:confused: Could some one tell me the proper way to cook ground meat for say Hamburger Helper or for use in Mexican food? I have a slight disagreement with a family member about this.
Thanks, Prairie Son:cool:

Don't know if this is proper, but I usually thaw it if frozen, break it up and place in my cast iron frying pan, and cook on medium heat until thoroughly browned, stirring all the while. For mexican dishes (tacos!), I will chop it up finer before/during cooking.

What was the dispute?

I cook until the meat is no longer pink and the jucie is clear.
I thaw in bottom of frig...

You can cook a frozen pound of ground beef in the microwave in 12 minutes on high, breaking up and stirring after every 5 minutes. Once you add the Mexican spices you can't tell the difference

The dispute is about adding water during cooking... my sister-in-law always adds water during cooking which leaves the meat watery and tastless. Says she's always done it. My wife never did such a thing.
Thanks to every body
Prairie Son

You would only need water and long low temp like in a crockpot to cook a tough cut of meat. The grinding takes care of that for you so no need

The dispute is about adding water during cooking.....my sister-in-law always adds water during cooking which leaves the meat watery and tastless. Says she's always done it. My wife never did such a thing.
Thanks to every body
Prairie Son

Just a question for you. Is your sister-in-law from the UK? My ex was, and always used to do this with hamburger, and it made me crazy! The ground beef had no taste. I also marinated other meats and poultry. I would use variations of the usual, oil/acid/spices. He thought a marinade meant he had to put the meat in a big bath, and would fill the bowl or pan that I used to marinate, all the way to the top with water! That just takes away all of the good juices and flavour. Also, everything had to be very overcooked. :rolleyes: He said this was the way his mother had always done it! No wonder he was such a bland man, lol.

Just a question for you. Is your sister-in-law from the UK? My ex was, and always used to do this with hamburger, and it made me crazy! The ground beef had no taste. I also marinated other meats and poultry. I would use variations of the usual, oil/acid/spices. He thought a marinade meant he had to put the meat in a big bath, and would fill the bowl or pan that I used to marinate, all the way to the top with water!! That just takes away all of the good juices and flavour. Also, everything had to be very overcooked. :rolleyes: He said this was the way his mother had always done it! No wonder he was such a bland man, lol.

That's a hell of a generalisation there Starbuck8 go careful us brits might cook you instead ;)

There is no rule book anywhere that says you have to cook meat a certain way, you cook it to your taste and how you require it.
Mince meat (ground beef) for me is fried off with no extra fat as its pretty much always full of crap anyway then I drain away the fatty liquid and add it to what ever I'm cooking like chili.

I see this a lot in older cookbooks I always look through old books at yard sales. People cooked the tar out of everything back in the old days, I guess they didn't have teeth to chew things, what with all the stone ground, gritty flour, and no fluoride in their water etc.

Thats a hell of a generalisation there Starbuck8 go carefull us brits might cook you instead ;)

There is no rule book anywhere that says you have to cook meat a certain way, you cook it to your taste and how you require it.
Mince meat (ground beef) for me is fried off with no extra fat as its pretty much always full of crap anyway then i drain away the fatty liquid and add it to what ever im cooking like chilli.

My ex would probably add water to me too! :eek: I know not all of the Brits cook that way at all, my ex sis-in-law is a great cook! My ex definitely needed a crash course on how to cook a meal without making it taste like shoe leather! ;)

Some women and men come to that just like really bland food sad really there loss though isn't it.

I don't know what my ex would've done, if he ever put something tasty in his mouth and found out he enjoyed it. He'd probably drop dead! Well now there's a thought! LOL! Do you think a big pot of spicy chili on his door step might do the trick? ;)

I just had the most naughty thought ever my minds in the gutter obviously ;)
"Gets back under her rock before she gets struck down"

I just had the most naughty thought ever my minds in the gutter obviously ;)
"Gets back under her rock before she gets struck down"

Oh thanks for making me go there now too! HAHAHAHA!

I had to read back what I wrote... Oh God... It's late here! LOL!. too funny!

Did I really say that... yeah guess I did! I got to get out more! LMAO

Open mouth... insert foot!

It really wasn't your foot I was thinking about bad bad bad me lol
You're a bad person bad bad bad person leeding me astray like that giggle

Poor guy just wanted to know about cooking hamburger, and now look what we've done. We've taken culinary arts to a new level! ;)

I degress, sometimes meat is just fine with a little water! In fact, it might even add to it's taste, and make it more plump and juicy!

Did I mention I need sleep? LOL!

Yeah you need something lady plump and juicy indeed no go to your room.

Only time you will catch me adding liquid is in the form of stock ;)

Stock? Livestock? LMAO!

Now we're back to hamburger! We just came full circle!

I knew I was getting dizzy...

Well stop going around the bulls with the big horns, and the dizziness will wear off in a bit. You know, just because you have to run in circles with that red cape! ;)

I'm off to bed, go find some tasty meat recipes for lunch! :D

A little water will keep it from drying out but I would suggest reseasoning if you water it. Use cumin and chile powder for the mexican food and maybe can't spell it but whostoshires sauce to bring out the beef flavor for the hamburger helper and salt and pepper.

Put it in a skillet over medium high heat. Use your spoon or spatula to break up the meat as it cooks. When the meat is completely brown with NO PINK, it is done. Yes you can drain the fat as you go if it is producing a lot of liquid. Or you can wait until it's done cooking. Hamburger can be purchased with different fat levels. When the meat is done you can then add whatever you think you would like to it. Hamburger is pretty flexible.

This is an interesting topic eh? I'm also from UK, and agree that years back my mam always cooked mince in water and added gravy salt, but those days it was usually mince and dumplings (yummy) or shepherds pie, she never made chili or burgers etc. I had my first holiday in USA this year and I tasted the best burgers ever, tasty and soft, how do you get them like that please?

Haha! There are so many different way to make burgers, but please, don't add water! ;)

Just a simple way. Get some lean ground beef. Add an egg, some spices, and a bit of HP sauce. Mix it with your hands, but don't over mix it. Just until it's combined. While they are in the bowl, section out the beef. (you can make them all the same size by putting a dent in the middle of the batch, and then sideways) Put your thumb into the middle of each burger to kind of make a little well, and that way they won't bulge in the middle when they are done.

Put them on the grill, under a broiler, or into a frying pan on med/high heat, and let them cook through on one side before flipping. Don't flip them over and over. Depending on the thickness, they should only take maybe 3 minutes on each side, or until the well in the middle pops, and is level with the rest of the burger.

I hope that helps a little. It's all about the spices and your cooking time. If you don't keep an eye on them, they can turn into shoe leather in a minute! ;)