Mama Wallace's Girls: Browning Ground Beef

Browning ground beef is a useful cooking skill. Ground beef can be used in so many dishes. After I make this batch I'm making Taco Salad, but you could make tacos, burritos, spaghetti sauce, lasagna, Sloppy Joes and much more!

You will need a skillet/ frying pan
A (we call it a pancake turner) metal turner-WARNING: DO NOT USE ON NON-STICK PANS!
1 pound of ground beef
salt and pepper to taste ( I just give about 5 shakes)
1Tablespoon dried onions
1 teaspoon dried garlic
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 Tablespoon of oil, I used sunflower oil but you can use vegetable oil
Also a large bowl and metal strainer

Get your parents permission before you cook, maybe even their help!

Always wash your hands before you cook and after you touch raw meat or raw meat packaging.

Turn the burner (you know the thing you cook on that gets hot...lol, I know you know this but just to be sure) The burner should be as close to the size of your pan as you can get; too small a burner and you food won't cook evenly, to large for your pan and you could get burned. By the way, being burned hurts, as my girls say "If it hurts, Don't do that!"

Place the pan on the burner. Turn to medium high heat, if using gas turn the flame to medium.

You want the pan to start getting warm before you add the oil, warm not hot. Wait about a minute.

Add oil and let oil heat in the pan for a minute.

Add the ground beef, be careful remember the pan and oil are hot.

Be careful! Grease from the oil and the beef can splatter. So take a lot of care when adding the beef.

Time to start seasoning.

I start with salt, if you want to measure use 1/4 teaspoon or shake 5 times.

Also add pepper, I like pepper so I shake 5or 6 times.

Add the dried onions.

Add dried garlic.

Add cumin, a spice that adds a smoky flavor.

After added all of your spices mix it together and begin to break up the meat with the tip of the turner.

With heat on medium to medium high cook ground beef for 10 to 15 minutes. Until you see no pink in the meat.

Here comes a trick part. Draining the beef. I use a large bowl and a metal strainer.

You don't want all of that fat in your food. I know I added oil to begin with, but that was because I didn't want it to stick to the pan.

You can now choose how to uses the beef. I'm making taco salad for dinner. You can either buy a taco seasoning mix at the store or make your own. I'm making my own.