A chili that is done before the evening is

You do not need a six-hour pot for chili. You need browned beef, spices that have met hot fat, and a simmer long enough for the tomatoes to lose their raw edge. Forty-five minutes uncovered does that. The lid stays off so the sauce reduces. If it gets too thick, add a splash of broth. If it is still soupy at 40 minutes, give it another 10.

Brown the beef in one layer if your pot is small. Steam is what makes gray meat. Pour off the fat before the onion goes in, or the chili will taste greasy no matter how long you simmer it.

Spice, beans, and the sour cream

Toast the chili powder and cumin in the fat for a minute before any liquid goes in. Raw cumin tastes dusty. The pinch of light brown sugar is there to take the edge off the tomato, not to make it sweet. A teaspoon is enough.

Canned kidney beans go in with the tomatoes so they pick up the sauce without turning to mush. Rinse them if you want less of the can liquid. Out of sour cream for the top, the sour cream substitutes page has the ratios. Plain yogurt is the closest if you are serving it cold on the chili, not stirring it into a boil.

If the pot is thin and you want it thicker in a hurry, mash a few beans against the side, or stir in a teaspoon of cornstarch mixed with a spoon of cold water. The cornstarch substitutes page covers flour if that is what you have. Add it at the end and simmer two minutes.

Chili keeps four days in the fridge and freezes well for three months. Loosen it with a little water when you reheat it.