The Best Meat Tenderizers You Can Buy Online
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The Lone Star State has a proud beef culture. Texans are more than just “consumers” of the meat – they love to cook and eat beef in a huge array of forms and dishes. As a result, dealing with tough cuts of meat is sometimes part of the deal. In our household, cheaper cuts now and then take precedence over more expensive pieces of beef, which perhaps have more marbling and are especially tender.
So, I’ve come to rely on a special tool in my kitchen – my trusty meat tenderizer. This humble piece of cooking equipment tenderizes tougher pieces of meat, helping to improve both texture and flavor.
Why Tenderize
Tenderizing a cut of meat before seasoning allows it to absorb more flavor. A meat tenderizer is a perfect utensil for a piece of lean beef filled with tough muscle fibers. Among these tougher cuts are flanks, skirts and tri-tips. Tenderizers can also be used to soften other kinds of lean meat, such as game.
It’s safe to say that a tenderizer can transform tough meats into ones that mimic more expensive cuts.
Properties of a Great Meat Tenderizer
When shopping for a meat tenderizer, it’s important to consider the following criteria:
1. Comfort – a meat tenderizer should be comfortable in your grip and not too heavy to avoid hand fatigue.
2. Use – what you’re planning to use your tenderizer for will determine what kind of tool you purchase. If you love schnitzel or chicken-fried steak, it’s best to go for a meat mallet, preferably one with a double head. If you prefer creating holes in your meat to help it absorb seasonings and marinades, then go for a needled or spiked mallet.
3. Durability – your tenderizer should be made of high-grade steel that is resistant to corrosion.
4. Budget – how much you’re willing to invest in a high-quality meat tenderizer is something for you to decide.
What to Buy & Where to Buy It
Of course, you can buy a meat tenderizer in a physical store such as a supermarket, but I prefer to buy my kitchen tools online. Amazon simply has so many brands and choices available, and it’s super easy to find something that fits your budget. Here you can also read customer reviews, which is important when purchasing a new piece of cookware. Speaking of reviews, below I’ve listed five of the most popular meat mallets sold on Amazon.
KitchenAid Gourmet Meat Tenderizer
A top-selling Amazon’s Choice tenderizer. With over 17,000 reviews(!), this is a meat tenderizer you can trust. It has five stars for sturdiness and 4.8 stars for durability, making it a must-buy. Made of aluminum, this gourmet tenderizer is lightweight yet strong and durable. It’s also double-sided, with one side featuring a textured surface to handle various meat cuts and the other being smooth to pound and flatten cutlets.
There’s a hole in the handle, giving you the option to hang the utensil. The tool is easy to look after, as you can just hand wash it with water and mild detergent to clean it.
New Oxo Good Grips Meat Tenderizer
This tenderizer has more than 4,000 reviews, with over 85% being five-star ratings. Praised for its easy-to-use, easy-to-hold, and easy-to-clean features, the New Oxo Good Grips Meat Tenderizer is a two-in-one tool for pounding and tenderizing all kinds of meats, such as beef, pork and poultry. The textured side has pyramid-shaped teeth, while the smooth side maximizes surface area to flatten meat quickly.
This tenderizer is made from BPA-free, impact-resistant ABS plastic and comes with a solid steel core. It has a soft, non-slip coating, which means it can be used even with wet hands.
Zulay Kitchen 10 Inch Meat Hammer Tenderizer
This light yet strong tenderizer is made from a high-grade BPA-free aluminum alloy and has a black matte non-stick coating. The rubberized handle makes it comfortable to use; the rubber also absorbs the shock waves produced when pounding a piece of meat. The dual-sided hammer has a smooth flat side for flattening and the textured side is for piercing and tenderizing.
Xspecial Meat Mallet
This dual-sided stainless steel mallet scores highly for being easy to use, easy to hold, and sturdy. The mallet is designed in such a way that it requires less force from the user when pounding or tenderizing a piece of meat. It’s also multifunctional, meaning it can be used with non-meat food products such as shellfish, (What wine goes well with shellfish?) peppercorns, nuts (how long do nuts last?) and even ice.
You can find many brands and types of meat tenderizers online. Platforms such as Amazon are great for finding exactly what you’re looking for. When doing so, it’s important to read the ratings and reviews – both positive and negative – given by customers. Another tip is to take time exploring these sites for price discounts, special offers and product promotions.
