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Questions tagged [tenderizing]

Tenderizing refers to any number of processes which make meat less tough and easier to chew and swallow.

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How do I pound chicken (or other meat) without making a mess?

Despite my best efforts, my kitchen (and sometimes the chicken) always looks like a war zone after pounding 8 or 10 breasts. Maybe this is just a messy job, but I think there must be something I'm missing. I've tried using mallets, both metal and…
Aaronut
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How do Chinese restaurants tenderize their meat?

I eat at a lot of Chinese restaurants now and also while growing up. I often wondered how is it that the chicken, pork, and beef in dishes are always so tender. I can never replicate it when I cook. What do the Chinese chefs use to tenderize their…
milesmeow
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How do you cook grass-fed beef so it is not tough?

I recently went to a farmers market and bought some grass-fed beef. I went with what we normally buy, and got a couple of bone-in thick cut ribeye. I typically prepare this by liberally applying salt and pepper, letting it come to room temp,…
mohlsen
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How should baking soda be used to tenderize meat?

At some Chinese restaurants, I've had beef dishes where the meat was unusually tender. It also has a somewhat unusual texture, which is hard to describe. I understand that this is a result of using baking soda to tenderize the meat. How should one…
erichui
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How does velveting work?

The Chinese technique of velveting works. It creates a lusciously tender bit of meat, and I'm a complete advocate of making the small additional effort. If you've ever done it, you're already a believer, it's amazing. (I usually do it this way…
Jolenealaska
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Soaking beef in water

I've begun cooking Asian food in the past year or so, and in many Korean and Chinese beef recipes, I see instructions to soak beef in water. Just plain water, not salt water or anything. And every recipe seems to have a different time - from 5…
Anne
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How to pound chicken breasts without a meat tenderizer?

I do not have a meat tenderizor. I want to fry my chicken breasts but need to pound out the meat. What can I use instead?
Sandy Brown
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Does milk tenderize meat?

In another question I suggested that milk might be used as a tenderizer. That generated an amount of scepticism, so I think it is worth breaking the question out. The idea came from "The New Best Recipe" which has a small section entitled "SCIENCE:…
Chris Steinbach
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How does pineapple tenderize meat?

It seems to be common knowledge that pineapple tenderizes meat. Most sources say that it does so due to proteases (specifically bromelain). However, I've also seen suggestions that acid is an effective tenderizer on its own, and the Wikipedia…
Cascabel
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Does cooking octopus in salt or pastry crust produce juicy octopus?

I've been reading up on octopus preparation and the different methods used to tenderise the meat. Rustic recipes call for a good beating against a rock until soapy, others talk of a long boil or braise. Papaya has been mentioned as has a pre-cook…
cookingcostume
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Does honey actually tenderize meat?

I was recently reading a cooking manga named Shokugeki no Soma, in which the protagonist uses unconventional methods to cook specific dishes. In one chapter, he uses honey specifically to tenderize meat in a short amount of time. Here's the chapter…
yuritsuki
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What types of meat should I pound and why?

I know people sometimes pound their meat. I never do, and I am interested in what I am missing out on. Basically it comes down to a three part question: Why is meat pounded, what is the result that one wants? I'd be happy to learn both the…
Joel
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Is there a downside to tenderizing meat?

I'm specifically asking about manual or mechanical tenderization prior to cooking, as with a meat tenderizer (also called a mallet). Wikipedia says Tenderizing meat with the mallet softens the fibers, making the meat easier to chew, and easier to…
Dacio
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How to cook extremely soft chicken?

I had this chicken that was extremely soft at a thai restaurant in Portland, Or. The cashew nut chicken dish had small strips of extremely soft chicken. As you can see, the chicken is not cripsy or seared, it is just cooked in some fashion that…
user22393
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Why is the chicken in Indian food so tender?

I used to go to an Indian restaurant that had the most tender chicken I've ever had. In general, it seems like Indian curries have very tender chicken. Could somebody explain if there is a secret? Is it marinading in yogurt, the tandoor, an…
Kevin Nowaczyk
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