Preparation

1. Place ground beef in a bowl and add your favorite spices for flavor. Salt and pepper are staples, but don't shy away from minced garlic; cubed day-old Italian bread; grated Parmesan or another Italian hard cheese; or fresh or dried herbs. Add Mexican flavors, such as diced green chiles, and shredded queso blanco cheese, or Asian ingredients, such as ginger and soy sauce.

2. Add one or two eggs to the ground beef mixture to bind the ingredients together, and combine with clean hands. Use your hands to ensure that you don't overmix the ingredients and create a paste. Aim for visible pieces of ground beef or vegetables.

3. Fill a cereal-sized bowl with warm water from the kitchen faucet. Dip a small scoop – about 1 to 2 inches in diameter -- into the water and shake off the excess water. Use the scoop to create meatballs of a uniform size for even cooking.

4. Scoop out the ground beef mixture and drop it into the palm of your hand. Roll the meat between both hands, forming the mixture into a meatbal,l and place the ball on a clean plate. Repeat the process until all of the ground beef mixture is used. Dip the scoop into warm water occasionally to prevent the meat from sticking to the scoop.

Fry on the Stovetop

1. Add olive oil to a heavy skillet and heat the oil on medium-high until it sizzles.

2. Reduce the heat to medium and place several meatballs in the skillet, turning them with tongs until cooked through, eight to 12 minutes. For safe consumption, the USDA recommends cooking ground beef to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. A meat thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball will register the temperature.

3. Transfer cooked meatballs to a plate covered with a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Continue cooking until all meatballs are cooked to the desired doneness.

Bake in the Oven

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.

2. Cover a rimmed cookie sheet with a sheet of parchment paper.

3. Place the meatballs on the parchment paper, leaving about 1 inch of space between them.

4. Slide the pan into the preheated oven and bake the meatballs until cooked through, about 12 to 16 minutes, or until cooked to a safe, internal temperature.

5. Transfer the baked meatballs to a clean plate covered with a paper towel to absorb excess oil.