Tenderisers for meat: what are there and how to choose?

What kind of devices and devices are not invented to facilitate the cooking process. For those who like to experiment in the kitchen and inveterate meat eaters, the meat tenderizer will be simply an irreplaceable thing. This kitchen gadget is also called a meat ripper. Chops and steaks prepared with it have a tender and soft structure and an attractive appearance.

This device replaces the meat hammer. But it has several advantages. When using a hammer, splashes from the future chop will scatter throughout the kitchen. To avoid such consequences, you can use cling film, but the result will still not be the same. In addition, loud sounds during beating cannot be avoided.

The principle of the tenderizer is to soften the 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 pickled. The marinade goes through the holes along the entire depth, giving the meat an incredible juiciness.

This device can be used both at home - for preparing a couple of steaks, and in a professional kitchen. For beating meat on an industrial scale, there are special models that allow you to process up to 200 kg of products per hour.

The tenderizer was originally designed to soften tough cuts of beef and lamb.Later, the device began to be used in the process of cooking pork. Some inventive housewives use this attachment for poultry or fish fillets.

There are several types of meat softeners:

• manual;
• mechanical;
• electrical.

A manual tenderer is, in most cases, a small item. When pressed, the knives extend and interact with the meat, dissecting 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 arrangement of the blades is allowed both in one row and in several.

You can also find a meat roller tenderizer. It performs exactly the same function.

Mechanical model of the tenderizer - the design is more complicated and has more impressive dimensions. Some devices in their appearance resemble a manual meat grinder. The essence of the work is as follows: 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 pallet intended for this.

The Electric Meat Ripper is a professional tool for restaurants, cafes and other food service establishments where meat dishes are prepared. For chefs working in a butcher's shop, this unit is practically indispensable, since the set includes a lot of attachments for processing meat blanks. The difference between this type of tenderizer lies in the performance of the device. It is capable of processing raw materials on an industrial scale and at high speed.

Literally every company producing kitchen units and accessories for them produces tenders. Models of such brands are popular:

• Borner;
• Empire;
• Fissman;
• Presto;
• Hendi.

All meat cutting tools have perfectly sharpened steel blades. In addition to this metal, the device may contain elements of plastic, aluminum, wood or silicone. These materials are non-toxic and safe in contact with products.

You can choose a tender model based on your own culinary tastes and preferences. If the meat is only cooked for special occasions and big holidays, then a compact hand-held tenderizer will do.

The many types of meat grinders are simply amazing. Among them, the following options should be highlighted.

• Vertical fixtures with holder... The result is achieved by pressing and moving over the surface of the piece of meat.
• Roller. They have a movable roller with sharp spikes and a handle. Alternatively, 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 other half of the circle is a comfortable handle. To achieve the desired result, you just need to roll the device from one side to the other.
• In the form of a hammer... On the one hand, it is an ordinary hammer for beating meat, and on the opposite side, there is the tenderizer itself. On impact, the cutting elements penetrate into the product and soften it.
• With sauce compartment. In appearance, this is the same vertical meat looser, but in place of the handle there is a container for the marinade. He immediately goes deep into the piece, impregnating it from the inside. A very convenient thing, it allows you to significantly reduce the marinating period of the product.

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 must be treated with caution. When processing, the future steak should be supported exclusively with a fork or spatula, but in no case with your hand.If a piece of meat has a bone, then bumping into 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. Dry all elements and assemble the mechanism in the reverse order.

In electrical meat beating devices, all sharp fragments are hidden as much as possible by protective panels. Therefore, the possibility of injury during work is reduced to zero. To rinse such a unit, you will have to disassemble the case and the working panel in order to qualitatively remove all meat residues.

The reviews that owners of meat eaters leave on culinary sites are very diverse. Some (and most of them) praise the purchased device and have no idea how they could cook meat without it before. Other users do not share this enthusiasm and do not find any obvious advantages. In any case, the tenders are coping with the task and there are no ardent opponents of their use.

The softener is capable of making a beautiful tender and juicy steak from a non-ideal piece of meat of a non-premium grade. You definitely cannot cook this with a hammer. He also makes the meat preparation soft, but at the same time, as it were, flattens it. The tenderizer is better at dealing with tendons than a hammer. It acts from the inside, changing the structure, but keeping the shape of the product.

This kitchen device is worth buying and testing in action for every housewife. Even if steaks and chops are not prepared every day, the tender will take its place of honor in the kitchen, waiting in the wings.

For a video review of the meat tenderizer, see below.