If your beef mince is lacking in flavour and moisture, there's one cupboard staple that could deliver the most flavoursome results11:22, 07 Jul 2026Updated 11:27, 07 Jul 2026Beef mince is one of the most versatile and easy to cook ingredients, from comforting dishes in winter to making homemade burgers for a summer barbecue. One problem that can occur when cooking beef mince is that it can be easily overcooked and dried out.‌However, some food experts argue that there’s one surprise ingredient you can coat beef mince in to help improve its flavour and make it incredibly tender — and you probably already have it in your kitchen cupboard. Writer and recipe developer Nancy wrote for Simply Recipes: “There’s a theory out there that adding a little baking soda to ground beef before cooking it makes the beef tastier and juicier.‌“How is it possible that the ingredient that makes muffins fluffy and papier-mâché volcanoes erupt also makes ground beef more delicious? I decided to find out!”‌How to cook mince so it doesn't dry outTo see if there was a noticeable difference, Nancy cooked two batches of minced beef, one with and one without baking soda. Nancy made a slurry using a quarter teaspoon of baking soda with two tablespoons of water.The liquid should then be delicately added to the mince before it’s even hit the pan. Allow the mince to rest in the fridge for around 15 minutes so the meat can soak until the baking soda mixture. When cooking the mince, sear it in the pan for a few minutes before breaking it apart.‌Cook until all the pink has disappeared from the meat. You will notice that the mince will brown quicker on the surface when baking soda is added to the meat.In fact, Nancy said that the meat will develop a deeper brown colour than mince without baking soda. When comparing the results, Nancy said: “When I tasted the two cooked batches side by side, I found that the browning made a very really noticeable difference in flavour. The baking soda beef had a deeper, more savory beefy taste than the regular batch.”‌However, one factor she noticed was that the moisture didn’t appear to be too dissimilar between the baking soda and non-baking soda batches. The results were just as tender.Nancy suggested using a baking soda concoction for a leaner mince beef rather than one with a higher fat content.She continued: “I really liked that improved flavour in the ground beef, though. Mixing a little baking soda into the meat is a pretty easy step to take—and if it means a more flavourful base for my beef dishes, I’m all in.”Article continues belowHow can baking soda improve mince beef?Bicarbonate of soda is a mildly alkaline substance. When combined with beef, it increases the pH level of the meat's proteins, preventing them from contracting as much during cooking.This keeps beef mince as succulent as possible, resulting in a wonderfully tender and flavoursome dish. When meat has a higher pH level, it accelerates the browning reaction on the surface as it is less acidic, which helps the beef mince turn out golden brown and slightly crispy.Adding bicarb is an incredibly simple way to enhance beef mince, making it far more flavoursome and significantly improving the texture without having to splash out on an expensive cut of meat.