Browning is the process of partially cooking meat to help remove excessive fat and to give the meat a brown color and flavor via the Maillard reaction. Ground meat will frequently be browned prior to adding other ingredients and completing the cooking the process. The process is commonly used when adding ground meat to casseroles or other prepackaged food products like Hamburger Helper.

It is typically done using a frying pan, which generally should be preheated to avoid sticking. When browning ground beef, the meat is stirred during cooking to break it up and to promote even browning. Onions and seasonings are sometimes added during the browning process. When the pink color has disappeared and the meat has reached the desired degree of brownness, the pan is removed from the heat and the excess fat is drained off.