Mince.

[Huntsman]

Supermarket beef and lamb mince comes in those long stringy bits.

How do you bash it up into a nice fine crumblyness?

I stand there for blimmin ages with a wooden spoon breaking it up.

[SHutchinson]

I pull it apart as I drop it in to the pan, then I let it brown before breaking it up. That way it lets all the water content boil off. It always breaks up better when it's browned rather than still raw.

[ZedLeg]

Aye break it up while it's browning. It's also easier to work with supermarket mince in small batches. The amount of water in most pre packed mince means you end up boiling the meat instead of browning it if you put a lot in the pan.

[captain_cynic]

Huntsman said:

Supermarket beef and lamb mince comes in those long stringy bits.

How do you bash it up into a nice fine crumblyness?

I stand there for blimmin ages with a wooden spoon breaking it up.

When I want fine mince I break it up with a spatula as its cooking. Ruthlessly hunting for any chunk larger than a few MM's. Wooden spoons are not very good for this, use a spatula.

[Huntsman]

No magic tricks then, just gotta stand there mashing it with an implement.

Humph.

[ecs]

Tom Kerridge has a technique which involves rinsing the mince in a colander until it breaks up, patting it down dry and then baking it in the oven until crisp - this breaks it into little pieces and is meant to intensify the flavour. I've done it a few times with his lasagne recipe, he uses the same technique in his bolognese too:

https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/lasagne
https://www.bbc.com/food/recipes/tom_kerridges_spa...

[C0ffin D0dger]

As above, I always brown mine in small batches, essentially enough to cover the base of the frying pan on a high heat. It breaks up nicely then. I remove it with a slotted spoon allowing the fat to drain before adding the next. Means your chilli, bolognaise, lasagne, etc. doesn't end up with an oil slick on it.

[thebraketester]

The problem is that when it put a whole packet in the pan it kills the temps, all the water comes out of it and you end up just boiling it until the water has boiled off.

Small batches is the way forward but, ‘ain’t nobody got time fo dat’

[captain_cynic]

thebraketester said:

The problem is that when it put a whole packet in the pan it kills the temps, all the water comes out of it and you end up just boiling it until the water has boiled off.

Small batches is the way forward but, ‘ain’t nobody got time fo dat’

The solution to this is buy better mince.

I find the low fat (5%) stuff produces little water and you simply drain that out as required.

[thebraketester]

True. And the difference in cost between supermarket stuff and good butcher stuff isn’t that great.

[abzmike]

captain_cynic said:

The solution to this is buy better mince.

I find the low fat (5%) stuff produces little water and you simply drain that out as required.

I find the low fat stuff gas very little flavour. High heat is the best way to brown though.
We gave a local farm that has highland cattle mince, and that is very tasty though if you get a chance to find it where you are.

[cbmotorsport]

I actually prefer mince to have a bit of texture, as opposed to being in tiny little bits, so i tend to pull it apart, but not mash it up. :-)

[ZedLeg]

cbmotorsport said:

I actually prefer mince to have a bit of texture, as opposed to being in tiny little bits, so i tend to pull it apart, but not mash it up. :-)

Depends what you're doing with it imo. Something like mince and tatties or tacos you want bigger pieces but if it's in a bolognese or chilli I prefer it to be practically invisible in the sauce.

[cbmotorsport]

ZedLeg said:

cbmotorsport said:

I actually prefer mince to have a bit of texture, as opposed to being in tiny little bits, so i tend to pull it apart, but not mash it up. :-)

Depends what you're doing with it imo. Something like mince and tatties or tacos you want bigger pieces but if it's in a bolognese or chilli I prefer it to be practically invisible in the sauce.

We're all different! :-)

[6th Gear]

cbmotorsport said:

I actually prefer mince to have a bit of texture, as opposed to being in tiny little bits, so i tend to pull it apart, but not mash it up. :-)

THIS.

I never mash it up. I let it break down naturally in the sauce during cooking.

[ambuletz]

anyone got any basic 'recipes' for mince? i'm talking wanting to pretty much eat mince+ rice. but obviously browning some mince and chucking it on rice isnt going to taste great. I did once try and do a mince stir fry and I didn't like it. texture of the mince was a little chewy too.

main reason for wanting something so ordinary? as an easy way of tracking macros (calories).

[smack]

ambuletz said:

anyone got any basic 'recipes' for mince? i'm talking wanting to pretty much eat mince+ rice. but obviously browning some mince and chucking it on rice isnt going to taste great. I did once try and do a mince stir fry and I didn't like it. texture of the mince was a little chewy too.

main reason for wanting something so ordinary? as an easy way of tracking macros (calories).

Korean Beef Bulgogi, which you can make with mice, and add some veg like green beans or peppers to give some more texture to it. Do a search and you can find simplified versions of it without harder to find Korean ingredients.

[ambuletz]

smack said:

ambuletz said:

anyone got any basic 'recipes' for mince? i'm talking wanting to pretty much eat mince+ rice. but obviously browning some mince and chucking it on rice isnt going to taste great. I did once try and do a mince stir fry and I didn't like it. texture of the mince was a little chewy too.

main reason for wanting something so ordinary? as an easy way of tracking macros (calories).

Korean Beef Bulgogi, which you can make with mice, and add some veg like green beans or peppers to give some more texture to it. Do a search and you can find simplified versions of it without harder to find Korean ingredients.

tasted that (although what i had wasn't the best). dont think i want that. more after just some kind of savoury tasting mince. no real veg in it except for perhaps onions as that always goes well. the main issue with the mince i made was that the beef didn't taste very beefy. despite having some stock cubes in it to help.

[zygalski]

thebraketester said:

The problem is that when it put a whole packet in the pan it kills the temps, all the water comes out of it and you end up just boiling it until the water has boiled off.

Small batches is the way forward but, ‘ain’t nobody got time fo dat’

Chuck the entire packet in a dry pan, break it up over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until until it's gone grey all over.
Most of the water will have come out at this point.
Sieve the liquid from the mince off, add a little oil or butter to the now dry pan, and put the mince back on to brown for another 10 minutes or so.

[paua]

zygalski said:

thebraketester said:

The problem is that when it put a whole packet in the pan it kills the temps, all the water comes out of it and you end up just boiling it until the water has boiled off.

Small batches is the way forward but, ‘ain’t nobody got time fo dat’

Chuck the entire packet in a dry pan, break it up over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until until it's gone grey all over.
Most of the water will have come out at this point.
Sieve the liquid from the mince off, add a little oil or butter to the now dry pan, and put the mince back on to brown for another 10 minutes or so.

Buy your meat not from the supermarket, it won't have this water you want to sieve out. Supermarkets add water to make weight, good meat does NOT create water as you cook.
Buy a cattle beast ( etc) & have it privately butchered. If you don't have freezer room, share with family/ friends. Cheaper than supermarket & better quality.
Buy a decent quality cookware set that doesn't lose temp when you add more than a couple ounces of product.