ordered rice long grains 500kg, then many big tins of powdered for making mushroom soup and asparagus soup, each tin about 25kg. If I order that home, I think the whole family drown in soup.
@diamania (7011)
• Netherlands
5 Jun 09
I've got a tip as well. Although it might sound a bit cruel but always try to negotiate with an undertaker. When they come up with a price try to go lower and leave out all the things you don't necessary need, if you don't believe it is necessary to serve cake to your guests, leave it out, in some countries you might save more than 75 dollars for just leaving the cake out! I know someone who managed to get 500 dollars of the price for the cremation of his dad by negotiating and leaving out the options he doesn't deem strictly necessary.
@dragon54u (31633)
• United States
5 Jun 09
It's also not necessary to be cremated in a coffin. And pre-paid plans often don't work out at all! Gee, I thought people would be thrilled at this steak idea. This is what we at my guitar forum call "thread drift", an art that is highly admired the further away from the subject that the thread drifts!
• United States
5 Jun 09
Hey , Thanks alot for starting this discussion ! I'm always looking for ways to stretch the money . I'm gonna let someone else be the first to try that steak recipe, but I'm going to check those websites out right now ! Please come back and let us all know how the steak turns out
@bunnybon7 (50970)
• Holiday, Florida
6 Jun 09
that sounds great. i've missed that on strecher.com somehow. but i dont always read all they send me. this is a very good website i've looked at for a while now. glad you remembered to share with friends here.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31633)
• United States
11 Jun 09
I love Stretcher! It's amazing the things people come up with to save money and improve their lives without breaking the bank.
@doggyhouz (548)
• United States
5 Jun 09
A very frugal purchase is places like: http://www.1saleaday.com/ I love that place especially when there is something you enjoy. Sometimes its just shipping and handling cost or just extremely cheap like 99% off.
@dragon54u (31633)
• United States
5 Jun 09
Wow! That's like Woot.com, only it seems to have more affordable stuff. I've bookmarked it, thank you!!