To make cutlets stop looking like dry soles, it is enough to correct one habit. Culinary blogger Natalya Kalnina revealed (18+) a technological secret from Soviet canteens that turns ordinary minced meat into a juicy dish.
Don't add too many eggs
When fried, the egg white coagulates into a dense rubbery mass and draws moisture from the meat. In a professional kitchen, they put no more than one egg per kilogram of meat, and more often they do without it at all.
The secret of Soviet chefs
Take a white loaf without crusts and soak it in cold water or milk. Do not squeeze out the crumb under any circumstances; add it to the minced meat directly with moisture. Do not pour out the remaining liquid from soaking, but pour it separately into the meat (about half a glass per kilogram). This is the hidden trick that fills the cutlets with juice from the inside.
How to make cutlets juicy:
- Pass the meat, onions and wet bread through a meat grinder.
- Pour the remaining soaking liquid into the minced meat.
- Knead the mixture thoroughly with your hands like dough for 3 minutes.
- Beat the minced meat: pick it up and forcefully throw it back into the bowl (10 times).
Frying technique
First, heat a frying pan with oil over high heat. Fry the cutlets for 2 minutes on each side until crispy – it will seal in the juices. Only after this, reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer for another 7-10 minutes.
Do not open the lid for another 3 minutes after turning off, let the cutlets “rest”. Never place them close to each other, otherwise stewing will begin instead of frying and the crust will not set.
Personal experience
I struggled with dry and hard cutlets for many years, until an elderly relative told me the secret. Once I started adding moist crumbs to the meat, my cutlets turned into a juicy dish with a delicious crust. Now I cook only this way and I never see that rubber sole that used to spoil my mood in the kitchen.
