What is the best way to tenderize meat without adding salt, and other junk?!
Answers: Looking for a healthy alternative to marinating meat, esp Chicken tenders. A healthy eater that doesn't like salt, sugra,MSG, and all the other preservative junk. I have tried Green tea, doesn't do much. How do you get your chkn tender without adding junk?
I believe your question is to the point and wantin an original answer that contains healthy info. I find it funny that most answers on here have been the same, I promise mine won't be.
Chicken tenders in general if frozen , depending on brand tend to be chewy, as in Walmart Brand, or anything other than a Hormone injecting chicken, will not be tender. I use pure virgin olive all imported from Greece, or Italy. Soak it in the olive oil, fresh basil, and or grapeleaves, overnight, for fresh chicken, if frozen, thaw chicken out first then give it about 2 days to marinate. You can use Fresh Green Tea Leaves to soak it in as well, not the green tea in the store, but at a health food store. I wouldn't try fruit, unless you like it.. I would use the Foreman grill, or oven and grill it. Over rice or salad is great. Should be tender. If you any questions, just contact me directly, and be happy to help.
You shouldn't have to do anything to chicken. I've never had chicken that wasn't tender. You could pound it with a mallett I supppose but why?
use a meat tenderizer
http://www.become.com/shop?q=aluminum+me...
adds nothing to your food
also agree with the 1st answer
never had chicken that wasnt tender either
its in the cooking method not the preparation, mallets work on chicken but better for red meats
how about cooking it in tin foil? to keep the juices locked in.
Beat it. No really, kitchen stores sell meat tenderizers which are like spikey hammers.
They break up the tendons and therefore tenderize the meat, no chemicals.
Good news at least there is another person out there with good eating habits.....I have found that if you slightly use a meat hammer, not to much you don't want to tear the meat up, then use freshly squeezed orange juice to completely cover up the meat in a dish along with a little bit of fresh garlic. Cover and leave in the fridge for a couple of hours. It comes out nice and tender, just remember not to over cook....Good luck..(Also the other citrus fruits like grapefruit and lemon and lime are good as well and add a nice little flavor to other meats as well)
Don't overcook it and it shouldn't need tenderizing. Pound the thing for more tenderness, it will also flatten it.
Use tomatoes instead(Tip #19)
use a mallet or a sturdy jar wrapped in a cloth...protect the meat with clingy wrap first.
fruit
You can use wine, lemon juice, orange juice. It must be acid to tenderize the meat, the acid brokes particles of meat.
Try!!
Keep it moist and it will be tender...........moist chicken recipe......season whole uncut chicken the way you like it ......then open a can of beer and sit it upright on the grill, or a pan in the oven , slide the chicken down on it and cook untill done...........very, moist and tender.
Tenderizing can take place either chemically or phsyically. Sounds like you eschew the chemical route, although that could include a simple vinaigrette w/ vinegar or lemon juice to help break down meat fibers. So physical tenderizing would mean pounding thin w/ a meat mallet or wine bottle, or puncturing w/ a device designed to tenderize meat that has dozens of tiny metal blades to puncture the meat, breaking down fibers.
Meat tenderizer is a product made from papaya...papain is the enzyme that helps you digest protein. It breaksdown the connective tissues that hold meat together, thus making it more tender. It is natural, not artificial.
One question for meat lovers has been WHEN do you put on the salt. Proponents of each way have their pet peeves of the other way.
When you salt before cooking, it can cause meat juices to escape, thus drying out the meat. I think to get around this put a quick high and hot sear to the meat, turning down the temp to the desired usual temp.
When you don't salt till meat is cooked, then it just never tastes quite right, you can add salt till your mouth burns, but the meat just never tastes right. You have to figure out the balance. If you choose NOT to add salt you really need to add tasty alternatives such as juices, herbs and spices, onion and garlic.
For chicken, if you are sauteeing, then medium temps. Acids such as lemon and vinegar, help break down the tissues, but I use a tenderizer as well. Lemon/other acid also adds flavor and excitement to a delicate and otherwise bland meat.
Herbs and spices, garlic, marinades, and sauces such as worchestershire, tobasco, and balsamic vinegar help to tenderize and enhance the flavors as well. Of course your choices of spices, herbs determine that style you are cooking. I never use chemical additives, sugar in my marinades. Just the above.
If you boil chicken, make sure the salt in the beginning is enough. I taste before adding meats. I bring water and flavorful additives like onion, garlic, celery and carrot, etc to a rolling boil, then turn heat down and add chicken. Cover and simmer on low until done. If you drop chicken into fast boil, and continue it causes the muscle of the meat to draw up and it tightens up, is tough. Low heat is best for cooking chicken for dumplings or soups, stews.
Using natural sea salt for flavoring adds other naturally occuring minerals to your diet as well.
Good luck in your cooking journey!
try using a bit of beef or chicken broth, not stock, and go for herbs and spices, and use citrus instead of the broth if wanted.
Well first of all, chicken tenders are the most tender part of the breast meat. Salt and sugar , if you take them out are just for flavor and seasoning, too much will actually dry meat out, thus making it tough, and marinating doesnt tenderize meat at all, it is strictly for flavor. Tenderizing is done with a meat mallet or a tenderizer(which has a bunch of pointed needles) and through cooking method. Try a different method of cooking and make sure not to overcook.
I promise you , the meat cleaver is the very best way. I lay my chicken tenders on a coating board and I lay plastic wrap over the tenders and beat them., they turn out great everytime