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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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Cooking beef: how to make it tender?

I have been trying to sauté beef and make pan sauces, but the meat seems to always become somewhat dry and chewy. How do I avoid this? I have the same issue when stewing beef in a slow cooker or dutch oven.
Mad Wombat
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Extremely tender beef at hospital

My dad was recently in the hospital for intestinal surgery. While he was recovering they served him some beef that he was very surprised to find incredibly tender. He let me have a bite. It was so tender you hardly needed to chew at all. It was…
Sam Washburn
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Why did my roast beef turn out chewy and not tender? Where did I go wrong?

I recently made an Oven Round Roast in the oven and I followed directions quite well. I would really like to know where I went wrong. The roast was 1.4kg and relatively round in shape, it was also quite nicely marbled with a big strip of fat on one…
Klik
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How is Kiwifruit used to tenderize Meat?

I just read today that Kiwifruit is used to tenderize meat. I wanted to make some fruit chutney anyway, normally I'd go for mango, but why not use kiwifruit fruit this time? I read that the actinidin is responsible for this process but as far as I…
Baarn
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What are other techniques are used to tenderize steaks apart from using a meat mallet?

I'm familiar with using a meat mallet to tenderize steaks, but I'm curious what other techniques or methods there may be to achieve the same or similar results.
AttilaNYC
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Curled, Tender Beef in Noodle Soups (esp. Vietnamese)

I've noticed that both in Europe as well as Vietnam, the beef slices in noodle soups (in particular phở bò) tend to have two salient qualities: they are absurdly, melt-in-your-mouth tender, and they are very curled up. The beef is sliced quite…
Cornelius Brand
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What types of alcohol will make meat tender when marinating?

When marinating meat for Russian "Shashlik"(BBQ) some people marinate meat in alcohol. My uncle prefers to use beer when preparing pork. My Georgian(this Georgia) friend uses red wine, which was the only ingridient I was able to get out of him. His…
Vladimir Oselsky
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Will uncooked meat tenderise or toughen while stored in a refrigerator?

In an effort to make fewer food shopping trips, I want to store meat in the fridge for a few days before cooking. However, if I'm entertaining guests I want the meat to be as tender as possible. Will storing meat in the fridge for a couple of days…
TidyDev
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How to tenderize large squid?

My whole life I've been buying small squid (maybe 4-6" long bodies without the head and tentacles), which are very mildly chewy and tender. All it takes is sautee them in a little OO and they are good to eat, IOW, no additional tenderizing is…
amphibient
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Whisky instead of wine in marinades?

I know that almost every one of us use wine or vinegar for marinades or meals. Recently I was cooking a Chinese food and tried whisky instead just for a difference. That bitterness of the whisky tasted good in my opinion. What are the downs of this…
showbiz
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Can sourdough starter be used for tenderizing meat?

This paper says that after: "Lactobacillus alimentarius 15M, Lactobacillus brevis 14G, Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis 7A, and Lactobacillus hilgardii 51B were selected and used in sourdough fermentation", "The concentrations of free amino acids,…
The Testosterone Fanatic
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Why cook octopus with an onion?

I've been following all the rule books on how to cook fresh/thawed octopus, specifically to "frighten" the octopus before cooking. The "frightening" is a quick 10 second bath in the boiling water, repeated 3 times, which shrinks the arms. I know I…
Vickel
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How to tenderize squid for ika nigiri?

I was at a Sushi restaurant in San Diego today and ordered some squid nigiri. Although it had been roughly scored with a knife, it was still quite chewy. I'm assuming it was yari-ika. Is there a way to prepare squid for nigiri that's less…
clone45
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How do I make prepared seitan (gluten) more tender?

The 'chicken' Twinkie-sized logs from Chinese grocer are roughly the texture of firm silicone. I sliced them thinly and braised for 1 hour. Not noticeably softer. How do I tenderize them? Would meat tenderizer work? I'm assuming no but I reckon I…
Pat Sommer
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Can I tenderize conch meat with baking soda

I want to tenderize conch meat with baking soda for the first time. It works on meats, beef, pork and chicken, but I have never tried it on conch meat. I have in the past, tenderized conch by pounding it and cooking for long periods.
carla
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