Rinse and Drain – Please!

Of all the “talks” I had as a parent to a child, I though we had covered everything with our 18 year old son:

• No drinking and driving, it is illegal, and you are underage. Check.
• Don’t do drugs, they are illegal. Check.
• Don’t have unprotected sex, always use a condom. Check.
• Don’t get those credit cards at school, they could ruin your credit. Check.
  

What did I miss? It seems that Dad and I covered it all the "important" things in life.

Nope - missed one! And I discovered it tonight. For dinner tonight he made one of the perennial favorites of a first year college student: spaghetti with meat sauce. And he had started it before I left work and it was nearly ready upon my arrival home.

Unfortunately, as I check in at the kitchen I could tell right away I had failed miserably in one of my parenting-teaching-cooking tasks when I looked at the skillet that held the meat sauce. To my horror I could see the oil slick – the ever so slight layer of fat on the top of that otherwise healthy tomato sauce. And there was nothing I could do! I grabbed a paper towel in an attempt to blot the oil, but was just absorbing the lycopene and wasting paper towels!

Luckily, I had, as always, purchased the extra lean ground beef, the 93% kind. Some people believe that anything less is acceptable – 85%? 90%? Not in my house! At least not when I’m doing the shopping!

But still there was that 7% fat and I just couldn’t have that saturated fat invading my body or be responsible for it corrupting the body of my family! You see, I always drain the meat, place it in a colander and rinse it with hot water, and squeeze it dry with paper towels. I also wipe the skillet with another paper towel before returning the ground beef to the pan warming it back up and adding the sauce.

How much does this help our health? I don't know for sure, but it is less fat, and less saturated fat, and allows us to have a little more in other places another time. Or not.

The men in my household don’t see the point of this ritual. My husband will at least drain (at least when I’m around). Unfortunately my son has not been taught. My son cooks the meat (at least until there is no pink), and then adds the sauce! No draining! No rinsing! If he had at least drained! If he had skipped the rinsing, I could bear it, but definitely drain!

I must implore parents to teach their children, don’t drink, no drugs, use condoms, beware of the credit cards – and if you are going to eat ground beef, go with the lean stuff and please, please drain it! Buy your child a good colander for college!

Eat Well, Live Well and Be Well and drain well too...