{"id":424,"date":"2025-02-01T23:12:14","date_gmt":"2025-02-01T15:12:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/2025\/02\/01\/the-secret-to-browning-ground-beef-into-small-crumbles-according-to-a-food-editor\/"},"modified":"2025-02-01T23:12:14","modified_gmt":"2025-02-01T15:12:14","slug":"the-secret-to-browning-ground-beef-into-small-crumbles-according-to-a-food-editor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/2025\/02\/01\/the-secret-to-browning-ground-beef-into-small-crumbles-according-to-a-food-editor\/","title":{"rendered":"The Secret To Browning Ground Beef Into Small Crumbles, According to a Food Editor"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.simplyrecipes.com\/thmb\/6yvg194Me7AUFC4jIdHg8TYP2Ps=\/4000x2667\/Simply-Recipes-Ground-Beef-Tip-OPTION2-c0504e028b774832872552cc1647bb32.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-page_1-0\" data-sc-sticky-offset=\"135\" data-sc-ad-label-height=\"11\" data-sc-ad-track-spacing=\"100\" data-sc-min-track-height=\"250\" data-sc-max-track-height=\"600\" data-sc-breakpoint=\"50em\" data-sc-load-immediate=\"5\" data-sc-content-positions=\"[1, 1, 1, 1250, 1, 1, 1, 1]\" data-bind-scroll-on-start=\"true\">\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> Having a pound of ground beef in the fridge is my insurance plan for weeknight meals since I know I can quickly transform it into anything from a pot of chili to easy bulgogi bowls. But there\u2019s one problem that always frustrates me: breaking the ground beef into evenly-sized crumbles as it cooks.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_3-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> Partly, this is because I\u2019m impatient. Ground beef is easier to crumble into smaller bits once it starts to brown and loses its gluey, raw consistency, but hovering over the stove with a spatula has never been my forte when there are other ingredients to chop, counters to tidy, and dishes to put away. (Chronic multitasker? Hi, it\u2019s me!)\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_5-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> And even once the meat is fairly well-browned, trying to use the edge of my spatula to break large chunks into smaller pieces, especially if I want <em>really<\/em> tiny pieces for something like Shepherd\u2019s Pie, feels tedious and strangely akin to whack-a-mole.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_7-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> Enter my new favorite tool for cooking ground beef: the potato masher. I was introduced to this trick via Tiktok creator Notorious Foodie, and have never looked back.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"mntl-sc-block_9-0-iframe\" class=\"mntl-sc-block-embed--iframe lazyload\" allowfullscreen=\"false\" frameborder=\"0\" sandbox=\"allow-forms allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation\" title=\"Notorious Food Cooking Ground Beef With a Potato Masher\" data-expand=\"300\" data-src=\"\/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40notorious_foodie%2Fvideo%2F7119165836325047557&amp;id=mntl-sc-block_9-0-iframe&amp;options=e30%3D&amp;docId=8773860\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"heading-toc\" id=\"toc-how-to-use-a-potato-masher-to-cook-ground-beef\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"mntl-sc-block_11-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block lifestyle-sc-block-heading mntl-sc-block-heading\"> <span class=\"mntl-sc-block-heading__text\"> How To Use a Potato Masher To Cook Ground Beef <\/span> <\/h2>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_12-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> First, I use a spatula to break the ground beef into large-ish chunks, which I spread around the pan and toss a few times. After those are fairly browned, I go in with a potato masher and press the larger pieces flat against the pan.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_14-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> If the chunks are mostly cooked through, due to my inattention while multitasking, they will start to crumble into smaller and smaller bits under the force of my mashing, just like in Notorious Foodie\u2019s video above. If the chunks are still a bit raw in the middle, they will flatten against the pan like smash burgers, which is just fine with me because these thin patties cook quickly and are super easy to break into smaller crumbles with either the potato masher or a spatula.\n<\/p>\n<figure id=\"mntl-sc-block_16-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block lifestyle-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block-universal-image mntl-sc-block-image--no-theme no-theme mntl-sc-block-image figure-landscape figure-high-res\"><figcaption id=\"mntl-figure-caption_1-0\" class=\"comp mntl-figure-caption text-utility-100 figure-article-caption\"> <span class=\"figure-article-caption-owner\"><\/p>\n<p>Simply Recipes \/ Emma Christensen<\/p>\n<p><\/span><br \/>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span class=\"heading-toc\" id=\"toc-the-best-potato-masher-for-the-job\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"mntl-sc-block_17-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block lifestyle-sc-block-heading mntl-sc-block-heading\"> <span class=\"mntl-sc-block-heading__text\"> The Best Potato Masher for the Job <\/span> <\/h2>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_18-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> You want a hand-held potato masher for this particular kitchen task, not a ricer or a food mill. I have an old-school potato masher with a wavy head, similar to this one. It works just fine, though larger crumbles do occasionally get caught between the waves.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_20-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> If you\u2019re in the market, I suspect that a masher with a perforated head would work better, like this one.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_22-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> Either way, I recommend one made of stainless steel. Plastic mashers are fine for softer projects, like mashing potatoes, but I like the heft and sturdiness of a stainless steel tool for this particular job.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"heading-toc\" id=\"toc-30-minute-ground-beef-recipes\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"mntl-sc-block_24-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block lifestyle-sc-block-heading mntl-sc-block-heading\"> <span class=\"mntl-sc-block-heading__text\"> 30-Minute Ground Beef Recipes <\/span> <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/>#Secret #Browning #Ground #Beef #Small #Crumbles #Food #Editor<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Having a pound of ground beef in the fridge is my insurance plan for weeknight meals since I know I can quickly transform it into anything from a pot of chili to easy bulgogi bowls. But there\u2019s one problem that always frustrates me: breaking the ground beef into evenly-sized crumbles as it cooks. Partly, this [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":425,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[266,358,433,216,168,265,403,432],"class_list":["post-424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dinner","tag-beef","tag-browning","tag-crumbles","tag-editor","tag-food","tag-ground","tag-secret","tag-small"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}