how to get mince small

[strawberry01]

Whenever I make chilli/spag bol etc I can never get the mince to be small (ground?). How do I do it? I normally chop the mince up with scissors in the pan. Am I being really stupid

I think it is possible you are not cooking it for long enough. I usually add some stock or the water used to rinse out the tin of tomatoes and simmer it on a low temp for a good half an hour

I tend to cook it first and just stir stir stir until it breaks up all small like. But will watch to see if some one comes along with a better idea

How do you cook it? I normally start with frying a chopped onion till it soft then adding mince...then just fry it slowly stabbing it with a wooden spoon to break it up and stirring it until meat is brown. I don't think I've ever had lumpy mince!

You always get small mince if you rinse it

I have the same problem. I have switched to using frozen mince which is far less effort than all that stirring!

I think you have to bash it about quite a lot with a wooden spoon. I soften the onion, then add the mince and give it a good battering before adding other stuff.

No HoneyDragon just no!
Mince is not for rinsing!

I don't like bitty mince. I prefer chunky bits. If you brown it for ages pushing it with a spoon it breaks down a lot though. It depends on the mince as well.

I sometimes whizz my Cooked bolognaise in the food processor for a few secs to make it smaller, good for lasagne.

Break it down continuously with a fork as you are Browning it.

I chop the mince in the opposite direction to the lines (if that makes sense) which helps a bit.

Blend it or use a masher... I hate mince that isn't finely ground and this is what I do.

Cool it slowly, otherwise the outside will just brown in lumps. Then cook in the liquid. Mince needs 2-3 hrs cooking

It goes bitty if you cook it in the liquid of the sauce rather than just frying it and then heating the sauce through.

So yes cooking for a long time and/or add the sauce type ingredients earlier.

I pull mine apart in strands from the packet.

I cook mince for dishes like chilli or bolognese or shepherd's pie for at least two hours after all the ingredients are in.

Also, I chop it up thoroughly when it is in the pan at the browning stage.

Whizz it with a hand held electric mixer, works a treat I used to do it this way when weaning my babies.

Hand held mixer makes excellent, guaranteed lump-free mashed potatoes too and with a lot less effort than using a masher

^^after cooking the mince, that is

If I want it small and it's in long strands in the packet I chop it width ways. I prefer it like this.
I've also snipped it with a scissors whilst it's cooking.

I've asked in a supermarket if that can mince it again and they're mostly been happy to oblige....they have those massive machines so it's no hassle for them as long as it's counter bought rather than pre packed.

Excuse typos!

Smoosh it with a fork in the pan. I also cook mince for at least an hour and a half.

I buy ground beef from the butcher, not minced beef. It's much nicer.

Thanks everyone will try out some of your suggestions tonight. I think going to and asking the butcher for ground mince might be the easiest option in future

I squash it with a potato masher while it's browning to break it up and find that butcher mince breaks up easier than the supermarket mince that comes in "worms". Cooking it in the pressure cooker helps too.

When the mince is still in the packaging, add a splash of red wine and mix it up a bit and leave it for a 5-10 mins or so to kind of absorb.. I don't know the science but I find this really helps to stop it from getting all clumped together during cooking. And YES to the attacking with a wooden spoon while browning to break up any lumps and yes to simmering and reducing for a good while.