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Pink Ground Beef

[Replies: 4]
Last Post May 7, 2009 1:32 PM by: DocChuck
DocChuck
 
DocChuck
Posts: 158

Re: Pink Ground Beef

Posted: May 7, 2009 1:32 PM
> I am a cook at a local hospital... Every once in a
> while I have a problem getting my ground beef to
> brown. It stays pinkish. My boss tried telling me it
> was because I was browning my celery and onions with
> it at the same time, which I have been doing for the
> past35-40 years since I've been cooking and thats the
> way my mom always did it PLEASE tell me this isn't
> so. How she became charge of a Institutionalized
> kitchen is beyond me. If anyone has any answers
> please tell me. I want to say it's because of the
> e dyes in the ground beef, but she vedoed that right
> away and said I better not let anyone hear me mention
> dye in the beef.

She became the boss because she knows more than other people. That much is clear.

They do not put dye in ground beef!

Cooking celery and onions with the beef can certainly compromise your ability to properly brown beef. They throw off liquid.

More importantly, beef browns with high heat -- heat that will burn onions. So you are cooking with the heat too low and your beef isn't browning -- it's greying and pinkish and probably unappetizing.

Propoerly brown your beef on a screaming hot surface to carmelize it and create flavor and color. Cook your aromatics separately and then combine.

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butterflyfairy01
 
butterflyfairy01
Posts: 1

Re: Pink Ground Beef

Posted: May 6, 2009 5:01 AM
I have had that same problem in the past and I have found that if you add just a touch of cooking oil, it seems to make it brown alot better...hope this helps..

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hjmans
 
hjmans
Posts: 212

Re: Pink Ground Beef

Posted: May 6, 2009 2:15 AM
I like to sweat my veggies a little bit before adding my meat. I think it gets some of the moisture out of them. Maybe the added moisture is what is keeping your meat from browning evenly?

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sambo581
 
sambo581
Posts: 2

Re: Pink Ground Beef

Posted: May 5, 2009 10:30 PM
First of all, I am also an institutional cook and used to making food in quantity. .Also which method of browning are you using, steam jacket kettle, flat top grill, saute pan? I have found that if I cook the ground beef with some water it helps "loosen" it up to brown, or be cooked through, even if onion & celery are added. Especially if it calls for draining afterwards. No matter what method you use use there should never be any pink ground meat unless dye is added to the product after the cooking process. I hope this helps

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Luannswenson
 
Luannswenson
Posts: 1

Pink Ground Beef

Posted: May 5, 2009 8:46 PM
I am a cook at a local hospital... Every once in a while I have a problem getting my ground beef to brown. It stays pinkish. My boss tried telling me it was because I was browning my celery and onions with it at the same time, which I have been doing for the past35-40 years since I've been cooking and thats the way my mom always did it PLEASE tell me this isn't so. How she became charge of a Institutionalized kitchen is beyond me. If anyone has any answers please tell me. I want to say it's because of the dyes in the ground beef, but she vedoed that right away and said I better not let anyone hear me mention dye in the beef.

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