Breaking new ground

If you look through cookbooks from the '60s and '70s, you'll find a great many recipes begin with a pound of ground beef.

Depending on the starch, sauce and veggies added, you've got anything from burgers to chili to spaghetti to meat loaf to Mystery Casserole. In fact, that was the premise of the nation's first "meal kit," General Mills' Hamburger Helper, which debuted in 1971.

"Hamburger Helper rivaled paint-by-number kits," noted food historian Carolyn Wyman in her book "Better Than Homemade" (Quirk Books, $14.95). "Hamburger Helper dinner mix was also cheap (59 cents) and quick (20 minutes) and could stretch a pound of hamburger into a main meal for five at a time when beef prices were at an all-time high. In fact, helping consumers manage meat prices was the product's main impetus when it debuted."

But all those "Helper" skillet dinners — as well as dull generic casseroles laced with cream of mushroom soup — didn't do much for the reputation of ground beef. During the fat-conscious '80s and '90s, the boneless, skinless chicken breast gained steam as the go-to protein for quick meals.

Still, ground beef remains one of the most popular fresh beef items, said Jacob Schmidt, the Utah Beef Council's dietitian. In 2005, it accounted for 46 percent of the total pounds of beef sold nationwide, and 36 percent of total sales.

"It's still very popular because it's economical, and it's associated with faster recipes, and you can put it in so many different dishes," he said.

Ground beef is a staple in homes with children because it's so versatile, said Janet Eyring of Pleasant Grove, who co-authored "101 Things to Do With Ground Beef" (Gibbs Smith, $9.95).

"You can buy it in bulk, cook it, drain the fat and freeze it in two-cup increments so it's already cooked and ready to go," said Eyring. "So instead of taking 20 minutes for my taco soup, I can have it done in less than five minutes."

For those concerned with fat content, Eyring says, "Now you can get ground beef that's 93 percent lean, it's close to boneless skinless chicken in terms of fat. She advises buying the leanest percentage ground beef possible and cooking it over medium heat (instead of high heat) so that more fat is released from the meat.

"I will push the meat down to the side of the pan with a spoon and drain out much fat out as I can," Eyring said. Then she uses a paper towel to blot any remaining grease.

The National Cattlemen's Association has a wealth of recipes that are big on flavor and low on bland, gloppy sauces, including Asian Beef & Noodles or Spicy Nacho Beef Pizza.