A meat tenderizer or meat pounder is a tool for mechanically tenderizing and flattening slabs of meat.[1]
Meat tenderizers come in at least three types:[1]
- The first, most common, is a tool that resembles a hammer or mallet made of metal or wood with a short handle and dual heads. One face of the tool is usually flat while the other has rows of pyramid-shaped protrusions.[2]
- The second form resembles a potato masher with a short handle and a large metal face that is either smooth or adorned with the same pyramid-shaped protrusions as found in the first form.
- The third form is a blade tenderizer that has a series of blades or nails that are designed to puncture the meat and cut into the fibers of the muscle.[2]
Tenderizing meat with the mallet softens the fibers, making the meat easier to chew and to digest.[2] It is useful when preparing particularly tough cuts of steak, and works well when broiling or frying the meat.[3] It is also used to "pound out" dishes such as chicken-fried steak, palomilla, and schnitzel, to make them wider and thinner.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Hutton, Elinor (2020). The Encyclopedia of Kitchen Tools. Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7624-6998-7.
- ^ a b c Madhusankha, G. D. M. P.; Thilakarathna, R. C. N. (2021-02-01). "Meat tenderization mechanism and the impact of plant exogenous proteases: A review". Arabian Journal of Chemistry. 14 (2): 102967. doi:10.1016/j.arabjc.2020.102967. ISSN 1878-5352.
- ^ Gwyther, Pamela (2001). The Beginner's Cookbook. Bath, UK: Parragon Publishing. p. 13. ISBN 1-4054-3689-1. OCLC 233261474.
