The Dairy Hack That Prevents Ground Beef From Overcooking

When you want a freshly cooked meal that doesn't require a whole lot of effort, ground beef always comes to the rescue. Tacos, a flavorful ground beef stir fry, or a classic burger are just a few examples from a sea of options in which the meat can be easily incorporated as the star. Still, as versatile as the protein is, it does have the drawback of quickly drying out if you're not careful.

One of the most common mistakes people make when preparing ground beef is overcooking it, but there is a hack that can help prevent it from becoming a dehydrated disappointment. According to Rocco Carulli, the executive chef and owner of R HOUSE, adding a touch of heavy cream to the meat goes a long way toward preventing it from drying out when cooked. He said, "Heavy cream has both fat and milk proteins, which coat the beef and act almost like a buffer."

Essentially, the heavy cream prevents the protein from rapidly losing moisture as it cooks. And while you can apply this concept to almost any ground beef dish, it works particularly well when making burgers. "That layer of fat helps prevent the natural juices from escaping too quickly, and the dairy proteins tenderize a little bit by gently interacting with the meat's own proteins," Carulli said. "It's not unlike how buttermilk protects chicken when you fry it. The result is a burger that stays juicy even if you cook it a little longer than you intended."

You can always fix an overcooked burger in a pinch, but ideally, it never gets to that point in the first place. Incorporating a bit of heavy cream is a terrific hack to prevent it from drying out, yet Rocco Carulli cautioned against using too much. The idea is to give the ground beef a shield that locks in its natural juices — not to drown it in excess moisture.

As for a specific amount, Carulli said, "You don't need much — about 2 to 3 tablespoons of heavy cream per pound of beef." If you use a heavy hand, you risk compromising the protein's structural integrity. "Too much and you'll overwhelm the meat or make it loose."

Of course, heavy cream alone isn't exactly exploding with flavor. The ground beef still needs to be seasoned, but not before adding the dairy. "I like to mix the cream in first, before adding other seasonings, so that it coats the beef evenly," Carulli said. "Then you can layer in your other flavors without over-handling the meat." Another reason to add the seasoning after the heavy cream is that if done in the opposite order, the liquid will likely wash your spice blend off the ground beef. Your dish may be tender and juicy, but it will lack the flavor that truly makes it shine.