Oil for cooking ground beef?

[Mark V]

I see a lot of recipes call for adding oil to the pan when cooking ground beef. I never have, figured the fat in the ground beef was enough for cooking and browning. I usually don't buy the lean stuff. I usually buy 80% for general cooking and 70% for burgers. I just never imagined added oil would be necessary. Should I have been adding oil all this time?

[Jerod Broussard]

Crap no. The wolly world stuff leaves BEHIND oil.

[latenight71]

it depends on what i'm cooking on for me. a good non-stick pan or well-seasoned griddle top or cast iron and i'll use little to no oil. crappy old metal pan at a rental ski condo and i'll use a bit more oil so it won't stick before the fat has a chance to render.

[smokin fool]

I'll usually put a drop of EVO or vegetable oil about the size of a quarter in the center of the pan when I fry ground beef.
Helps out until the fats in the meat starts breaking down.

[Panhead John]

I never use oil for ground beef. It always has enough fat to not stick. Just don’t cook it on high first, give the fat a few minutes to render.

[HawkerXP]

10W-30 is what I run in all my ....wait...what?

[smokin fool]

Synthetic????

[bbqLuv]

I like the spray non-stick, WD-40.

[RonB]

Have you had a problem with the GB stickin'? If not, keep on truckin".

[Mr. Bones]

Addin an Extry "LIKE", round bout cheer...!!!

[RichieB]

I put a bit oil on the burger, then ground pepper. Especially helpful when cooking on Grill Grates. In a CI, I think it helps with the sear.

[shify]

Just a tad to get it started before the fat in the beef begins rendering out

[DavidNorcross]

If I am using 80/20, then I do not add oil.

[ecowper]

I normally buy the Costco 90/10 1 lb chubs in the frozen section. I add some grape seed oil to it .... 2 tsp per pound, roughly, cause it’s too lean for my taste.

[Mr. Bones]

Truth be told,:

Deepest, Darkest Secret is:

Whenever I even begin to cogitate upon fixin to commence to begin even kinda sorta utilizin any kinda my cast iron utensils, there's either gonna be butter, lard, tallow, or bacon grease involved...failure to comply is not a currently viable option, at present.

Onliest use I have fer hot dry cast iron is heatin tortillas on my plancha.

[coolfins]

Ya, what he said. What exactly did he say?

[ecowper]

Cast iron and some sort of fat/oil go together like salt and pepper!

[Mr. Bones]

coolfins

I dunno; haveta reckon I couldn't rightly make me out nary a word of it, my danged ol self???

[willxfmr]

The only time I add any fat is when I make hamburger stroganoff. The recipe calls for 3T butter to fry the meat and onions in, and it makes a difference in the final product if you don't use it. Other than that, I start in a hot pan and let it stick. those stuck bits are where the flavor is at.

[gcdmd]

Exactly! When I set out to brown a quantity of loose ground meat (cured or uncured), I make it into a big patty and sear both sides before breaking it up. If the meat is unseasoned I salt both sides (about one teaspoon of salt per pound of meat) and let the patty sit for a while before searing.

[Rocinante]

I usually go low and with a lid on for the first 5 minutes or so. Once the meat begins cooking, I will gently remove the lid, preventing the condensation from dripping back into the skillet and splatter all over the place. I will also add a small amount on my griddle when making smashburgers.

[gcdmd]

coolfins

The Works of John Paul Ritcher are almost unintelligible to any but Germans, and even to some of them. A worthy German, just before Ritcher's death, edited a complete edition of his works, in which one particular passage fairly puzzled him.—Determined to have it explained at the source, he went to John Paul himself, and asked him what was the meaning of the mysterious passage. John Paul's reply was very German and characteristic. "My good friend," said he, "when I wrote that passage, God and I knew what it meant. It is probable that God knows it still; but as for me, I have totally forgotten."

Robert Browning – Quote Investigator