Once I Started Cooking Ground Beef Like This, I’ve Never Made It Another Way (So Smart!)

Have you ever tried to simulate the experience of a beloved restaurant dish at home? Only to have it fall flat and you are unable to figure out why? I speak from experience. One of my favorite things to eat is a crunchwrap supreme, and despite access to a very solid copycat recipe, my efforts to re-create it at home always left me a bit cold. Something just wasn’t right, and I couldn’t put my finger on what it was for the longest time. Then I came across a technique for handling the ground beef that changed the whole game for me — using a potato masher to break up the crumbles.

What was off in my re-creation attempts was the texture of the beef. Typically when browning ground beef, I use a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula to break up the beef into small pieces. The results are small, but irregular and craggy pieces of beef. Some are teensy while some are much larger, almost clumps. Switching the cooking utensil out for a potato masher ensures that the beef crumbles are both uniform and truly teeny tiny, giving me a smoother, more consistent texture that’s similar to fast-food taco meat.

Maybe fast-food tacos aren’t your thing. No worries, the consistent texture of ground meat that’s been pressed through a potato masher is also great in pasta filling, for empanadas, and in a slow-cooked Bolognese. So give it a try the next time you’re cooking ground beef (this technique also works well with ground chicken, pork, or turkey). I promise you won’t be sorry. Oh, and don’t forget to add a little baking soda for better browning. You’re welcome.

This article originally published on The Kitchn. See it there: Once I Started Cooking Ground Beef Like This, I’ve Never Made It Another Way (So Smart!)