Yield: 4 servings (4 oz / 113 g raw beef each)

Baking Soda Ground Beef: Does It Work? (1/4 tsp per lb)

A fact-check of the kitchen trick: what a small dose of baking soda does to pH, moisture and browning in ground beef, what ATK found, and what goes wrong with too much.

Prep Time5 minutes

Cook Time10 minutes

Rest after mixing15 minutes

Total Time30 minutes

Ingredients

Ground beef

• 1 lb (454 g) lean ground beef, 90/10 or 93/7, 454 g; 80/20 works but gains less
• 1/4 tsp (1.15 g) baking soda, 1.15 g; food-grade, aluminum-free, not baking powder
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) water, 15 mL; dissolves the soda so it spreads evenly
• salt and pepper, add after the rest, to taste

Instructions

Method

1. Dissolve the soda. Stir 1/4 tsp (1.15 g) baking soda into 1 tbsp (15 mL) water until no grains are left.
2. Work it through the beef. Break 1 lb (454 g) beef into a wide bowl. Drizzle the solution over it and mix with your hands or a fork until it is spread evenly, with no dry spots or pooled liquid.
3. Rest 15 minutes. Let the beef sit for 15 minutes. A longer soak adds very little, and the meat should not be out of the fridge past 2 hours in total.
4. Season and heat the pan. Season the rested beef. Heat the skillet, then add the beef in an even layer, broken into similar-size pieces, without crowding.
5. Wait for color. Leave the beef alone until it shows color on the bottom. Stirring early squeezes out moisture. Then break it up and keep cooking.
6. Check 160 F. Cook until a food thermometer reads 160 F (71 C). Color is not a reliable sign it is done. If you drain, keep about 1 tbsp of fat in the pan.

Notes

Dose: 1/4 tsp per lb is the low end of published doses. ATK tested 1/4 tsp per 12 oz (340 g), about 1/3 tsp per lb, and The Daily Meal uses 1/2 tsp per lb.

Nutrition note: values are estimates calculated by us from the USDA FoodData Central entry for raw 90/10 ground beef (FDC 174030) plus the baking soda, per 4 oz (113 g) raw serving. Sodium is about 75 mg from the beef and about 79 mg from the soda. Cooking and draining change the final numbers.

Storage: raw ground meat keeps 1 to 2 days in the refrigerator and 3 to 4 months in the freezer for best quality (FoodSafety.gov). We found no source on freezing beef already treated with baking soda.