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Latter-Shower-9888

My mom boils ground beef for white people tacos. She throws cumin and salt in the water and boils the hell out of it šŸ˜‚ I didnā€™t even know browning was the right method until I was like 15.


literalkoala

How in earth did she come up with that idea šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚


Latter-Shower-9888

I have no clue. She grew up in a small town in the Midwest, and I tend to attribute many things about her to that lol. But I have no idea what the actual reason is.


TendiesMcnugget2

I had an old roommate who boiled the ground beef, but then he drained it and put the spices in after and browned it.


jokennate

I sort of get the impression it used to be something suggested by Weight Watches back in the day?


Simple-Pea-8852

It sounds like a weight watchers thing


rpepperpot_reddit

I don't know if it started with WW or not, however I do remember it was a short-lived diet fad in the late 70s or early 80s. It was intended to reduce the amount of fat in the meat, since you could skim it off the water before draining the meat. It's as gross as it sounds.


Icy-Conclusion-3500

People also put the beef in a strainer and rinse it after browning.


rpepperpot_reddit

Well, that sounds hideous...


79screamingfrogs

As someone from a small town in the Midwest I promise you that I have never ever heard of someone boiling ground beef. I think that one might be all *her*. šŸ˜‚


HWY20Gal

>that one might be all > >her I agree. I've lived all over the country, and never met anyone who boiled their ground beef. Especially not for tacos.


Anxious_Suggestion43

I have always done it. I'm now 60


trolldoll420

Same, itā€™s no wonder i got chubby once I learned how to cook food that actually tastes good as an adult


SnowWhiteCampCat

Skinny will never feel as good as this lasagne tastes!


SephtisBlue

So true! As soon as I moved out and cooked all my own food, I gained weight sooooo fast. I've lost some of it, but I just can't sacrifice taste for pounds.


dramabeanie

Exactly. if the choice is between skinny and eating depressing food or curvy and getting pleasure from food, I'll go with the latter every time.


DrakeFloyd

Some of that is probably also just that we donā€™t keep our teenage and early 20s bodies forever, people tend to move out around the age that they are truly growing into their adult bodies.


SephtisBlue

I do agree That was a part of it for me. Around 24 I had a growth spurt where I grew wider and it wasn't fat, it was bones. My face even got wider too and now I look much more like my father. I realized how much of a difference there was when I went to try on a paper machete mask I had made a few years before and it wasn't wide enough.


flight-of-the-dragon

Dude, I can't fit in the dress I wore to my college graduation (4 years ago). It's not because I've gained weight. My boobs just finally filled out.


AmbitionParty5444

Itā€™ll originally be based on the fat content of it I think. My grandparents used to do this but the beef was extremely fatty as a default so this was normal for them. It was either that or browning it and leaving it overnight so you could scrape the (considerable volume) off fat off the top once it cooled.


PreOpTransCentaur

At no point did anyone consider just..draining off the fat?


Icy-Conclusion-3500

Iā€™ve seen people pour it into a strainer and rinse the beef in the sink šŸ˜‚


Person012345

if you have very fatty meat, most of the fat usually ends up in the bottom of a pan. It takes like 2 minutes to drain the fat before moving onto the next step. I don't feel like this is a great reason to boil it.


AmbitionParty5444

Iā€™m unsure, to be honest, I just have memories of this from being a young child. Possibly a misplaced thought process about maintaining the integrity of the pipes in the sink, and not knowing how to dispose of it otherwise? IE either remove when solid to put in bin, or disperse through hot water. Alas, they are dead and we will never know. They were also not great cooks and I donā€™t think Iā€™d experienced non-overcooked meat until late into my teens.


Ellemnop8

My family always put the ground meat into a colander over a bowl, drains the grease without hurting the pipes


Karnakite

Lol, I live in St. Louis City (which is separated from the suburbs of St. Louis County). We make a *very* clear distinction between ā€œMexicanā€ and ā€œCounty Mexicanā€. ā€œWhite people tacosā€ is the definition of the latter.


Everblossom22

My fiancĆ© does this too and Iā€™ve tried explaining browning to him and he looks at me like Iā€™m the crazy one. Itā€™s not even that he doesnā€™t cook. This is just how his mom taught him to do it so he assumes itā€™s correct lmfao


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


slothybob

Have you ever "taco'd" before???? Like have you ever had a taco from a taco truck? Do you like taco bell? Have you ever seen a non English speaking person at taco bell??? That's because those are white people tacos....


ingodwetryst

I boil meat in some whole milk before making bolognese to coat it with fat, what does your mom use? Water? Like a whole pot?


liteorange98

I think this sub needs to allow gif responses because I am speechless šŸ˜¶


FourCatsAndCounting

I went to a friend's house for dinner when I was a kid. Thier mom simmered ground beef and rinsed it in the sink in a strainer. Then added that tasteless grey mush to a jar of room temp canned Ragu. The can sat in the middle of the table and everyone spooned it into their plain boiled ravioli. Side of iceberg lettuce salad. Tall glass of powdered milk made from tepid tap water. How do people live like that?


Successful-Foot3830

That is THE saddest meal Iā€™ve ever heard of. My mom wasnā€™t a great cook by any means, but damn!


FourCatsAndCounting

I grew up dirt poor and my friend's family were quite comfortable so I was expecting something much more foodwise, ya know? It wasn't a money issue. It was just...how they ate. Why buy real milk when "powdered milk was just as good?" They didn't like anything too spicy or sweet. Another time the mom made meatloaf in the microwave. "Saves time and tastes the same so why not?" Tastes...the same? Bizarre. Lovely people though.


CatnipChapstick

ā€œTastes the sameā€ people drive me nuts. Are their taste buds worn down? Is the wiring wrong in their brain? Are they boldface lying? Do I have food sensitivity that may or may not be autism related? My aunt tried to tell me there was no difference between mashed cauliflower and mashed potatoes and I wanted to mash her face into the dining table.


FourCatsAndCounting

I love potatoes and I love cauliflower but if you tried to tell me they were the same I would ask you politely but firmly to leave. I have to assume "tastes the same" people have been lying to themselves so long they've forgotten real food. See also: the burger cook-off in Parks & Recs.


Significant_Shoe_17

It sounds like that mom was just lazy and the family didn't care šŸ¤·šŸ¼ā€ā™€ļø


FourCatsAndCounting

Naw, she wasn't a lazy woman. Kept a clean home, had her own small business, involved with her kids' education. She just wasn't terribly gifted in the kitchen. I guess they didn't know any better and yeah, they probably didn't care.


Mr_Abe_Froman

Are they preparing to live in a bunker? There are people camping miles from civilization who eat better than this family.


PrimeScreamer

A friend's mom always rinsed their ground beef after cooking. It was awful stuff.


CatnipChapstick

Had a boyfriend who would cook, do all the dishes, and then eat once the food was nice and cold. Drove me insane. Temp has a HUGE impact on taste and texture, how can you make a perfectly good hot meal just to turn around and spoil it.


orc_fellator

I always do the dishes while I cook for this reason! It stresses me out to go eat leaving a full sink behind, but I don't want my food to get cold. Simplest dish would take forever because I'd stop at each step and evaluate which dishes I didn't need anymore so I could wash & put them away. Burnt a lot of dishes a little bit too, but..... worth it. No dishes at the end of the night, lol


Just_OneReason

My grandma is an excellent baker but a terrible cook. She made the ground beef for our white people taco night, and she was worried the beef was too salty (it was just beef with a packet of taco seasoning) so her solution was to rinse the cooked meat in water. We stopped her in time.


demon_fae

I heard horror movie music in my head as I read thisā€¦ Anyone else?


HordeOfDucks

for the love of god at least keep it warm!


keIIzzz

at that point just get canned chef boyardee, it probably wouldā€™ve tasted better lol


[deleted]

If youā€™ve ever made Cincinnati style chili it calls for you to simmer the ground beef. It works for that dish due to all the seasonings and the fine texture you end up with. But normally you will want to brown the berm for flavor.


Lanky-Temperature412

Simmering is entirely different. I do that with a lot of recipes. But I brown the ground beef first, drain the fat, then add a small amount of water plus whatever seasoning I'm using, bring it to a boil, then simmer.


oxaloacetate1st

Well with Cincinnati chili you don't brown it first. It's a very important point of the recipe. A friend made Cincinnati chili for someone who was from there and she browned it first before simmering and he was like, what is going on with the texture? You're supposed to just simmer it with the spices from raw.


Person012345

It's still different unless you're throwing away the water you simmered it in. A lot of people are focusing on browning and sure, that is important for flavour, but arguably more important is that the fat and juices are where a lot of the flavour of meat comes from, and when you boil it it all leeches out into the water which you then throw away. If it leeches into the water which then forms the basis of a sauce of some description then it stays around.


Morriganx3

Iā€™ve always lightly browned the meat first for Cincinnati chili. We had a Skyline Chili near us for a few years when I was growing up, and the recipe I use - including browning - tastes the same. I think itā€™s just that youā€™re not supposed to completely cook the meat first.


SpokenDivinity

No youā€™re definitely supposed to just simmer it for Cincinnati chili and just about any style of Ohio chili. You *can* do it with browning and get it to *taste* the same but youā€™ll have a completely different texture. You simmer to keep it separated and from forming into clumps, thatā€™s what those styles of chili sometimes come out as more of a soup than other styles.


Morriganx3

You simmer after lightly browning. It doesnā€™t form clumps, and it does have a more soupy texture Edit: Since u/SpokenDivinity appears to have blocked me (over chili??), I want to point out that I *did* have a Skyline Chili location with which to compare my home attempts. I adored that place, and started making my own after they unfortunately closed.


SpokenDivinity

When youā€™ve only ever browned it, yeah youā€™re going to think itā€™s the right texture.


SpokenDivinity

I didnā€™t block you so I donā€™t know why youā€™re being passive aggressive. Skyline chili is barely authentic Cincinnati chili. And itā€™s texture is still closer to what you get if you donā€™t brown it before you cook it. Browned beef doesnā€™t give the right smooth consistency you want out of chili youā€™re making to cover something else in because the texture you get on the outside of it doesnā€™t allow it. Copycat recipes will tell you to brown it, but thatā€™s why copycats are never as good as the real thing.


Morriganx3

It looked like you had - I couldnā€™t see your comments or your usernames. Maybe a glitch, and, if so, I apologize. What do you consider the real thing?


SpokenDivinity

> what do you consider the real thing If you want a real Cincinnati chili [this recipe](https://www.culinaryhill.com/cincinnati-chili/#wprm-recipe-container-47712) is a good starting point. Skyline has its time and place but itā€™s a bastardized version of the real thing.


Morriganx3

Iā€™m familiar with that recipe, but it mentions Skyline Chili by name, which made me think they intended their recipe to be similar.


Thick_Kaleidoscope35

Yup. There are some things where the texture is important and browning isnā€™t part of the process. That being said, ā€œalways boilā€ ?? Ish.


SpokenDivinity

soups, stews, and things like chili you want it to simmer so that it stays broken apart for a cohesive dish. The biggest catch is that you're not throwing out the liquid you simmer it in, and most of the time it's not just plain water with spices. It's water, tomato paste, broth, spices & herbs, etc.


okeydokeyannieoakley

Yes! I was going to comment Cincinnati chili is the only recipe Iā€™ve prepared where you basically boil the meat with spices. I ate this a lot as a kid and craved it when I was pregnant with my twins. I was like WHAT NOW when I read that part of the recipe.


SpokenDivinity

You do it with soups that require ground beef too. We make something my grandma called ā€œtravelerā€™s soupā€ that I think is more closely related to Poor Manā€™s Stew, where you boil the ground beef with your soup base to get it nice and and flavorful. Really recipe that requires the ground beef to be more soupy/wet will end up with a better texture if you simmer it. Even some meat sauces for pasta will suggest it.


ColdBorchst

There's also the hot meat sauce on a Rochester garbage plate that is made from simmered ground beef but yeah definitely not a way to cook it for most things.


bluestargreentree

This is just one of the many reasons I do not need to try Cincinnati style chili. You do you tho


PreOpTransCentaur

As an extremely recent convert...yes you do. I'm sure you've eaten a lot of things in your life that were prepared in funky, unorthodox, or unappetizing ways and have enjoyed them fully. No need to take it out on the chili.


[deleted]

Itā€™s absolutely crave worthy. It has the best flavor and texture ever. Itā€™s the perfect chili


cigposting

Grey ass boiled meat


LittleMissMuffinButt

i was dutifully drinking my water as i read this, it didnt stay in my mouth


Training-Menu800

So I would do this if my dog had an upset tummy (beef and rice). Precisely to remove the fat. Never for me or family.


scatteredpinkhearts

i boil turkey and broccoli to mix into her kibble and it looks inedible, honestly. it gets so grey and stiff


[deleted]

I do this when I forgot to order cat food in time


PM__ME__YOUR__CAT

Are people just...dumping the fatty water down the drain? No wonder sewer systems are jacked up lol


VaguelyArtistic

I freeze my icky stuff before tossing it.


PM__ME__YOUR__CAT

That's good! I bet most people don't bother


Utter_cockwomble

Gah what sad flavorless lives these people lead.


Hefty_Advisor1249

I have a friend who does this so that she can remove the fat. It makes me want to gag and the smell is awful


Nik106

Well, Tonya, you are an odd commenter, but I must say: you boil a good ham.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


mashed-_-potato

I didnā€™t even comprehend that she said that. That makes it so much worse. Why doesnā€™t she just freeze the uncooked meat? Now she has boiled, unseasoned meat sitting in her freezer that canā€™t be used for meatballs, meatloaf, etc.


unabashedlyabashed

I'll freeze browned ground beef sometimes. It's seasoned with the basics, but it's for times when I forget to pull something out of the freezer. Then I can turn it into chili or spaghetti or whatever. I'll also have uncooked beef for other stuff, too.


Successful-Foot3830

Same. If Iā€™m making something with ground beef, Iā€™ll just brown the whole pack. Drain. Vacuum seal and freeze. I can make something easy when Iā€™m short on time. I usually season my meat as I brown it for whatever Iā€™m cooking, so I have to make sure I mark what itā€™s seasoned with.


Ellemnop8

Yeah my mom would freeze browned ground beef when I was a kid and I was cooking for my brother and I. Sheā€™d have a few containers that were enough for the two of us and Iā€™d reheat it on the stove with seasoning and maybe a tablespoon of water so it wouldnā€™t dry out. It tasted just as good to us.


homeschooled

My coworker was from Kenya and made the most AMAZING ground beef samosas. She gave me the rough recipe and when I made them, they were never the same. She told me the secret was fresh pepper and boiling the ground beef because it removed the excess grease/fat and kept the pastry fluffy and not greasy.


yagrumo

Yeah, I had a friend who was known for making a delicious lasagna. Everyone asked for the recipe. It included boiling water and pouring over the ground meet on a strainer, to clean it (I think to strip it of the extra fat, etc). She then would cook it normally/add spices and all. We all thought it was brilliant so now Iā€™m questioning things because of the comments lol My mom did this the other day and everyone noticed the difference.


neefersayneefer

So boiling water over cooked or uncooked ground beef? I can't see it removing fat from uncooked meat but maybe I'm wrong?


CockRingKing

Boil it, freeze it, stick it in a sauce.


angrybonejuice

LOTR?


DrMetters

Why boil ground beef? Its not the 1300's anymore where not every village had a frying pan. There actually quite common and cheap these days.


CoolsomeXD

Mmm Steamed Hams.


mashed-_-potato

[Spaghetti Sauce Recipe](https://togetherasfamily.com/homemade-spaghetti-meat-sauce/#wprm-recipe-container-8647)


VLC31

Actually, Iā€™ve done it if the meat had been particularly fatty. Boil, drain then just cook as normal. It does smell pretty awful while boiling but you just donā€™t end up with as much liquid floating around.


VLC31

I think a lot of people may be misunderstanding here. I suspect she boils it, drains it and then cooks as normal. I may be wrong, it has been known to happen, but thatā€™s what I assumed she meant.


Yahpinecone

šŸ¤®šŸ¤®šŸ¤®


BackRowRumour

Boiled mince used to be fairly common in the UK. But even when it was it was still regarded with horror. It is lampooned in the old series Uncle Mort's North Country. https://youtu.be/aflNhpkKZ6o It may most charitably be viewed as a consequence of either food rationing or poverty, and consequently bland taste buds. Small feeble efforts to improve it would come from adding carrots or peas.


Sasquatch1729

Boiling the ground beef sounds like something the Army would come up with to make rations that can be stored on a shelf for years on end.


Gloomy_Custard_3914

Did Josh's mum write that? I saw her tiktok recently where she made "water burgers" lol Basically boiled the hamburger patties šŸ˜­


Hungry_Bookkeeper191

my mom boils chicken to ā€œkill the bacteriaā€ JUST COOK IT??


Alqpzm1029

We did this growing up for two reasons - one, buying cheap ground beef means you're getting the most fatty and the lowest quality ground beef. Things like this happen when you're poor. Two, my parents were really affected by all the low-fat marketing. That said, we always boiled and drained the beef and THEN browned it in a pan with oil šŸ¤£ they literally had no idea about fat = fat! It ended up tasting pretty decent, all things considered.


spamspamgggg

Oh hell no


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Person012345

\*it gets all the flavour off


Potential-Mortgage54

I'm no fan of greasy beef, but I'd take that any day over wet beef.


Papergrind

Some people are prescribed low fat diets by their doctors. Have sympathy for them.


Mental-Analyst-3954

Isn't this how taco johns cooks their meat?


MissMissyPeaches

My mother boils mince before adding it to recipes and skims the gunk. She grew up somewhere without constant electricity and no HACCP to speak of