New product features pre-cooked hamburger

There’s a new answer to the old question: “Where’s the beef?” Radio Iowa’s The answer, if you’re looking for hamburger, is in an “easy opening” frozen or chilled package. Michelle Baumhover of the Iowa Beef Council says demand for faster and more convenient food led to the development of the product called “hamburger crumbles.” It’s hamburger that’s pre-cooked with the grease is drained off.Timber Ridge Farms makes a frozen pre-cooked hamburger product, while Farmland makes a package that can be found in the refrigerated section. Baumhover says it’s a fast way to make a dish with hamburger.Baumhover say the hamburger is the same as the 80 to 85 percent lean product you’d have to buy and cook. Hamburger crumbles are found in Iowa and a few other Midwest states.The Timber Ridge product is available in Iowa Hy-Vee stores and Super WalMarts. The Farmland product is also found in Hy-Vee stores. Baumhover says both companies are planning to take the product nationwide. She says hamburger is the latest of the pre-cooked food products that’re now becoming prevalent in stores.