Browning Ground Beefposted in Meat, Poultry and Seafood by Kathy Maister
A pound (or ½ kilo) of ground beef is a great item to have on hand. There are tons of things you can make with ground beef; hamburgers, meatloaf, chili, English muffin pizzas, meatballs, lasagna, sloppy Joe’s. Enough said?
“Coming Attractions...!”I have already talked about buying and storing ground beef. Today I am going to show you how to brown ground beef. Technically, raw meat should be cooked to 160 degrees to kill off the bacteria. If you don’t have a thermometer, then just be sure there is no pink on the ground beef. Preheat your fry pan for just a minute or two, on medium setting. If you put the meat in a cold pan it will most likely stick to the bottom of the pan. A good way to preheat your pan is to put a few drops of water into the pan. When the drops of water have evaporated, the pan is hot enough! After the pan is heated add the beef to the pan.  Now, using a wooden spoon or Silicone spatula, mash and stir and twist and turn the meat so that it gets broken up as it cooks.  Keep stirring and mashing until all the pink has disappeared and all the meat has turned brown in color.
This should take about 5 to 7 minutes. After the meat has cooked, I like to strain it in a colander in order to drain off the fat, so that my creations don’t taste greasy or fatty.
That’s all there is to browning ground beef. What are some of your favorite things to make with browned ground beef? If you are new to startcooking, or are a regular visitor here, please consider subscribing for free. 18 commentsSusan | posted on Dec 19, 2006 I just stumbled across this and while the colander idea sounds good, you're not supposed to put fat down the drain! When it cools it can cause nasty clogs. Kathy Maister | posted on Dec 20, 2006 Thanks, Susan, for your comment. Perhaps I have been very lucky, but for many (many) years I have been doing it this way and have never had a problem. Is there an angel sitting on my shoulder? michael muntean | posted on Apr 10, 2007 Can you tell me how to brown ground beef so that it ends up in tiny pieces? I like a spaghetti sauce with tiny pieces of ground beef, not big hunks. Kathy Maister | posted on Apr 14, 2007 I agree with you Michael, I too like it broken up very finely and just mashing it with a fork as it cooks doesn’t always do the trick. I sometimes put the meat in my food processor and pulse it 3 or 4 times, then carry on with the recipe. If you don’t have a food processor, spread the cooked, drained beef onto a cutting board and with a kitchen knife; chop the meat to the texture that is right for you. Good Luck! G | posted on Nov 7, 2007 Straining in a collander is all well and good, but whatever you do, NEVER rinse it! When I first went to college, I let one of my roommates (apartment, not a dorm) cook dinner one night. He browned the beef, transferred it to a sieve, and proceeded to hold it under the tap, thoroughly water-logging it and stripping it of flavor and juices. It made the absolute worst spaghetti sauce I've ever eaten. Kathy Maister | posted on Nov 7, 2007 G, you are so right! My college room mate did that to get rid of more fat calories and it tasted awful! Many thanks for adding that great tip! Mary | posted on Jan 16, 2008 Does adding water while browning hamburger help it cook faster? I don't think it does but my boyfriend says it does. Kathy Maister | posted on Jan 20, 2008 Hi Mary, I never heard of that tip. Do you then drain off the excess water? Jessica | posted on Jan 27, 2008 How long will ground beef stay good in the refridgerator AFTER it has been cooked? Kathy Maister | posted on Jan 28, 2008 Hi Jessica, no more than 3-4 days maximum. BUT...when in doubt...throw it out! Lorena Allen | posted on Feb 12, 2008 I know how to brown ground beef. However, when I continued to cook with the beef which has already "browned" it sometimes turns a pink color again after it's been browned, am I doing something wrong? Again, it has already browned but then turned slightly pink during the cooking process. Kathy Maister | posted on Feb 13, 2008 Hmmm, very interesting Lorena, but I'm not sure what's going on either! Any food scientists out there who would like to take a crack at answering this one? Cary | posted on Apr 25, 2008 I have a cast iron skillet and it browns ground beef easily. Now I have a glass top stove and have been told I cannot use the cast iron skilet on it as it can scratch or break the glass. Does anyone have a recommendation on what frying pan I can use to brown the ground beef efficiently? I've tried a stainless steel pan and a non-stick one too and it cooks the meat but doesn't brown it as good as the iron one does. Kathy Maister | posted on Apr 28, 2008 Hi Cary, Glass top stoves look pretty but they sure do cause a lot of problems! From everything I have read, they require a lot of TLC. You can buy "heat diffusers" at your kitchen store that will help heating evenly and maybe also protect for stove top from your cast iron pan. But I’m afraid a new fry pan may be the only solution. My recommendation is to go to the best kitchen shop in your area and ask to see the pots and pans they have for use on a glass top stove – in three price ranges. They should be able to offer a solution in hopefully a good price range. Good Luck! Cary | posted on Apr 28, 2008 Thank you Kathy. Do you have any recommendations yourself on what pan is the best? Peggy Felder | posted on Aug 25, 2008 How long can COOKED ground beef stay out. My husband grilled hamburgers and after we ate he place them in the oven to keep the flies away, and forgot to store them in the refrigerator that night. Should we throw them ALL away? Kathy Maister | posted on Aug 25, 2008 Hi Peggy, Post a Comment0 trackbacksTrackback URL:http://startcooking.com/trackback.php?id=60 |
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Aki | posted on Sep 21, 2006
Keep up the good work of explaining! :)