What kind of devices and devices are invented to facilitate the process of cooking. For those who like to experiment in the kitchen and the avid meat eaters, the tenderizer for beating meat will be just an irreplaceable thing. This kitchen gadget is also called meat ripper. Chops and steaks cooked with it have a delicate and soft texture and an attractive appearance.
Purpose of the tenderizer
This device replaces a hammer for beating meat. But it has several advantages. When using a hammer, spatters from the future chop will spread throughout the kitchen. To avoid such consequences, you can use a food film, but the result will still not be the same. In addition, loud sounds when beating can not be avoided.
The principle of action of the tenderizer is softening of coarse fibers of the meat piece. This is due to sharp blades, spikes or needles that penetrate deep into the product, thereby destroying its structure. After processing, the product is marinated. Marinade passes through the holes throughout the depth, giving the meat an incredible juiciness.
The cooking process takes less time, the meat is evenly roasted and has a rich taste.
This device can be used at home - for cooking a pair of steaks, and in the professional kitchen. For beating meat on an industrial scale, there are special models that can handle up to 200 kg of products per hour.
Initially, the design of the tenderayzer was developed to soften the dense pieces of beef and lamb. Later, the device began to be used in the process of cooking pork. Some resourceful housewives use this device to fillet poultry or fish.
Varieties of meat grinders
Meat softeners are of several types:
- manual;
- mechanical;
- electric.
The manual tenderizer is in most cases a subject of the small sizes. When pressed, the knives advance and interact with the meat, cutting through the fibers and tendons. Most often the device has a convenient holder, but this part is optional. The fixture can be round, square or rectangular. The location of the blades is allowed in one row or in several.
You can also find a roller meat softener. It performs exactly the same function.
Holding the handle, you just need to drive it over the processed surface of the product.
The mechanical model of the tenderizer is more complicated and has more impressive dimensions. Some devices look like a manual meat grinder. The essence of the work is this: slices of meat of a certain thickness are fed into a special compartment, inside the machine, the product is exposed to the blades and goes into the pan, designed for this.
The electric meat grinder is a professional tool for restaurants, cafes and other places of public catering where meat dishes are prepared. For cooks working in the meat shop, this unit is almost indispensable, as the kit includes a lot of nozzles for processing meat blanks. The difference of this type of tenderizer is in the performance of the device. It is capable of processing raw materials on an industrial scale and at high speed.
Variety of models
Literally, each manufacturer of kitchen units and accessories for them produces tenderizer. Popular models are such brands:
- Borner;
- Empire;
- Fissman;
- Presto;
- Hendi.
All meat cutters have perfectly honed steel blades. In addition to this metal, the device may contain elements from plastic, aluminum, wood or silicone. These materials are non-toxic and safe when interacting with products.
You can choose a tenderizer model based on your own culinary tastes and preferences. If the meat is cooked only on special occasions and on big holidays, then a compact manual softener will do.
And gourmets and lovers can often pamper yourself with a delicious meat meat and you can fork out on a mechanical device.
Many types of meat-eaters are simply amazing. Among them are the following options.
- Vertical fixtures with holder. The result is achieved by pressing and moving on the surface of the piece of meat.
- Roller. They have a movable roller with sharp spikes and a handle. As an option - the handles can be on the sides of the roller itself. Easy to use, do not require much effort.
- Round. The blade plate is located on a semicircular plastic base, and the second half of the circle is a convenient handle. To achieve the desired result, you just need to roll the device from one edge to another.
- In the form of a hammer. On the one hand, this is an ordinary hammer for beating meat, and on the opposite side is the tenderizer itself. Upon impact, the cutting elements penetrate into the product and soften it.
- With a compartment for the sauce. It looks like the same vertical grinder, but in place of the handle there is a marinade tank. He immediately goes deep into the piece, soaking it from the inside. Very handy thing, allows you to shorten the marinating time of the product.
Safety in use
The vast majority of models have a protective cover or the blades are hidden in the middle of the device. The exception is roller devices, their spikes should be treated with caution. When processing, the future steak should be held exclusively with a fork or spatula, but in no case by hand. If the meat preparation has a bone, then stumbled upon it, the thin blade of the device may break.
To clean the tenderizer after use, you need to remove its removable part and gently rinse it under running hot water. All items are dried and assemble the mechanism in reverse order.
The device must not be washed in the dishwasher using conventional dishware.
In electric devices for beating meat, all sharp fragments are hidden as much as possible by protective panels. Therefore, the possibility of injury at work is reduced to zero. To flush such a unit, you will have to disassemble the body and the working panel in order to qualitatively remove all leftover meat.
Consumer opinions
Reviews that are left on culinary sites by the owners of meat eaters are very diverse. Some (and most of them) praise the purchased device and do not know how they could have cooked meat before. Other users of this delight do not share and do not find obvious advantages. In any case, the tenderizer cope with the task and ardent opponents of their use is not observed.
The softener is able to make a beautiful, tender and juicy steak from an imperfect piece of meat not of the highest grade. Hammer this is not exactly cook. He also makes the meat blank soft, but at the same time flattens it. Tenderayzer better hammer copes with tendons. It acts from the inside, changing the structure, but retaining the shape of the product.
This kitchen device should be purchased and tested in action by every hostess. Even if the steaks and chops are not prepared every day, the tenderizer will take its place in the kitchen, waiting in the wings.
Video review tenderizer for meat, see below.
