Keep the pan covered and a very small amount of water in the pan as you work. It’s best to heat up a tablespoon of oil in the hot pan before browning chicken and turkey, which are much leaner than beef. And even worse, the MESS! Most people don't have the correct tool, so they end up with uneven or burnt meat. ... Not less than 85% lean-This is best used in casseroles; The most important thing to remember when using ground meat is that it is very versatile. Preheat your fry pan for just a minute or two, on medium setting. It's best used in recipes such as chili, sloppy joes and other dishes that ask you to brown the ground beef before adding other ingredients. You preheat your Dutch oven or saucepan until it's screaming-hot, then you add the beef. What is the Best Pan for Searing or Browning? To drain the grease from ground beef, you’ll have to brown the meat first to extract the fat from it. It just seems like it takes two gigantic skillets to cook most of the meat and even then it ends up all over the stove. Well, I think I might have found one! Then, you can spoon the grease out of the pan or use a colander to drain the grease. Break up the ground beef in a large nonstick pan and place it on your stovetop. If you want to make patties or burgers, it would be better to freeze the ground beef unboiled/uncooked. At first it gives off a sharp, crackling sizzle—a good sign that it's browning efficiently. How to Cook Ground Beef for Spaghetti ... Add the spinach: Chop the spinach and add it to the ground beef with tomato sauce mixture in the pan. Simply place the colander inside the cold pan, dump the ground beef in the colander and all the grease drains right into the pan. The good cook meat chopper makes it quicker and easier to chop up meat. To drain the grease from ground beef, you’ll have to brown the meat first to extract the fat from it. DuffyH has tried it, and spent the whole time chasing the meat around on the too-slippery surface while trying to break up the beef. If the ground beef is to be used in a casserole or sauce, you probably will not notice any flavor difference when using frozen meat. Line large shallow pan with heavy duty aluminum foil; Press 3-5# of ground beef (I prefer lean ground beef) in bottom of pan. Here is how we do it in our house – it takes a pan and a colander. I have already talked about buying and storing ground beef. I have often wondered if there is a better way. No matter what the final product will be, there’s one choice that Chowhounds eliminate for browning ground beef: nonstick pans. Assemble and serve: Drain the water from the pasta once it has cooked and add it to the pan. It doesn't make sense since you end up having to drain the grease in the end anyways. It's tough to chop ground beef when preparing it in your skillet. Browning individual chunks can lead to excess moisture loss. If you don’t have a thermometer, then just be sure there is no pink on the ground beef. ... Continue this process until you have a very small piece of frozen ground beef left. This method yields ground beef "crumbles". One of the 10-inch skillets tapered down to just 7 inches of available cooking surface, barely enough room for a single steak. Here's how to brown ground beef, whether for a recipe or to freeze for later use. I've tried it all; paper towels to sop it up, draining into a dish (but then the ground beef goes with it.) We all deserve better than a pan of grayish meat, which is often the result when ground beef is cooked wrong. Here’s a “no watch” “no hassle” “no mess” method for browning ground beef in the oven. And, with this easy method, you can always have browned ground on-hand in the freezer. I don't know about you, but I really struggle with all of the browning of ground meat on our cooking days. Cook Frozen Ground Beef in 20 Minutes – Easy Recipe Tip. Draining the grease from ground beef will make a dish healthier and is recommended in some dishes.