Pork contains 80% high-quality protein, known as complete protein, which can meet the body's needs for growth and development. It is also rich in Vitamin B, which is very important for weight loss. It can promote metabolism, making the process of converting calories into energy more complete, and maintain the body's chemical balance, preventing internal disorders during weight loss. Pork is a so-called red meat, rich in iron and minerals, making it less likely for you to become anemic.
Pork has many parts, and almost every part can be used in cooking. Each part has its own suitable cooking method based on its texture and flavor. Taiwanese people most often use pork to make delicious dishes, so pork best represents the authentic Taiwanese flavor. Understanding the appropriate cooking methods for each part of the pork is truly a science!
Pork has more fatty parts, so ladies who want to lose weight must choose their parts carefully. Don't be tempted to eat a lot of high-calorie pork without realizing it! Here is a simple diagram of pork parts. Ladies who go to the market or supermarket to buy meat should understand which part you are buying to get lean meat suitable for making weight loss soups!
Common Pork Cut Names
Pork Cut Name Weight Loss Reminder Pork Loin This part has the most tender meat, no sinews, and low fat content, making it lean meat. Shoulder Clod This part is semi-fat and semi-lean, with a relatively tougher texture. It is often used for braising, stewing, stir-frying, or grilling. However, be careful with the portion size when using it for weight loss. Pork Ribs Belongs to the rib area, suitable for making rib soup, with less meat. Pork Leg Also a lean area, but the meat is tougher with a more fibrous texture. It is often used for plain boiled meat and is suitable for consumption during weight loss. Pork Belly (Pork Shoulder) This is the abdominal area, so it's also where fat accumulates. It has more fatty parts. Bacon is taken from this part. Because it has white, layered fat, it's also called pork shoulder. Ladies who are losing weight should avoid it as it is very high in calories. Pork Trotter Usually, hind trotters are better than front trotters. They contain more collagen protein, but the skin is thick and the fat content is also high. Ladies who are losing weight should also avoid it.
When selecting pork, you can also judge its quality by its appearance. Fresh and good-quality pork has a whiter and firmer fat layer, tight and elastic meat with some moisture, which will bounce back immediately when pressed lightly. If buying in a supermarket, pay attention to whether the plastic wrap is intact. Inferior meat is darker, lacks luster, the fat layer is not as bright and white, and the meat is loose and does not bounce back promptly when pressed.
If you are buying frozen meat, pay attention to whether it is frozen very hard and does not appear whitened due to excessive dryness. The packaging and date label should also be complete. To avoid buying fresh or even diseased pork, it is safer to choose a good butcher or merchant!Pork Storage Methods
Ladies can buy a week's supply at once. After buying it, weigh the amount for each meal, cut it all at once, and freeze it in separate bags. If you plan to eat it on the same day, put it in the refrigerator immediately. It is more convenient to buy pre-sliced meat at the supermarket because the total weight is marked on the packaging box, making it easy to know the weight of each slice, which makes calculating calories much easier.
The ideal refrigeration temperature for pork is -2°C to 5°C, while freezing should be below -18°C. Refrigerated meat can only be stored for 2-3 days because the refrigerator only slows down bacterial growth, and the meat will still spoil, just more slowly. If frozen meat has good temperature and packaging, it can be frozen for up to six months. If you forget to eat refrigerated meat for several days and then think of moving it to the freezer to extend its shelf life, bacteria have already multiplied, and the quality will not be fresh even after freezing!Generally, you only need to thaw the meat completely if you plan to pan-fry, stir-fry, or deep-fry it. For stews and hot pot slices, complete thawing is not necessary. The best way to thaw is in the refrigerator in its original packaging, allowing it to thaw slowly. This prevents the already-thawed outer layer from starting to spoil and reduces the loss of meat juices. However, busy ladies might not have time to wait that long, so you can put the entire package in cold water to thaw. Remember to prevent water from seeping into the bag, as soaking the meat will make it mushy! In addition, you can also use a microwave for quick thawing. Before thawing, sprinkle a little water on the surface of the meat to speed up the process.Thawed meat should be cooked all at once and not refrozen, as this can easily cause the flavor to be lost and lead to bacterial growth. Therefore, it is a crucial step to package the meat in separate bags as soon as you get home!Pork Cooking MethodsGenerally, meat from the tenderloin, loin, ribs, and pork shoulder areas is more tender and suitable for grilling, pan-frying, deep-frying, and stir-frying. The cooking time should be short to bring out the softness of the meat. For tougher cuts like leg, ham, front, and hind trotters, a longer cooking time is needed, so they are very suitable for braising, clear stewing, braising in soy sauce, boiling, and steaming, allowing the sauce time to penetrate the meat and bring out its delicious flavor.
However, for ladies who are losing weight, there are many restrictions on eating meat. Besides the lean parts mentioned earlier, other parts high in fat should be avoided. Even lean meat is not low in calories, so when eating out, it's best to avoid pan-fried or deep-fried pork. Try to use cooking methods like plain boiled meat to remove any remaining fat from the lean meat, making it safer to eat.For weight loss soups, besides controlling the grams of lean meat consumed, if you see obvious fat floating on the surface of the soup, you should use commercial hot pot oil-absorbing paper to remove it, or carefully skim it off with a spoon. The meat for weight loss soups is ready to eat as soon as it's cooked, so it doesn't need to be cooked for a long time and won't become tough and unpleasant. Also, pork must be cooked thoroughly before eating to prevent any possible parasites in the pork from entering our bodies!