"Gary" > wrote in message ...
>l not -l wrote:
>>
>> On 14-Sep-2014, Travis McGee > wrote:
>>
>> > I see this all the time in recipes, but I have never been sure as to
>> > what it means. Does it mean brown to the point that there is a crispy
>> > crust, or does it just mean to cook until the pinkness is gone?
>>
>> What do you prefer? I've always interpreted it to be an aesthetic thing;
>> remove the pink. However, depending on the intended use, I might let it
>> get
>> a little crusty. The crust seems a good idea if the maillard reaction,
>> or
>> crunch, would enhance the dish; but, if it gets overpowered by other
>> aspects
>> of the dish, it seems unnecessary. While I never gave it much, if any,
>> thought, my take is - it all depends.
>
> I used to occasionally make a beef stew in the crockpot and I always
> used raw beef chunks. Then I tried browning them on all sides and the
> taste was enhanced very muchly. It certainly does make a difference.

And I noticed no difference. I used to always brown and now I don't.