have been told I can just bung it in without browning it first , anyone else do this ?
cooking mince beef in slow cooker
It'll cook but it won't be as tasty and it'll still have the fatty gunk that sometimes comes off cheap mince. What are you making with it?
If you were making a chilli, say, I'd brown the mince and put it in with the other ingredients.
But if you do want to just bung it in, it'll cook okay and still be safe to eat even if it isn't browned. Um, provided it's cooked long enough, obviously.
If you were making a chilli, say, I'd brown the mince and put it in with the other ingredients.
But if you do want to just bung it in, it'll cook okay and still be safe to eat even if it isn't browned. Um, provided it's cooked long enough, obviously.
You can bung it straight in without browning it.
If you do have excess fat you can drain it off.
You can skim it / lay a kitchen towel or two on the top to soak up the fat.
Keep it in and use it as a thickener by adding a little flour.
If you do have excess fat you can drain it off.
You can skim it / lay a kitchen towel or two on the top to soak up the fat.
Keep it in and use it as a thickener by adding a little flour.
Originally Posted by degsyhufc:
“You can bung it straight in without browning it.
If you do have excess fat you can drain it off.
You can skim it / lay a kitchen towel or two on the top to soak up the fat.
Keep it in and use it as a thickener by adding a little flour.”
“You can bung it straight in without browning it.
If you do have excess fat you can drain it off.
You can skim it / lay a kitchen towel or two on the top to soak up the fat.
Keep it in and use it as a thickener by adding a little flour.”
ahhhh thankyou was hoping I could just bung it in , I just don't feel like faffing around too much
I'm sure that you can just chuck mince in a slow cooker without browning it but I doubt that it will be as good as browning it and infusing those meaty flavours.
I guess it just comes down to personal preference and how tasty somebody wants their food to be.
I guess it just comes down to personal preference and how tasty somebody wants their food to be.
Here's a question then. I thought browning mince was just to get the fat out of it. I brown it just until i can see no more pink. How much do you brown it?
Originally Posted by chopsim:
“Here's a question then. I thought browning mince was just to get the fat out of it. I brown it just until i can see no more pink. How much do you brown it?”
“Here's a question then. I thought browning mince was just to get the fat out of it. I brown it just until i can see no more pink. How much do you brown it?”
Until the pinkness is no longer visible.
No more than as it's going to be cooked further in whatever meal you're using it for.
I wouldn't bung it straight in a slow cooker though.
Originally Posted by chopsim:
“Here's a question then. I thought browning mince was just to get the fat out of it. I brown it just until i can see no more pink.”
“Here's a question then. I thought browning mince was just to get the fat out of it. I brown it just until i can see no more pink.”
Browning also affects flavour. It's the same with toast: browned toast tasted different to heated bread.
Browning is also used as a way of deciding whether it's cooked enough to eat. It's not reliable for that, though. Mince can be browned and unsafe, and pink yet safe (as with rare steak).
Originally Posted by orangebird:
“Why would you bother slow cooking minced beef?!”
“Why would you bother slow cooking minced beef?!”
A bolognese sauce or cottage pie filling is much nicer when cooked long and slow. I don't always use my slow cooker for bolognese, but even when doing it on the hob, I always have it simmering away for a minimum of an hour and a half.
Originally Posted by spookyLX:
“have been told I can just bung it in without browning it first , anyone else do this ?”
“have been told I can just bung it in without browning it first , anyone else do this ?”
Yes, for a chilli and it tasted rubbish.
I browned the next batch for a chilli and it was much nicer.
i just bung it in ,,then add everything else ..cook on low all day for a chilli..Mmmm nice smell in the house when you get home from work
Originally Posted by orangebird:
“Why would you bother slow cooking minced beef?!”
“Why would you bother slow cooking minced beef?!”
The mince is so much better when it's cooked slowly and for a long time. I don't use a slow cooker but I cook my mince in the oven for a minimum of 2/3 hours, and when done, I'm left with a very rich ragu. Can't do it any other way now.
Originally Posted by Lushness:
“The mince is so much better when it's cooked slowly and for a long time. I don't use a slow cooker but I cook my mince in the oven for a minimum of 2/3 hours, and when done, I'm left with a very rich ragu. Can't do it any other way now.”
“The mince is so much better when it's cooked slowly and for a long time. I don't use a slow cooker but I cook my mince in the oven for a minimum of 2/3 hours, and when done, I'm left with a very rich ragu. Can't do it any other way now.”
But that's to do with the sauce - and beneficial to other cuts of meat, but I cannot see how minced meat benefits from slow cooking.
Originally Posted by orangebird:
“But that's to do with the sauce - and beneficial to other cuts of meat, but I cannot see how minced meat benefits from slow cooking.”
“But that's to do with the sauce - and beneficial to other cuts of meat, but I cannot see how minced meat benefits from slow cooking.”
I'm with you in my puzzlement, guess some people just prefer it that way. I tend to cook mince and sauce in less than 1/2 hour in a traditional sauce pan.
Originally Posted by chopsim:
“Here's a question then. I thought browning mince was just to get the fat out of it. I brown it just until i can see no more pink. How much do you brown it?”
“Here's a question then. I thought browning mince was just to get the fat out of it. I brown it just until i can see no more pink. How much do you brown it?”
I brown it until there is no more pink and the edges start to go crispy and brown
Seems a bit daft to talk about browning to get the lovely flavours and then take all the full of flavour fat out.
I just bung it all in the slow cooker and keep the fat in it as well.
I dont notices any difference between browning or not, but do notice the difference in lack of flavour if the fat is taken out.
I just bung it all in the slow cooker and keep the fat in it as well.
I dont notices any difference between browning or not, but do notice the difference in lack of flavour if the fat is taken out.
Originally Posted by molliepops:
“I'm with you in my puzzlement, guess some people just prefer it that way. I tend to cook mince and sauce in less than 1/2 hour in a traditional sauce pan.”
“I'm with you in my puzzlement, guess some people just prefer it that way. I tend to cook mince and sauce in less than 1/2 hour in a traditional sauce pan.”
Same here. I love my slow cooker and use it regularly (especially in the winter) but I have never done mince in one and even if I did then I'm pretty sure I'd brown it quickly first.
Having said that maybe it would be worth experimenting with a slow cooker chilli. It might be good to leave that bubbling away all day while I'm out.
I am not seeing the need for puzzled faces. Some of us bung everything in the cooker in the morning and its ready when we walk through the door.
Originally Posted by orangebird:
“But that's to do with the sauce - and beneficial to other cuts of meat, but I cannot see how minced meat benefits from slow cooking.”
“But that's to do with the sauce - and beneficial to other cuts of meat, but I cannot see how minced meat benefits from slow cooking.”
Maybe try it and see. As I said I can't speak personally about cooking mince in a slow cooker because I dont have one. But the benefits of cooking mince low and slow is clear to me. I got the tip from Delia and never looked back.
As for the OP's question, personally, I would absolutely brown the mince first.
Originally Posted by molliepops:
“I'm with you in my puzzlement, guess some people just prefer it that way. I tend to cook mince and sauce in less than 1/2 hour in a traditional sauce pan.”
“I'm with you in my puzzlement, guess some people just prefer it that way. I tend to cook mince and sauce in less than 1/2 hour in a traditional sauce pan.”
Depends on the sauce, if it comes out of a jar your probably right. if your making Chilli or Bolognese from scratch I'd cook it for about 3 hours. Though thats in a dutch oven on the hob, not a slow cooker.
My wife, who makes the chilli, browns her mince. I, who makes the bolognese, do not.
Though I do skim the fat off the top at the end of cooking
Originally Posted by frightlever:
“It'll cook but it won't be as tasty and it'll still have the fatty gunk that sometimes comes off cheap mince.”
“It'll cook but it won't be as tasty and it'll still have the fatty gunk that sometimes comes off cheap mince.”
Fat? I'm pretty sure that comes off all mince, regardless of price.
One of the benefits of a slow cooker is that it tenderises the meat. Mince will be tender anyway. The only reason I would cook a mince based dish in the slow cooker is if I wanted it cooked when I get home. And, yes, I would brown it first. I usually fry the onions etc. in a pan on the stove, add the mince and then bung it all in the slow cooker.
Originally Posted by orangebird:
“But that's to do with the sauce - and beneficial to other cuts of meat, but I cannot see how minced meat benefits from slow cooking.”
“But that's to do with the sauce - and beneficial to other cuts of meat, but I cannot see how minced meat benefits from slow cooking.”
Try cooking your mince for 30 minutes, then try cooking it for 2 hours and tell me you can't tell the difference. If it's cooked for a short time it will have a chewy, rubbery texture; longer and it will become more tender, fats render and connective tissue melts. Same as non-minced beef with lots of connective tissue. It's the duration more than surface area that counts.
