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This comes under frugal living, because if you're being consistently robbed, you can't survive being frugal.
DISCOVERY
Decided to cook some frozen boneless haddock filets via sous-vide.
After an hour of low temp cookery, I pulled out one bag of haddock.
It was full of liquid. I inverted bag to see if it would leak. NADA.
Measured 4.16 oz of water / liquid
Measured 3.6 oz of haddock
In short, I paid fish prices for water
This happens with ground beef, too. Though I have not had an opportunity to sous-vide ground beef, I have observed that when frying or searing ground beef, it takes a long time to “boil off” excessive liquid. This should not happen. Oil does not “boil off.”
I suspect we consumers are being defrauded into paying high prices for added water / liquid.
It is not right.
Sigh.
CONCLUSION
If you can get access to food that has not been adulterated, even if it costs twice as much, you're coming out ahead.
All meats contain a certain amount of water naturally...unless they've been dried or dehydrated. That's different from when the producer actually ADDS water (ham is the first thing that comes to mind). I would think that would have to be mentioned on the label if water was added - it is on hams.
You'll not get rid of all water though. I don't know enough about fish to know if the amount you saw is unusual or if you just notice it more with sous vide style of cooking.
I don't know enough about fish to know if the amount you saw is unusual or if you just notice it more with sous vide style of cooking.
I've noticed it before, but didn't take any pains to measure.
In addition, the fish was still moist and thus still had plenty of water.
In the two measurements I did, it appeared that water / liquid extracted from the filet composed 54% of the original weight. The moist fish was 45% of the original weight.
7.4 oz water / liquid
6.18 oz wet fish
. . .
Do your own tests.
This may have been an isolated incident.
But I doubt it.
45% fish
54% water
Cost per ounce of fish: $4.75 / 7.2 oz = $0.66
Cost per pound: $10.55 / lb
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I have no data on unprocessed fresh fish, nor unfrozen filets.
Fish shrinks a lot. You end up with a much smaller piece of fish and some fish broth. I cook fish I caught myself and I can see how much it shrinks, and I assure you, I have not added any water to it.
For $10,55 a pound, you should be able to buy fresh fish with no water added. That will shrink a lot, too.
I think that you are being unrealistic. Meat without water is jerky or pemmican, is horribly tough, and a poor substitute for a steak. Some fish are less watery than others. Tuna or swordfish are almost always good at retaining form, cod usually is, but whiting is so much less dense that it is often packaged with twice the quantity, since portion sizes have to be larger.
You can generally tell if hamburger has been adulterated as it is more likely to quickly stick to your hands when forming patties. A small amount of water is allowed to be added in processing, but there is no guarantee it is evenly distributed across different packages. My mother was not a good cook, but she had similar concerns to you. She used to go to the butcher and select a round steak or similar minimally fatty cut of meat and have him grind it. She then could take it home, form it and overcook it, and make hockey pucks to serve.
I think that you are being unrealistic. Meat without water is jerky or pemmican, is horribly tough, and a poor substitute for a steak.
I have no problem with natural water / liquid in meat / fish.
The point is that they are ADDING water, and selling the added water at meat prices.
. . .
. . .
Of course, they're greedy [expletives deleted].
Just look at the ever shrinking tuna cans.
I can recall when they were 8.0 ounces, then 7.5 ounces, then 7.0, 6.0, 5.5, and now 5.0 ounces.
. . .
Few years ago, I bought large cans of fish or chicken (I forget) from Costco to stock up 'just in case'. When I finally opened a can, it seemed all water. Squeezed out the water and was left with less than half a can of meat. Never again.
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