A process of cooking whereby a food is cooked with the goal of adding a tasty, brown colored crust to the item in question. This part of the definition is universal, independent of what food is being browned. Specific to meats, I should add that browning can be used to cook a food while also removing excess amounts of fat. Regardless, the process of browning initiates a chemical reaction known as a Maillard reaction, named for a, you guessed it, French chef. Side note, browning is an interesting topic to look at in the context of gastronomy.

If you want to quickly brown something, consider cooking the food on a high temperature for a short period of time. If browning is the goal, then cook to color. This may not be ideal for completely cooking the food in question, depending on what is being browned. Likewise, while you can brown at lower temperatures, you run a greater risk of overcooking your food before you get the desired brown color.

If you’re concerned about whether browning is healthy for you as a cooking technique or not healthy for you, the answer is more complicated than that. Strictly speaking, both healthy and unhealthy byproducts come from the Maillard reaction that takes place as a result of browning. For more information, I recommend looking at this paper as a place to start. Click here.