Serves: 5

Rather than make floury sauces and gravies, just reduce pan juices to the desired consistency and concentration of flavor. Remove the fat from meat cooking juices pour the juices into a fat separator (which has a spout coming from the bottom of the container--below the fat line, because fat rises to the liquid surface) or refrigerate the cooking juices, then skim off the congealed fat.

Select lean cuts of meat and trim off all visible fat before cooking. Refrigerate, then skim soups and stews.

The higher the designated grade of meat, the more fat it contains. "Prime," the highest grade, is the most thoroughly marbled with fat. "Choice" is next, and the leanest is Select.

Avoid frying meats, a cooking method that only adds fat to a fatty situation. Use nonstick cookware so less added fat is needed in cooking.

Baste meats with their own juices, broth or water rather than margarine. Meat roasted on a rack can’t cook in (and reabsorb) its own fat.

Marinades don’t have to be oil based. Use flavored vinegars, herbs and spices.

Rib cuts of beef, pork, veal and lamb are fatty loin cuts are leaner. Beef and veal flank and round cuts are relatively lean leg and shoulder cuts should be examined for leanness before buying.

From "Betty Crocker's Best of Healthy & Hearty Cooking." Text Copyright 1998 General Mills, Inc. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

More Recipes from the Betty Crocker's Best of Healthy & Hearty Cooking Cookbook:
Apricot-Glazed Pork
Autumn Pork Chops
Baked Pork Chops with Glazed Apples
Beef Burritos
Beef and Broccoli with Garlic Sauce
Beef in Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Beef-Barley Stew
Beefy Skillet Calzone
Broiled Dijon Burgers
Broiled Veal and Onions
Cajun Beef and Rice
Chinese Tacos with Tomato-Ginger Salsa
Creamy Lime Dressing
Creamy Smoked Ham
Crispy Pork with Sweet-and-Sour Vegetables
Cucumber Rice
Easy Beef Casserole
Easy Burgundy Stew
Easy Sesame Beef
Fiesta Taco Casserole
French-Style Beef Roast
Garbanzo-Rice Chili
Garlic Beef Patties with Vegetables
Garlicky Meatballs over Rice
Garlicky Pork with Basil
Gingered Beef Lo Mein
Hamburger Cabbage Casserole
Indian Beef with Cucumber Rice
Korean Barbecued Beef
Lean Scheme
Meat Loaf
Meat Main Dishes
Meat Tips
Mexican Steak
Peppered Beef with Pasta
Pork Fajitas
Pork and Black Bean Sauce
Raita Pasta with Spicy Steak
Red Beans and Rice
Roast Beef Pocket Sandwiches
Sausage-Mushroom Pasta Calzones
Savory Pork Stew
Snappy Meat and Potato Skillet
Soft Shell Tacos
South-of-the-Border Swiss Steak
Southwest Fajitas
Southwestern Pork Salad
Spice Up That Pork - Caribbean Seasoning Mix
Spice Up That Pork - Mexican Seasoning Mix
Spice Up That Pork - Provençal Seasoning Mix
Spicy Beef Chow Mein
Spicy Beef Salad
Spicy Burgers
Spicy Dressing
Surviving the Holidays
Teriyaki Beef Stir-fry
Tomato-Ginger Salsa
Tuscan Ham, Bean and Cabbage Stew
Veal Cutlets with Mushrooms
Veal Sauté
Vegetable Beef Burgers
Vegetable Beef Soup
Vegetable and Pork Pita Sandwiches
Warm Ham and Spinach Salad
Zesty Beef with Bow-tie Pasta