I was reading an old meat science journal from the 80s and found a surprising number about fat trim.

It was a slow Tuesday, so I was flipping through some old trade stuff my boss left in the back office. I found a study from 1983 that said the average consumer at the time would accept a full inch of fat trim on a ribeye. A full inch. I've been cutting for 15 years, and we aim for a quarter inch at my shop in Tacoma. It just blew my mind how much the standard has changed. The article said it was because of taste preferences and cooking methods back then. Now everyone wants it leaner. I wonder if that old-school fat cap actually made for a better eating experience with older, slower cooking gear. Has anyone else come across old specs that are just wild compared to today's work?

3 comments

3 Comments

sandra_black1mo ago

That's crazy, but it makes sense with how cooking gear has changed. Those old electric ovens probably needed all that fat to keep things from drying out lol.

xenaw251mo ago

Wonder if that's why old recipes always seem so heavy. Do you think modern ovens just cook more evenly?

the_sam12d ago

My grandmothers oven was this old 1950s GE model that had hot spots like crazy. You could literally see the element turn bright red then go dim, so the temp was swinging all over the place. @sandra_black is right that those old electric ovens were a gamble. I think modern convection ovens and better insulation make a huge difference in keeping things from drying out. So yeah, all that extra butter and lard was probably a safety net for the ovens, not just the recipes.