Cost per Serving? Say What?

Weekly Features Highlights: Virtual Cookbook Harvesting Vegetables Sassy Salsas Bushels of Beans Easy Snacks for Busy Kids Back to School Breakfasts - Quick and Easy Beating the Breakfast Rush Hour Lunch Smiles Ask The WebChef Freebies and Fun Stuff How many web sites and thrifty living books have YOU encountered that give vague statements about buying meat in cost-per-serving as opposed to cost-per-pound? I found the answer: http://ianrwww.unl.edu/pubs/foods/g947.htm. This site contains a chart for quick and easy comparisons while in the store. I highly recommend you add the chart to your price books. Why all the fuss? Price per pound does NOT exclude waste, bones and fat. I e-mailed my Agricultural Extension office here in Corpus Christi, Texas, and got this response: Boneless and ground meat (flank, tenderloin, boneless loin, sirloin butt, sirloin strip, round, liver, heart, kidneys, brains, sweetbreads, tongue, sausages, and wieners) will yield approximately 3-4 servings per pound. If you take the half-way point (3 * servings), just divide the cost of the meat per pound by 3.5. Meat with a medium amount of bone (rib roasts, rump roasts, chuck, shops, steaks, ham slices, loin roasts, and leg of lamb) will yield 2-3 servings per pound. Again, I would take the price of the meat per pound and divide it by 2.5. Meat with a large amount of bone (short ribs, neck, breasts, brisket, shank, or shoulder cuts) generally give 1and 1/2 servings per pound. Divide the cost of the meat per pound by 1.5 It is very possible that although these cuts of meat may appear to be inexpensive when compared to other cuts on a per pound basis, when you calculate the cost per serving, some of these cuts may be quite expensive. Note: A serving size is 3 ounces. Reference: Foundations of Food Preparation, 6th edition http://ianrwww.unl.edu/pubs/foods/g947.htm Comments about this book from the publisher" The publisher, Prentice-Hall Career & Technology - This book presents the basic principles and practices of food preparation. It helps students understand how and why foods respond to heat, etc. The Sixth Edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to include recent, relevant issues in the field. About the Author: Heidi Mapp a.k.a. The Frugal Wench, who hangs out at the Motley Fool site, in the LBYM board (Living Below Your Means). Mail this article to a friend (or yourself) You will be returned to this page after your mail has been sent. Your email address Your Name To email address