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Serious question, why do so many recipes say to brown meat first?
My buddy who runs a small diner told me he skips that step for his daily chili and it saves him an hour. He said, 'The slow cooker is for easy, not extra dishes.' I tried it with a basic beef stew and honestly couldn't tell a difference in the final taste. Anyone have a recipe where browning is actually a must?
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thea6926mo ago
Totally get where you're coming from... I skip it for my weeknight stuff too. The only time I really notice a difference is with ground meat in a tomato sauce, it just tastes a bit flat if you don't brown it first. For big chunks in a stew or chili that cooks all day, I agree, it seems like a waste of time and a pan to wash. Your buddy is probably onto something for his diner chili.
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the_jana6mo ago
Your buddy is a genius. We're all out here creating extra work for ourselves like we're on a cooking show. Next they'll tell us we need to toast the spices in a separate pan before adding them to the slow cooker. What's a recipe where it matters? Maybe a quick pan sauce, but for chili that simmers for eight hours? That beef is going to forget it ever saw a skillet.
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