Skill 7 of 16

Browning ground meat

Break it up, let it sit, and chase the brown bits.

What it means

Brown

Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.

How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.

Fond

Fond is the layer of browned bits left stuck to the pan after searing or browning. It isn’t burnt, it’s flavor, and a splash of liquid turns it into the base of a sauce.

How you’ll know: It’s brown and smells savory; black bits that smell bitter are burnt and best left behind.

Drain

Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.

How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.

Food safety: Ground beef, pork and lamb are done at 160°F. When it’s cooked through there’s no pink left anywhere in the pan.