My neighbor insisted I brown meat before putting it in the slow cooker...

For years I just dumped raw chicken and beef straight into the pot with some sauce and called it a day. My neighbor Carol kept telling me I was missing a huge step by not browning the meat first. I told her it tasted fine to me and who has time for an extra pan anyway. Finally I gave in after she brought over a sample of her pot roast that literally made my mouth water. I tried browning a chuck roast for about 4 minutes per side last Sunday and dumped it in with onions and broth. The difference was crazy - the meat had this deep rich flavor instead of that bland steamed taste. Has anyone else been converted to browning first or do you still skip it?

2 comments

2 Comments

christopher_coleman171mo agoMost Upvoted

Funny enough, I've started noticing this same kind of thing with other stuff too, like toasting spices before using them or letting steak rest after cooking. It's basically that extra little step that takes something from fine to actually good, but it's easy to skip because it feels like a hassle. Maybe that's just how cooking works, the simple things that add a ton of flavor are usually the ones people want to skip.

the_nancy1mo ago

My friend Jenna swore by browning for years so I never argued but I thought she was being extra. Then she made a pork shoulder that fell apart with this dark crusty flavor and it clicked why she does it. Now she says the 4 minutes of work is worth not having meat that tastes like it got boiled in a bag.