Tips and Advice

5 Tricks to Enhance Your Meatballs

By Eloísa Carmona - 2022-04-27T12:34:40Z
Ground meat recipes are super practical because it is a type of meat that you can use for fillings, simply stew it, or make meatballs, the favorites, and have a delicious, quick, and complete meal.Meatballs are small balls of ground meat, also known as minced meat; they are generally made with beef or veal, but there are also chicken, tuna, or even vegan ones made with rice, for example.Alone, stuffed, or seasoned with parsley, meatballs are a great dish on weekly menus, but sometimes even the dish you can repeat a thousand times needs a new twist, and in the case of meatballs, a filling, changing the type of meat or the seasonings can make all the difference.Choose the right meatWhile you can make meatballs with any ground meat, fattier meats like beef, lamb, and pork will result in softer meatballs. If you use lean meats like chicken or turkey, do not overcook them because they can become tough. For great flavor, use a mix of different types of ground meats.Chill the ingredientsTo prevent the fat from melting and the meat from breaking down, keep the meat and ingredients as cold as possible. Make the mixture in a cold bowl, and if you add pre-cooked ingredients like onion, let them cool completely before adding.Add moisture with a little eggThe protein in the meat causes it to shrink when cooked and can result in tough meatballs. Adding egg and binders like breadcrumbs mixed with milk helps keep the meatballs tender and moist.Shape the meatballs carefullyIf the meatballs are pressed and compacted too much when shaping, they will come out tough, chewy, and rubbery. To avoid this, grease your hands so the mixture doesn’t stick, and shape them gently and quickly. If you want to do even better, use a small ice cream scoop to make uniformly sized meatballs.Do a seasoning testBefore you panic, you don’t have to taste the raw meat. The trick is to cook a mini burger or meatball to check if the ground meat mixture needs more salt, pepper, parsley, or your special touch.You now have everything to enhance your meatballs, so don’t hesitate to implement these tips, but most importantly, tell us what makes your meatball recipe extra special.Put these tricks into practice with these recipes:Cream cheese stuffed meatballsSpicy chipotle meatballsMeatballs in morita sauceWith information from TheKitchn.com