“We are used to thinking that the key to success is to knead the minced meat for a long time and thoroughly, supposedly, this way it will become more homogeneous and soft. But did you know that this very habit can be the main reason for culinary failure? Professional chefs have long abandoned grueling kneading in favor of a much simpler, but surprisingly effective method – beating,” the material reported.
If you knead and knead the minced meat for a long time and intensively, a process similar to whipping cream occurs. The protein fibers contained in the meat begin to adhere tightly to each other, forming a strong adhesive mesh. All the juice and air that make the cutlet loose are squeezed out of this mass. The longer you knead the minced meat, the tougher it becomes.
The beating technique works differently: it helps remove excess air and compact the mass, while simultaneously maintaining its structure and juiciness. This is not only more efficient, but also much faster.
When preparing minced meat for forming cutlets, it is important that it is cooled. Cold fat in minced meat will remain tough. It will not spread over the bowl, but will remain inside, so that it can then melt during frying and give the cutlet juiciness.
The minced meat is mixed with onions, soaked bread and eggs just until the components combine. There is no need to knead it for a long time. Salt extracts moisture from the meat, so it is added immediately before shaping the cutlets so that it does not have time to dry out the minced meat.
The process of beating minced meat should be like this: it is collected into a ball, raised above the bowl by 20–30 cm and thrown with all its might to the bottom. Repeat this procedure 10–15 times.
