Why do my homemade meatballs always turn to mush?!
Why do my homemade meatballs always turn to mush?
Answers:
You need to use a filler like bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, oatmeal or rice. They need to be firmly packed and you can try frying them to brown the outside before putting them in the oven, or, you can just fry them. See the recipe below for some ideas and good luck!
GINA'S ITALIAN MEATBALLS AND SAUCE
Meatballs:
2 lbs pork, veal, and ground beef mixture
2 eggs
garlic powder
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
salt
a little bit of milk
Sauce:
2 cans tomoato sauce
2 cans tomato puree
2 crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon olive oil
A Sprinkle of:
oregano
onion powder
garlic powder
Parmesan cheese
Combine all ingredients for meatballs in a large bowl. Form into meatballs. Fry them until brown in a skillet with 1/4" olive oil and several whole cloves fresh garlic, to flavor the oil.
Pour a few spoons of olive oil after done from the skillet into your sauce. Cook for 6 hours in sauce on simmer.
Source(s):
cooks.com
Do you use eggs or bread (crumbs)? You need something in it to act as a binder, those two work well. And bake them well.
In homemade meatballs, the egss you use have too much protein. This makes the meatballs musshy because proteins block normal forming of it. Restaurants use less protein to save money to make meatballs. Use a little water or cornstarch, it will help.
Saute them to keep their shape, then put them into the sauce to finish.
Are you using bread or breadcrumbs in them? Most every recipe calls for one or the other, as it helps the ingredients 'bind' together.
Use one egg per pound of ground beef or lamb.... along with some seasoned bread crumbs. Then sautee briefly until just browned before adding them to your sauce. The browning will also help them stay firm and keep their shape during cooking.
Add eggs. It will hold it together
eggs and cracker holds the meat together. oven is the best way to make them.
The meatballs should be thoroughly browned in oil on all sides in a skillet. I would use medium high heat. The browned meat balls can then complete their cooking in tomato sauce simmering on the stove (about 30 minutes), or baked in a casserole dish in the oven with beef stock if you are making Swedish meatballs.
For 1 lb of ground meat use about 1 cup of bread crumbs and 1 egg. You can also add dry parsley flakes, diced onion, grated cheese, nutmeg, garlic, etc. Some people add a little water.
There are a few reasons that could be causing this. First, you might be overmixing the ingredients. That is probably the most likely problem. Without seeing the recipe you use, the other possibilites are that there is either too much egg, not enough egg, or too much bread crumbs or oats or not enough. Try this ratio:
2 pounds ground meat
2 eggs
3/4 cup of oats or bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
whatever seasonings you like....I use chopped onion, garlic, salt, pepper, sometimes basil and oregano, sometimes soy sauce and if I want it to have a more Italian sausage flavor, I will add some ground fennel seed. The seasonings are up to you and won't change the texture. Mix this all up just until the ingredients are loosely mixed. Form gently into meatballs by hand, then bake on a sheet in the oven at 375, or panfry them.
Fry and brown the meatballs on all sides before adding to a recipe.
Just made meatballs for dinner tonight
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/3 cup water (more or less)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
PREPARATION:
Mix all ingredients together. Don't add all of the water at one time. Mixture should be moist but not so that the meatballs fall apart.
Shape meatballs to desired size and place on a broiler pan (I wet my hands before shaping each meatball and it helps make a nice meatball.) Broil until outside is slightly brown on one side and then turn and broil the other side.
When finished, add to spaghetti sauce and simmer at least 20 minutes
If i'm cooking meatballs in a sauce, I don't put egg in it. The meatballs need to stay as dry as possible.I f you still would like to put an egg in, roll meatball in a little breadcrumb and put in fridge to help dry it out a little.
Good luck with the next time you try your recipe :)
The recipe is a factor, but too much mixing will make the texture too consistent which has a "mushy feel". My great Italian cook friend swears that the meatballs should be cooked separately and added to the sauce at the last minute, prior to serving. I prefer to broil/roast the meatballs instead of frying.