In Soviet public catering there was a real cult of the right cutlet. Today, homemade cutlets often turn out dry or tough, but few people realize that the main secret of juiciness lies in that very piece of bread, which many mistakenly consider a sign of economy.
How cutlets were prepared in the USSR
According to the classic GOST for cutlets, the proportions were as follows: bread (usually stale white) made up 20–25% of the mass of meat, and together with the water or milk that it absorbed, the bread component accounted for about 40% of the total weight of the finished minced meat.
Three main rules of those same cutlets
If you want to replicate the taste of “Soviet” cutlets at home, it is enough to follow three conditions that were strictly followed in canteens.
- Take only stale white bread. The fresh crumb will turn into a paste, making the minced meat sticky and the cutlets heavy and rubbery. You need a loaf two or three days old, without crusts.
- Use water, not milk. Contrary to home habits, in public catering, bread was soaked in cold water. Milk protein (casein) makes meat tougher when fried, while water gives maximum softness.
- Don't skip the breading. The cutlets were rolled in breadcrumbs or flour – this created an airtight crust that additionally retained the juices inside.
An example of a recipe using Soviet technology
Culinary blogger Evgenia Polevskaya shared a classic recipe for cutlets.
Ingredients:
- beef (with fat) – 500 g
- fatty pork – 500 g
- onion – 1 pc.
- stale loaf without crusts – 250 g
- cold water – 320 ml
- salt – about 1 heaped teaspoon
- black pepper – on the tip of a knife
- breadcrumbs
Cut the crusts from the loaf, cut the crumb into cubes and cover with cold water for 10–15 minutes. Pass the meat through a meat grinder with a medium grid. Squeeze the bread (not too hard) and pass it after the meat.
Add salt, pepper and finely chopped onion. Knead the minced meat thoroughly with your hands for at least 5-7 minutes – it should become homogeneous and slightly viscous. Form cutlets weighing approximately 100 g, roll in breadcrumbs.
Fry in hot oil on both sides until golden brown (3-4 minutes on each side), then finish in the oven at 180°C for 10 minutes.
