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Do you brown your meat/meat pieces before putting them in the SC?
Obviously you get more flavour when the meat is browned but doesn't it also make it a bit tougher? Does it depend on the dish? Do you brown it off when you're doing a pot roast? A curry?
TIA
so far i have never browned anything but when i cooked lamb shanks DH said would have been better to brown first (also coat in flour)
I brown my chicken (very lightly) before making a curry (I probably would with other meat too). I think as long as it's just browned and not cooked through it's OK. I find it doesn't make the meat tougher at all, the SC tenderises it beautifully.
I never do, because I can't be bothered/run out of time. I don't understand how the flavour would be better - wouldn't the meat juices cook through with everything else, making it tastier??
Generally if I want it brwoned I don't use the SC.
I've tried browning the roast first but I didn't make a big differance to flavour.
I think browning it is more about the appearance anyway? :dunno:
Some I do, and some I dont... I usually follow recipes, and do what they say, but most often I brown chicken, and larger cuts of meat, or just throw in raw cubed meat... That doesn't really help does it :lol:
Oh, and if you coat in flour to make the sauce thicken I put that in raw...
i too thought it was about appearance. Brown meat looks better in some things. I brown if we're having guests, don't bother if it's just us. I haven't noticed any difference in flavor or tenderness...
If i'm frying off onion and garlic anyway, then i generally brown the meat as the pan is already out...
sometimes I do, sometimes I dont.... I dont really understand why you should though?
Now Ange's post has me thinking too... why do you need to brown off onion first?
Nup, never bothered.
Nup, never have.
Defeats the purpose here of getting a good healthy dinner done at lunch time if I have to go to so much hassle....:p. I'd rather have a lazy day and cook it all at night if I bothered to brown.
Plus between the kids and house work I'd never use the SC if I browned.....;)
Nah, I don't.
Caramelised onion ans garlic is sweeter. I brown my spices too because it releases the flavour better.:
Thanks everyone for your replies. I used to never brown and used the SC more, now I brown and it gets used less. A lot less. I guess there's a lesson in that.
BTW Dach I concur re sweetness of onions and flavour of spices. It *does* make a difference!
Exactly what i do!:
i always brown meat for casseroles and always caramelise onions - makes the whole dish taste so much better, especially soups
I must be the odd one out - I brown meat before it goes in the SC. Purely for the look of it I guess ;)