BS: Sealing meat and frying onion

Subject: BS: Sealing meat and frying onion
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 27 Aug 10 - 06:18 AM

Whenever I make a casserole or a stew I seal and brown the meat and fry the onion first. Is it really necessary to always do that? I dutifully do it every time but does it make any difference to the taste?

Subject: RE: BS: Sealing meat and frying onion
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 27 Aug 10 - 06:49 AM

Yes - The caramelization of the meat and onions adds to the taste. The colour of the meat is also different.

Subject: RE: BS: Sealing meat and frying onion
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 27 Aug 10 - 07:05 AM

Carmelizing makes loads of flavour without adding sugar or salt.

I used to boil 2 or 3 whole chickens at a time. Take the carcass, skin and bones after picking the meat off and put them under the broiler in the oven with onion and celery until they were all brown and crispy. Then reboil carcass and veg with some herbs in the chicken broth from first boiling.


Then freeze the stock with picked chicken in several containers for future use in soup, stew, gravy.

Subject: RE: BS: Sealing meat and frying onion
From: Mrrzy
Date: 27 Aug 10 - 04:57 PM

Also add spices to the onions, mellows tham.

In other words, our mothers were right...

Subject: RE: BS: Sealing meat and frying onion
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 27 Aug 10 - 05:36 PM

The garlic is with the onions, so gets browned as well.

Subject: RE: BS: Sealing meat and frying onion
From: Joe_F
Date: 27 Aug 10 - 06:20 PM

On the other hand, if you meet a seal, you might get browned off.

Subject: RE: BS: Sealing meat and frying onion
From: leeneia2
Date: 27 Aug 10 - 06:33 PM

Nowadays when I make a stew or pot roast, I do it in a slow cooker. I saute the onions in a little oil first, but I no longer bother with browning the meat. It makes such a mess and it doesn't seem to make any difference by the end of the cooking time.

Subject: RE: BS: Sealing meat and frying onion
From: Rapparee
Date: 27 Aug 10 - 06:38 PM

I take the plastic sealing off the meat before I cook it or it melts to the pan and makes a real mess.

Subject: RE: BS: Sealing meat and frying onion
From: leeneia2
Date: 28 Aug 10 - 02:55 PM

a valid point, Rapaire.

True story - my sister-in-law cooked her first whole chicken and left the bag of organ meats inside it. She only did it that way once.

Subject: RE: BS: Sealing meat and frying onion
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Aug 10 - 03:36 PM

The question is a little ambiguous, because it is not clear what cut of meat you are preparing or how. If it is a brisket, just boil it. If it is a steak, browning is what you do, in a hot, hot pan. If it is stew meat for braising, brown it first.

Try once putting the meat in a cold pan and then heating it up. It will come out v. tough & flavorless.

Subject: RE: BS: Sealing meat and frying onion
From: Bill D
Date: 28 Aug 10 - 05:45 PM

"...left the bag of organ meats inside it. "

Old joke (I hope it's a joke)

Woman to her new cook: "Patsy, did you stuff the chicken?"

New cook: "Didn't need to, Ma'm..it weren't empty."