Is there a difference between ground beef and hamburger?
A. Although many consumers use the terms interchangeably, GROUND BEEF, according to the nationwide Uniform Retail Meat Identity Standards Code, must be pure beef, ground only from skeletal meat (beef muscle attached to the skeleton) with no variety meats, other meats or ingredients added. Properly, the term hamburger describes the meat when it is cooked.
Yes, there is a difference. Hamburgers are cooked beef patties, which can be made from ground beef, ground chuck, and ground round (or ground sirloin). Ground beef is the most economical, but it contains the most fat. Ground chuck has less fat than ground beef, and both ground round, made from round steak, and ground sirloin, made from sirloin steak, have even less fat than ground chuck. Ground beef, which is allowed by FMIA (Federal Meat Inspection Act) to contain a maximum of 30% fat, is made from the less tender beef cuts that become tender by being ground. These beef cuts are ususally the trimmings from the shank, plate, and brisket cuts, but can also contain trimmngs from the shoulder and round cuts.
