The baking soda is the major source of sodium in baked goods. I’m on a low sodium diet, and read a lot of food labels. Read the sodium level in bread sometime, it’ll surprise you.

Well it slows the absorption of protein, and also cuts down on your stomach acids working as they should. For some it can be beneficial but you should consult your pcp before making a decision.

I’m married to a nurse btw.

Most, if not all the water that comes out of ground beef is bc the butchers INJECT water into the meat before it's ground up, thus making it weigh more and costing more. They do that with big hunks of meat too.

I was not aware of that.

I was a butcher/meat cutter for 26 years and ran a meat market for 20 of those years for 2 major supermarket chains. I must have been sick the day they had water added to hamburger training..... Oh, I know, They must have had it on the opening day of "Bigfoot" hunting season which I take off every year.

You don’t have to consult a doctor before using baking soda in food. It doesn’t effect protein anymore than any other meat tenderizer including pineapple juice. It doesn’t affect stomach acids any more than eating Tums.

I dont think for a second that putting it on meat would harm you in any way. Nor do I see any need to put it on meat or will I put it on meat.

after a little research ... Briefly soaking meat in a solution of baking soda and water raises the pH on the meat's surface, making it more difficult for the proteins to bond excessively, which keeps the meat tender and moist when it's cooked.

of course you rinse the meat before cooking.

interesting

The only time I care about getting a brown crust on hamburger meat is if I’m cooking hamburger patties in a skillet. Not really understanding this lol.

I always do. Especially with something like chili. Brown the meat really good and the deglaze the pan and then saute the vegetables.

Browning the meat in batches where the moisture from the meat wont steam it will get you this -


instead of this.

I got you. I brown lots of meat, have just never actually browned hamburger meat like that.

Searing and browning is where the flavors at! It's my understanding this is good for sauteeing onions too if you like them carmelized. Going to give a try on the Blackstone tonight.

Very true! I sear and brown most meats I cook, that's step one for making a gravy. I've just never tried to get a crust on loose ground meat. Maybe I should try it.
I'm a big fan of caramelized onions, and about to do just that here in a minute.

I use either granulated onion powder, or fresh onion, to do this with red-meats.
I would never use baking soda, as the extra sodium is not worth it for me when I already have the above (onion) - a much healthier (and tastier) option!

Taco Tuesday at the casa tonight and the missus wanted a basic ground beef crispy taco. Tried the baking soda on the burger meat and let it sit for 15 minutes before cooking. It started browning quickly and then the liquid released and slowed the browning. Overall it browned faster but I can't say that the flavor was noticeably different from the way I've always done it. Not sure it's worth the trouble but I may give a try on pork chops on the griddle and a couple other things.

I will actually tilt my pan, once the cooking starts in earnest, and drain the liquid to the side and cook on the upper portion of the pan. A small ladle will remove most of that liquid into a can or bowl, and the pieces cook up very nice. It will usually require a second batch of meat to be cooked, but a small price to pay for getting it just right and crusty.

As much as I love hamburger meat with a good crust on it, I still about 60% of the time just chuck a frozen block of it in the pan and scrape it off as it thaws because I'm lazy.