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?

3 comments

3 Comments

thea69227d 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.

the_jana27d 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.

harper25412d agoOG Member

@the_jana, your point about the beef forgetting the skillet is funny. But what about the fond left behind from browning? Doesn't that add a deeper flavor base to the whole pot, even after a long cook, or does it just get lost?