Avoid Gray And Watery Ground Beef By Never Skipping This Crucial Cooking Step

Cooking ground beef on the stovetop should, in theory, be pretty simple, but why does it sometimes turn out more gray than brown? And what is making it watery? Jennifer Borchardt, culinary director for beef retailer Pre Brands, speculates that the problem might be that your pan is not hot enough.

As Borchardt told The Takeout, "Beef contains a lot more water than you might think. Starting in a cold pan will release all that moisture, and you'll end up steaming your beef instead of frying it, which will get you gray, rubbery beef." She said she typically sets the burner to medium-high and waits until the pan is hot. You can test this by splashing in a few drops of water — if they bead on the surface and start to bounce around, you're good to go. While she noted that leaner beef can be cooked at a lower temperature than its fattier counterpart, she advised, "Never go any lower than medium for even the leanest ground beef."

Ideally, not only will your pan be hot enough, but your meat, too, will have warmed up a bit. You don't need it to get up to room temperature — in fact, the USDA says that meat left at room temperature for over two hours is no longer safe to eat. Jennifer Borchardt suggested taking it out of the refrigerator about 10 minutes before you plan to cook it. As she explained, "Avoid taking the beef straight from the fridge and putting it into the saucepan if you can, as the chill can add moisture to the pan."

Needless to say, this isn't going to work if you've been forgetful and left the meat in the freezer until the last minute. Thawing it overnight in the fridge is best, but you can even do it a day or so in advance if necessary, since it's not crucial to cook meat immediately after thawing. If you don't plan that far in advance, you can defrost ground beef in cold water weighed down with a heavy can. You won't need to do either, though, if it comes in the form of frozen beef burger patties. Those are perfectly okay to throw straight into a preheated pan.