My meatloaves keep falling apart. what am i doing wrong?!
My meatloaves keep falling apart. what am i doing wrong?
Answers:
you should add more bread crumbs, or maybe you should try a new recipie. i have this great one from ina graten from foodnetwork.com. give it a try
more breadcrumbs and add eggs
Are you using an egg when you combine the meatloaf?
Add an egg! They help hold the meats together! :)
mix in a half cup of flour and one egg to your recipe.
Meatloaf can be tough. Make sure you mix the meat well with some bread or cracker crumbs (about 1/4 cup per pound), some fresh eggs (about 3 to 4 per pound) and some cold milk (about 1/4 cup per pound) add in your seasonings (pepper salt garlic thyme etc etc) and mix it all up really well. Spray oil a meatloaf pan or whatever pan your using then press the meat mixture into the pan firmly for a short time to press out air pockets and to press the meat in really well. cook it until its 90% done then pull it out, drain off the grease, and spread a tomato sauce recipe or just ketchup over the top and put it back in for about 15 minutes. When done, remove it from pan onto plate or cutting board and make sure you let it cool a while before trying to cut it so it can set up, usualy about 10 minutes out of the oven should do it.
What do you put into them?
In addition to the ground meat you need to add egg(s) and meal of some sort. I prefer oatmeal but breadcrumbs are the conventional ingredient.
Mine also has onions, often some sort of sweet pepper and my secret ingredient: SPIKE! (Spike is a powdered seasoning mixture.)
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eggs will hold it together if you are adding eggs add one more=foodnetwork.com has great recipes i like tyler and paula deen
Use an egg and breadcrumbs and it should be all good. I prefer the Italian seasoned ones; it gives more flavor to my meatloaf.
You don't mention how you prepare yours, so this is what I do. 1lb ground beef (you could use ground turkey or chicken as well), 1 egg, little more than 1/4 cup bread crumbs (I prefer Italian seasoned kind) and ketchup. Mix all together in bowl. you don't want your mixture too liquidy (too much ketchup). bake at 350 for 30 minutes. The leaner the ground beef the less greasy. you can add additional spices if you like, I try to add fresh garlic but not so much you keep Dracula away. Good luck.
hi just wanted to say.. when you prepare your meat mix an scramble egg with the meat it will keep it together... good luck
I'd sort of have to see the recipe to know for sure, but a meatloaf will fall apart for several reasons...it could be too dry, it could be too wet, or it could have insufficient "binder" (such as egg) holding it together.
Here are some "generic" meatloaf guidelines: To prevent dryness, AND add some binding, use one large egg for every two pounds of ground meat. Use about 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (or other filler) per pound of ground meat. For meatloaf that is 2 pounds or less, roast at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes. For meatloaf larger than 2 pounds, roast at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes per pound.
Yeah, eggs are a key. Listen I never put my meatloaf ingredients into a casserole dish or any formed enclosed baking dish. I have a large glass dish with low sides and I form the meatloaf down the center, not quite touching the sides (like a real "loaf").
If it won't stand up firmly "free-form," then you have WAY too much liquid in the mix. The mix should be almost the consistency of hamburger mix, you can use ground breadcrumbs as noted. (Oh and don't put huge chunks of anything, onion, celery, olives etc, chop the ingredients well...)
so.....
-eggs and finely ground breadcrumbs
-watch the liquids, ....not too much!
-well cooked (an under-cooked meatloaf will tend to crumble more easily.....)
....you manage those three things and I'm sure your meatloaf will improve immediately, Good Luck......
Without giving us your recipe my guess is that you are not using a binding agent such as an egg or two.
You may not be combining everything enough and suggest you use your fingers for 2-3 minutes.
You are probably handling the mixture too much. Do not overmix.
The incredible egg to the rescue!
An egg will act as a binder, holding the rest of the meatloaf ingredients together. Add one large egg for every two pounds of ground meat.
I add ground pork to my meatloaf, up to 1/2 pork. This also seems to help hold the loaf together.
Do not overcook your meatloaf - it will get dry and crumbly. If your meatloaf is always dry, try adding a little milk.
hey, email me and tell me your process and I'll be able to tell you exactly what your doing wrong. meatloaf is one of my favorite dishes so i hope i can help