If your ground beef isn’t breaking apart evenly while cooking, it may be that you're not using the right tools for the job. A meat masher, as defined by Taste of Home, is a "handheld tool with pinwheel-shaped nylon blades that easily chop meat into tiny equal size pieces,” but chances are better the masher you have on hand is designed for potatoes.

According to the subreddit r/foodhacks, a potato masher can also be used for ground beef, as the unique design can press, squash, and break up thawed or fresh ground beef without much trouble. Some commenters liked the idea but noted that metal potato mashers can do damage to an enamel pan or pot, and might not be best for large amounts of meat.

According to a video on YouTube from Emily Knight, you should first use the edge of the potato masher to break up the meat into small chunks before mashing the meat until it crumbles and spreads evenly across the pan. Knight claims that perfectly crumbled meat seasons more evenly and helps when rolling up tacos or filling casserole pans.