Unless you are a vegan, everybody loves meat. The taste, texture, and flavor are mesmerizing. However, you won’t get any of them unless you know how to use a meat tenderizer tool to soften a piece of tough meat.
You already have all the varieties of meat softening tools in your kitchen. The list includes from the hammer or mallet to the meat scrolling softener. Nevertheless, it is essential to know which one is best for what particular meat-tenderizing job.
Types of Meat Softening Tool
You will typically find four types of tenderizing tools in the market. They include a hammer or mallet, blade, meat cube, and meat scrolling tenderizer.
Hammer or Mallet
This is the traditional meat-softening tool. It is common in almost every kitchen in the country. People are using it for centuries because they are easy to clean and use.
Hammer or Mallet is made with either wood or metal. This hammer-shaped tool has two sides. One side has a few lines of pyramids, and the other side is flat.
Blade Tenderizer
This is the modern version of meat mallets. The tool has 60 to 56 stainless steel blades aligned on a metal base. These blades puncture the meat and help to break the connective tissues to tenderize the meat.
The blades create holes in the cut by breaking down the muscle. It makes water and oil easily reach the meat interior and make the meat cooking fast.
Meat Cube Tenderizer
This tenderizing tool works best for a large chunk of meat. The machine will cut the flesh into smaller and tender cubes. This increases the surface area for water and other cooking ingredients to work on the meat.
If you use tough and string meat for your cooking, make sure you pass that cut through this tool.
Meat Scrolling Tenderizer
This is a pre-hammering tool. Run this scrolling tenderizer over the meat surface before using the meat pounder. The pre-pounding process breaks down the muscle fiber and makes hammering easy.
A scrolling tenderizer is a roller tool attached to a handle. The roller has sharp points that roll over the meat surface to break down the connective tissues. These meat softeners are easy to use and dishwasher safe.
How to use Meat Tenderizer Tool?
Hammer or Mallet
The hammer or mallet is excellent for thick uneven meat. If you want to cook tough red meat or thick boneless chicken, make sure you use a meat pounder.
For a better result, start working with the coarser side of the hammer in the center of the meat. It will break down the connective tissues and turn the met tender.
In the next phase, use the less coarse side of the meat mallet. Once the meat is tender, this process will flatten the meat. This step will ensure even texture and thickness for the entire cuts of meat.
If you are still struggling with the meat, use a chemical tenderizer. It will make the job easy for your cave tool of cooking. Do not worry about the chemicals. They are the extracts from papaya and pineapples.
Blade Tenderizer
This blade tenderizer is great for sirloin, rib eye, and other traditional steaks. You cannot pound on the delicate stake meat and ruin its texture. Thus, rather than conventional meat-mallet blade tenderizer works best on stakes.
This mechanical tenderizer punctures the meat and breaks the connective tissues. It is always better to start the process from one side of the meat and eventually cover the entire piece.
Hygiene is a vital factor while using mechanical tenderizer. The blades of the tool can be easily contaminated with harmful germs and ruin the meat. Therefore, it is recommended to sanitize the device before and after each use.
Meat Cube Tenderizer
This is almost like the industrial version of mechanical tenderizer. The tool deals with large pieces of meat in meat processing plants. As a large-scale device, it can deal with almost any kind of meat.
Like mechanical tenderizer, a high standard of hygiene is essential for this device. It is vital for all the mechanically soften meat cooked at 160-degree temperature.
If you want to use it on a thick piece of meat, make sure you use a meat pounder later in the process. The initial rolling is essential to break the hard surface tissues.
Meat Scrolling Tenderizer
This roller tenderizer is excellent for any thin cuts of meat like strips or New-York style or Philly steaks. You can soften those thin but delicate pieces with precision.
It is better to start rolling from a side of the meat and eventually cover the entire piece. Now the steak or strip is all set for cast iron frying.
Veteran meat-lovers prefer a crisscross pattern of rolling for more tender meat.
Why do you need a Meat Tenderizer Tool?
Sometimes the best cuts of meat from your local groceries are not soft enough. You know the cut is excellent for a steak or stew until it is soft enough. The meat tenderizing equipment will come on your rescue now.
It turns the meat soft
Meat pounders tear the connective tissue in the meat. Less connection eventually softens the meat for any kind of cooking.
Steak or touch meat requires a considerable pounding with the meat mallet. Otherwise, your steak will remain rough and uncooked.
Saves cooking time
Soft meat needs less time to cook. No matter if you are cooking on a gas grill or on a pot, it will finish early. Meat tenderizing tools make the meat vulnerable to hot water and oil by breaking down the muscle.
Better taste and look
Thick and uneven cuts of meat not only look unpleasant when served, but they also lack taste. A chicken breast looks meaty. However, it will taste bland if you do not flatten it with the flat side of a meat mallet.
Do you want to know a secret of meat tenderizing? Always starts from the center of the cut and move to the sides.
Take-Away
Tenderizing meat is a delicate job. It requires a lot of patience and skill. However, if you have the right tool and know how to use meat tenderizer tools, you can create meaty magic.
Each time you deal with different cuts of meat, pick the right tenderizing tool. It will unlock the flavor and softness of the meat.