For what purposes is meat beaten? How to beat meat without a hammer: methods

Juicy and tasty chops, Kiev cutlets, meat rolls, and many other dishes are impossible without first beating the meat.

Why is meat beaten?

The meat has a tough structure, maintaining its rigidity even after heat treatment (frying or boiling). The reason for this is the muscle fibers, ligaments and tendons from which it consists.

A dish prepared from unprepared (unbeaten) meat may literally be too tough, and the digestive system will need additional resources to process it.

Pre-chopped meat is a completely different matter. Dishes prepared from it will not tire the chewing muscles, and the stomach will easily digest any such meat delicacy.

In addition, the beaten meat after heat treatment will be soft, juicy and tender.

Batting technology

It is better to use meat for beating, but if chops are prepared from frozen meat, let it thaw completely, since the smallest particles of ice during beating will destroy the structure of the meat, tearing it into pieces.

Before beating, wrap the meat in cling film or place it in 2-3 disposable plastic bags nested inside each other. Thanks to this, the kitchen table and kitchen walls will remain clean and you will not need to wash them from bloody splashes and stains.

Beat the meat evenly, striking with a hammer with equal force over the entire surface of the meat piece. After processing one side, turn the meat over and go over it on the other side. Process the edges of the meat piece with special care.

To beat a thick or tough piece of meat, it is preferable to use a hammer with large teeth; a tool with smaller teeth is useful for processing thin and soft pieces, and for beating edges it will be absolutely indispensable.

To prevent the kitchen from making noise like during an intensive renovation, place a kitchen towel between the table and the cutting board.

After placing the chopped pieces of meat in a properly heated frying pan, do not rush to immediately salt and sprinkle it with spices, otherwise it will release juice and become tough. It is best to do this at the moment when a light fried crust begins to appear on its surface.

If you don't have a hammer at hand

In this case, an ordinary one will come to the rescue. Or rather, not quite ordinary, but with a thick and weighty blade. Taking a knife in your hands, methodically and evenly strike with the back (blunt) side of the blade over the entire surface of the piece of meat. By the way, this is how professional chefs bring meat to the desired condition, since they do not use hammers.

Another way to tenderize meat without using a hammer is to gently tap it with the neck of an upside-down glass bottle.

A masher for mashed potatoes or a rolling pin for rolling out dough can help out. By applying moderate blows to a piece of meat, you will quickly loosen it and bring it to the desired consistency.

May your meat dishes be delicious! Enjoy your meal!

Most people love soft and juicy chops fried in batter; this dish can be served both on a holiday table and on an everyday basis. Why beat meat and how to do it correctly?

A chop can be prepared from any meat you like, as well as from any part of the carcass - the back, neck, or even from the liver, all this can be chopped and cooked deliciously. In order for the meat to be juicy and tender, beating is exactly what is needed. Now we will find out what and how to properly beat meat.

Meat beating process

The meat is quite tough in its structure. Even fried or boiled meat retains a large number of small ligaments, fibers and tendons, which greatly strain the chewing muscles and digestive organs.

The softest tissue in meat is muscle tissue; it is this that softens the most during upholstery. And those hard fibers that are placed in different directions become more elastic and soft with prolonged and intense beating.

Usually the beating process is carried out using metal hammers. The hammer has a serrated surface, which is used to beat the meat, this allows you to soften the structure of the meat fibers.

Hammers are different, depending on the caliber of teeth. Using different hammers, you can beat the meat in several stages. You need to start beating with a larger caliber and so on in a descending manner, in this way you can bring the consistency of the meat to a mushy state.

Benefits of pounding meat

Due to the fact that the structure of the meat is softened by beating, such a product is easier for the body to process. Meat fats and proteins in the intestines will be absorbed much faster and completely, and much less meat that can rot will reach subsequent sections.

One of the serious causes of diseases of the intestinal tract is the deposition and decay of proteins in it. This is what vegetarians are guided by when they talk about the dangers of eating meat. Due to this rotting process, poisoning, flatulence, various disorders, and even rectal cancer can develop.

And when eating pounded meat, this risk of protein deposition and rotting is minimized. Not to mention the teeth and the damage that rough meat can cause them.

However, in addition to the advantages, there are also disadvantages.

The main disadvantages of pounded meat

When beating meat, valuable components in the form of proteins and fats are preserved, but there are also some that can be lost.

During the process of beating meat, a large amount of juice and liquid is released. This juice contains, although replaceable, useful substances - mineral salts, vitamins and other biologically active substances.

And it’s clear that the harder the beating is done, the more liquid is released. The optimal solution would be to find a degree of tenderization that preserves the maximum possible amount of nutrients while maintaining a fairly soft meat consistency.

How to properly pound meat

In the absence of disorders or diseases of the digestive tract, and sufficiently strong teeth, it will be sufficient to beat the meat, even the toughest, with a hammer with large teeth. After beating, you should not level the surface of the meat; it is better if there are pits left. This will not only provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance to the chop, but will also retain juice in these recesses.

But if you have problems with your teeth or digestive tract, then it is better to sacrifice some of the beneficial elements and beat the meat very diligently so that it is as soft and tender as possible.

Sometimes cooks pursue the goal of beating meat so that it has a consistency reminiscent of a soufflé. Although it requires hard and long hammering, the result is a tender meat soufflé combined with the juices. This method is considered the most optimal, since the meat retains all its beneficial properties and is very soft.

Often chops are cooked with eggs, and therefore the meat is “fertilized” with egg fats, proteins, and cholesterol.

Beating remains a very common culinary cooking technique. This method is an excellent option for those who want to enjoy the flavor palette of meat, while experiencing certain difficulties with their teeth. In addition, soft and juicy meat is more enjoyable than endlessly chewing tough pieces.

How to beat meat? Many young housewives ask this question. I'll tell you about my secrets on how to properly beat meat.

1. Well, first board. It is advisable that it be made of wood, and before you start beating, moisten the board with water.

2. To avoid unnecessary noise, place any towel under the board.

3. To prevent meat splashes from flying all over the kitchen, wrap the meat in a plastic bag or wrap it in plastic wrap.

4. Also, you should not beat the meat almost to through holes. You just need to “stretch” it a little, this will make the piece a little thinner.

5. Gadget - Tenderizer! Great stuff! This is a device for processing meat before marinating and frying, which pierces the meat with thin needles when you cover a piece of meat with it and lightly press on it. The needles pop out on their own. No noise, splashes or blood on the table or clothes

Other unusual gadgets for the kitchen, you can see

How to beat meat without a hammer?

You probably also wondered the same question as I did.

One of my friends (a cook) told me that she uses a knife to beat meat. Of course, you will need a heavy and thick (in terms of the blade) knife. You also cut the meat into the pieces you need and beat these pieces not with a sharp one, but with the other, that is, with the back of the knife blade in different directions

Thin cut of meat, if you beat it well, and then the dish is very tasty. I think many people love it, although now may not be the best time for such a yummy dish, because there is a strict fast. But after Easter, meat will be available to those people who are accustomed to fasting. So, after all, the information will be useful for many, I hope.

We beat the meat quietly and without splashing

Many people, when they pick up a meat hammer and start working hard with it, create a terrible noise not only or even in the entire apartment, and sometimes even outside the apartment. At the same time, bloody splashes and tiny pieces of meat are scattered throughout the kitchen, like in a horror movie. Then getting the kitchen in order after such a beating can be difficult. But everything can be done not so noisily and even very neatly.

To do this, simply wrap it in a tight plastic bag, or you can simply wrap it in the same cling film. After such “swaddling” of a piece of meat, splashes will not fly to the sides when beating it. And so that your neighbors are calm during such a noisy procedure and are not indignant, place any kind of food under your cutting board (on which you will “chop” the meat). This will make the whole process much more silent, which will be noticeable even outside your kitchen.

Before you start beating, it is best to wet the board (if you are using a wooden board) with cold water. This way, the dry wood of the board will not absorb the juice from the piece of meat.

Also, you should not beat almost through the holes. You just need to “stretch” it a little, this will make the piece a little thinner.

How can you hit without a hammer?

Perhaps you had to cook chops not in your kitchen, but somewhere in the country, or you just had a meat hammer lost somewhere, but you still need to cook. What can you do then and how can you do without a special hammer at all?

You can use Of course, a small knife will not be suitable for this, but you will need a heavy and thick (in terms of the blade) knife. You also cut the meat into the pieces you need and beat these pieces not with a sharp one, but with the other, that is, with the back of the knife blade in different directions. By the way, only housewives use a hammer to beat meat, but serious cooks use a knife for this purpose, that is, the back side of a good, thick blade.
The softness of a piece of meat can also be achieved using a glass bottle, or rather, using its neck. Simply turn the bottle over and then break off the meat piece with its neck. This will make your piece more airy and quite tender. Feel free to try it, and even the piece of meat itself will be decorated with “drawings” in the form of rings.
You can also safely replace the hammer with a rolling pin or a wooden masher, which you use to make puree. You just need to be diligent here in moderation. If you try too hard, your juicy piece of meat may turn dry, which means that after cooking it will no longer be tasty.
The last option for replacing a hammer is a stone. This is probably a more summer option, or a convenient solution for a picnic in nature. In this case, the stone should be heavier. Wash it, put it in a plastic bag (or better yet, two) and you can use it.

All these methods of beating without a hammer are perfectly shown in this video from Channel One. Let's see.