Hahabogus wrote:
> "Sheldon" > wrote in
> oups.com:
>
>
>>Ellie C wrote:
>>
>>>Sheldon wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>Ellie C wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>I cooked up some American Chop Suey for lunch today, using
>>
>>hamburger
>>
>>>>>from the local market. I've now come to the conclusion that this
>>>>
>>>>ground
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>beef is just weird. It's 15% fat, so I generally add a small amount
>>>>
>>>>of
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>olive oil to the pan before I start to brown the meat. But, as is
>>>>
>>>>usual
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>with this ground beef, it never browns. Here's the sequence of
>>>>
>>>>events: I
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>heat the olive oil in the frying pan, then I add the beef. For a
>>
>>few
>>
>>>>>seconds it sizzles normally and then it starts releasing water,
>>>>
>>>>enough
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>so that it's actually boiling and it never browns again. Does this
>>>>
>>>>mean
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>the meat has been watered? If I cook it for a really long time the
>>>>>"water" boils off, but the meat by this time has turned into little
>>>>>crumbles and never becomes browned - the crumbles just get harder.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>It's possible water was added but not highly unlikely with plain
>>
>>ground
>>
>>>>meat, markets do not want to risk stiff fines for mislabeling.
>>
>>However
>>
>>>>with sausage ice is often added, but then the package would say
>>
>>"Water
>>
>>>>Added" and what percent. Animal flesh is normally about 75% water,
>>
>>so
>>
>>>>if cooked at too low a temperature water will exude and need to
>>>>evaporate before the meat can brown... you need to increase the
>>
>>cooking
>>
>>>>temperature so that the water naturally contained in the meat
>>>>evaporates more quickly than it exudes. You are very likely
>>>>overloading your pan... try browning only a samll amount of meat at
>>
>>a
>>
>>>>time. Of course you shouldn't be using stupidmarket ground meat in
>>
>>the
>>
>>>>first place, get yourself a meat grinder, then you'll know what and
>>
>>who
>>
>>>>is in your meat.
>>>>
>>>
>>>Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I should grind my own beef, but it's not
>>>something I'm really interested in doing. Life is too short to do
>>>everything perfectly.;-) I do have a meat grinder but it's a hand
>>>operated one and I used it once. That was enough. I know, I can hear
>>
>>you
>>
>>>saying something like "Well get an electric one." Sure. Except that
>>
>>if I
>>
>>>turn on the electric oven or a hairdryer I have to be sure to turn
>>
>>off
>>
>>>the electric heater in at least one room or I'll blow the circuit
>>>breakers and have to reset that damned clock radio for the 14th time
>>>that day. So another electrical appliance is not an option; it would
>>>just be another annoyance. Besides they cost about 100 euros and it's
>>
>>>hard to think of spending that mich on something that will only make
>>
>>me
>>
>>>spend more time doing something I'm not interested in doing.
>>>
>>>I don't think I was overloading the pan, and it was a copper pan on
>>
>>the
>>
>>>highest flame on a gas stove, so the pan was quite hot. Possible,
>>>though. Next time I buy some ground beef I'll try cooking just a bit
>>
>>of
>>
>>>it first and then adding more.
>>
>>You have a lot of problems and no solutions.
>>
>>Sheldon
>>
>>
>
>
> my suggestion is use a regular pan, but a bigger one. Clock radios are
> cheap...ones with battery back up are not much more in price. Get your
> electric upgraded to more amps larger breaker panel and add more circuts.
> Insulate so heaters aren't required in every room. Or move to a more
> modern dwelling. Having the breakers trip 14 times a day can indicate a
> fire hazard or bad/weakened breakers.
>

Well, I live in France. This is how things work here. The elec in the
house is all new. Even though there about 12 different circuits,
overloading one causes everything to go off. That's how it is, my
electrician tell me. The heaters in every room *are* the heat and it has
been quite cold here. As for insulating, well, it would be nice if
possible. We live in a small house with walls that are stone, about 1.5'
thick. There's no place to put insulation. (I'm sure there will be lots
of people who will be willing to tell me exactly how to insulate my
house in the next few posts. And here I thought I was asking about how
to tell if hamburger was watered...)

Move to a more modern dwelling? Geesh! Hah! And here I was asking about
cooking. And don't get me started about things like clock radios....
Living in France makes me really understand that the US is a consumer
wonderland. Granted, I am living in the back hills of France. Consumer
choice isn't large.