Step 1

Fill a saucepan with cold water (you can add seasoning if you wish) and bring it to the boil. You need enough water to cover the beef you’re going to add.

Step 2

Turn the heat down so the water is simmering.

Step 3

Break the raw ground beef into small pieces using your hands and add it to the simmering water.

Step 4

Stir the beef frequently while it’s cooking. You can break up any clumps with a potato masher. The beef should take around 5-10 minutes to cook depending on how much you have.

Step 5

Once it’s cooked through (no longer pink), remove the ground beef from the water. DO NOT pour the cooking water down the sink. It’s full of fat and will clog your drain. Instead, pour the water into a big bowl.

Step 6

Rinse the beef to get rid of any excess fat (optional).

Step 7

Add the beef to your chosen dish, or save it for later. You can also save the fat and cooking water for later use.

Step 8

Turn the stove onto a low heat.

Step 9

Break your ground beef up by hand and add it to your pan (a deep skillet is best because this encourages steaming/boiling rather than frying).

Step 10

Add the liquid. A ¼ of a cup for every pound of beef is a good amount.

Step 11

Mix the beef and the liquid together (the beef will turn quite mushy, but don’t worry. As it cooks, it will firm up). The liquid will start to boil, so you’re effectively boiling the beef as in method 1.

Step 12

Continue to mix and crush the beef with your potato masher until it’s fully cooked. Most of the liquid should have evaporated off by now, and the beef will be nice and crumbled.

Step 13

Add your seasonings and continue with your dish as normal.