It’s Crock-Pot stew weather! To brown or not to brown?
Technically, unless the recipe calls for ground beef (which should be browned and then drained of fat), most slow-cooker stew recipes don’t call for browning meat beforehand. Skipping browning not only saves time, it cuts the cleanup.
But if we’re talking about flavor and visual appeal -- making a meal that’s more Top Chef than Chef Boyardee -- the answer is, in my opinion, yes! Meat should be browned before it’s tossed into a slow cooker. Yes, it adds another step and dirties another pot. Or does it? You can use the removable stoneware on some slow cookers, like the Crock-Pot VersaWare, on your stovetop to brown first, then plop it directly into the cooker.
So what’s the big deal with browning? In a Crock-Pot, you’re braising or stewing meat until it’s fall-apart tender, which can sap some of the characteristic flavor in the process. Browning won’t make beef taste beefier -- it doesn’t concentrate flavor or seal in juices, contrary to conventional kitchen wisdom. But the chemical process that takes place when meat is browned (called a Maillard reaction, if you want to get all Harold McGee about it) seriously enriches the flavor of the dish. It's that...brown, roastlike flavor. It also turns liver-y gray meat into that rich, dark shade of brown we associate with tasty food.
Think about it this way: You’ve got two thick slices of potato. One is boiled. The other is browned. Which one will taste better? Feel nicer in your mouth? Look more appealing?
Browning also produces fond -- the delicious, crusty bits of browned meat and juice in the bottom of the pan. Deglaze the pan by adding water, wine, or broth, and you’ve got even more good stuff to add to your slow cooker brew.
by Colleen Rush is the author of "The Mere Mortal's Guide to Fine Dining: From Salad Forks to Sommeliers, How to Eat and Drink in Style Without Fear of Faux Pas." She and her husband live in Chicago.
6/25/08
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