Ground Beef Tips

[Kitchen Witch]

• If you are using cooked crumbled ground beef in a sauce or casserole, you can reduce the fat content by rinsing it after browning and before adding to your recipe. Simply cook the meat until done, pour into a colander in the sink, and rinse with hot water. Thoroughly drain the water and blot dry with paper towels. This method used on regular ground beef can reduce the fat content down to that of the more expensive lean ground beef. Although the fat content is greatly reduced using this method, be aware that the flavor goes right down the drain along with that fat.

• Frozen ground beef can go from the freezer to the pan, but it is not recommended in most instances. Freezing turns the natural juice in the beef to ice crystals. If you cook the beef while frozen, chances are you will be draining off the juicy flavor along with the fat. Instead, plan ahead to let the meat thaw slowly in the refrigerator to give the ice crystals time to melt and redistribute back into the tissue as much as possible.

• For optimum results in recipes where the meat is the focus, try to use fresh ground 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.

• When cooking ground beef, you will have less shrinkage with leaner blends than with regular ground beef. The fat renders down reducing the volume of the meat. Leaner blends have less fat, thus less shrinkage.

• Generally, the higher the cooking temperature, the greater the shrinkage, so cook ground beef at a moderate temperature rather than high heat. Overcooking will result in a dry, tasteless result as the juices evaporate.

• To avoid ground beef sticking to your hands, dip your hands in cold water before handling the meat to make burgers or meatballs. Do not overhandle the meat when making patties. Keep a light touch and do not over-compact.

• Form burger patties to desired thickness and then make a deep depression in the center with your thumb. As the meat cooks and expands, the depression will disappear, keeping your burger from bulging in the center into a flying saucer shape.

• Never use the spatula to press down on the burger patty as it is cooking. You will squeeze out all the juice and flavor. Poking holes in the burger with a fork also causes loss of moisture and flavor. Use a spatula or tongs to turn them.

• Be sure the pan or grill fire is hot before you add the burgers. This helps sear the surface and seal in the juice.

• Most burgers will not require a greased pan, however extra-lean burgers may stick without added lubrication. Some chefs suggest a sprinkling of salt on the pan to prevent lean meat from sticking.

• There is nothing wrong with digging in with clean hands to mix seasonings into ground beef, but do not overdo it. The heat from your hands and the friction of mixing can break down those bits of fat that you want to preserve for a juicy result. Overworking ground beef can turn it into flavorless mush.

• Since poultry has a milder flavor, when substituting ground poultry for ground beef, add slightly more seasoning than the recipe calls for. Because of the difference in texture, you may also need to decrease any added liquid by one to two tablespoons when using ground poultry.