Every housewife is more or less familiar with the problem of processing meat products. As you know, in order for a meat dish to come out tasty, tender and juicy, it must first be soaked in marinade, saturated with its aroma and moisture. Just putting a piece in a pickling composition is not an option: the impregnation process will be unbearably long; cutting into pieces is also not always possible (for example, if the recipe requires exactly a whole piece). For many years, cooks and housewives used a special hammer to beat meat to speed up this process. It softened the fibers, making the meat more pliable for further processing. However, this method has one big drawback: too tender meat (for example, chicken fillet) often breaks during such an intense exposure, especially thin edges turn into torn lumps.
A worthy substitute for the usual hammer for beating
Fortunately, the problem with meat damaged after a rough "beating" was solved at the moment when the meat tenderizer was created. Its name comes from the English wordmeaning "gentle". This is a special device that is equipped with many miniature, very sharp knives. With a few clicks of this machine, you can prepare even a large steak for subsequent cooking in a matter of seconds, making its structure, as it should be, more tender. The length of his knives is on average 1-2 centimeters, which in most cases is more than enough for the full penetration of the pickling composition.
The main advantage of this seemingly simple but cunning device lies in the fact that the process of cooking a meat dish, in which a meat tenderizer is used, is almost halved. This amazing difference is not only the result of accelerated primary processing of the meat product. The fact is that the softened and loosened meat passed through the tenderizer is also fried more quickly and, most importantly, evenly. And its taste turns out to be much more multifaceted and richer.
Not a bad result, is it? It is especially clearly felt in professional kitchens: in cafes and restaurants, when not only the quality of food, but also the speed of cooks should be on top. There are many visitors who are willing to wait an extra half an hour for the sake of getting a juicy, rich-tasting, fragrant dish. However, none of them will be happy with such a prospect. The electric version of the tenderizer can further simplify and speed up cooking. But due to its cost, only establishments with a stable flow of visitors can afford such a luxury, where, without exaggeration, every minute is important. Thus, the meat tenderizer more than deserved its reviews, written by satisfied and grateful owners of the device.
Types of tenderizers
There are two types of these devices:
- Manual meat tenderizer is a miniature mechanical device that consists of a handle and one or more rows of razor-sharp blades. It is more practical in domestic, home conditions, when the volumes of products are relatively small, and the goal is to speed up the process and, if possible, improve the result.
- Electric meat tenderizer is used in meat shops, cafes and restaurants. The tenderizer is mostly used for loosening meat, however, individual, improved models are also able to cut various fibers and connective tissue from pieces, and process minced meat. And using special nozzles, you can even give the product a specific shape. There are also included nozzles for working with tender meat, so that its appearance and taste do not deteriorate after rough exposure.
Cleaning your device: quick and easy
Meat tenderizer tenderizer has a collapsible mechanism that can be decomposed by hand to the smallest elements. Thanks to this, washing it is greatly simplified: there is no need to dodge and get pieces of meat stuck somewhere, risking injuring your hands on the sharpest knives. Thus, the professional tenderizer provides maximum safety during operation. Probability of getting hurtreduced to zero. This, by the way, also speeds up work with him, since the chef working with meat does not fear that the intimidating-looking electric monster can cut off his arms to the very elbows.
How does a tenderizer work and how does it work
Manual meat tenderizer has from one to three rows of knives made of high quality stainless steel. There are traditionally 16 knives in each row, and in the device, respectively, there can be 16, 32 or 48 of them. They work with such a tool with different types of meat: beef, pork and lamb, as well as with fish and poultry.
Electric meat leavener
Such a machine consists of three main parts:
- body;
- electric drive;
- working body.
The drive is also divided into several components: an electric motor and a gearbox. The knives, on the other hand, are set in motion due to the action of a cylindrical pair and, rotating, move towards. Thus, the output is meat, evenly worked out from two of its sides at once. In order to soften the meat in the tenderizer, place it in the receiving hole. There it is automatically captured by the blades and quickly processed. You can soften and pieces of meat, interconnected. To do this, put one piece on top of the other, place them in the device, and while re-passing, turn the meat 90 degrees.
Operating principle
WorkThe device consists in the following: short cuts are applied to the pre-cleaned and prepared meat, due to which the tendons are cut. Subsequently, not only the softness of the meat increases, but also its area: twice, or even three times. And what is important, during the cooking process, the piece practically does not shrink, and its appearance at the end will be much more attractive, the taste will be juicier and more tender.
Safety and operating features
Using a meat tenderizer in production, you don't have to worry about safety. No, it is definitely necessary to know it. But the fact is that the operator has no chance of getting injured while working with him. As soon as the protective cover moves from its usual position even by a millimeter, a special function is activated and the engine stops automatically.
As for maintenance, the meat tenderizer is simply disassembled into stationary and removable parts to be washed. However, in order to prolong the life of the machine, it is necessary to periodically lubricate the auger and gear transmission of the rotation mechanism with oil. Sharpening of knives can be carried out mechanically or manually, using a file or a bar. The first method requires maintenance in a workshop.
Advantages of electric models
Despite the impressive performance, the dimensions of the tenderizer are very small. However, based on how meat tenderizer reviews about it characterize, we can draw the following conclusions:
- Tenderizeris a significant reduction in cooking time.
- It's easy to keep your workspace neat and tidy.
- Meat is less injured during processing, but it is better processed.
- The heat treatment of it is also significantly accelerated.
- Meat of the second grade is loosened no less effectively than more tender meat.
- The device allows you to knock down individual meat pieces, forming whole steaks at the exit.
- Thanks to a variety of attachments, you can get meat cut into the desired shape.
The cost of this device varies depending on a lot of factors such as power, size, performance and, of course, brand name. It makes no sense to take both the most expensive and the most budget device. It is better to get acquainted with reviews of specific models and, based on them, buy a tenderizer that not only most closely meets the needs of its owner, but also one that will serve for many years without changing the quality of product processing. Regardless of whether it is manual or electric, such an acquisition will be extremely practical even in a small, home kitchen. And working with him is not only fast, but also pleasant.
