Tonight, my mother-in-law cooked dinner with ground beef, but she didn’t rinse it. I couldn’t eat it, and I kept my kids from eating it too. I always rinse ground beef before cooking. I can’t believe she doesn’t do that. Isn’t it necessary?

They want to reduce fat and calories.

They don’t like excess grease pooling in the dish.

👉 Why many don’t rinse:

Rinsing can splash hot fat around, which is a burn risk.

It washes away flavor (since seasonings and browned bits go down the drain).

It can clog drains with cooled fat.

If you prefer leaner meat, a common alternative is to:

Drain off the fat with a spoon or by carefully tilting the pan.

Start with leaner ground beef (90% or 93% lean).

So, your mother-in-law isn’t doing anything unsafe by skipping the rinse—she’s just cooking the way many people do.