Brown or Color

These two terms are used interchangeably. They generally refer to cooking a food in fat until the surface takes on a golden or brownish color. Instructions can vary, depending on the degree of color to be attained (“until it begins to color,” “until lightly browned,” or simply “brown”).

Food should be browned in a pan large enough for it to all sit on the bottom without piling up; if this is impossible, the food will have to be browned in several batches. Browning is a preliminary operation, so even if the food is divided into batches to brown, it should all be placed in the pot together to finish cooking.