Meat tenderizer tool is one of the basic kitchen utensils for meat lovers. It is a manual mechanical device that is used to soften or tenderize the meat by tearing apart the strong muscle fibers of the meat prior to cooking.
Tenderizing is an important procedure before cooking as it makes the meat softer, tastier and juicy. Especially when you are making a steak, tenderizing is the most important process. The pounding makes the touch meat softer by breaking the muscle fibers which makes the cutting and chewing process quite easier. In addition to making the meat softer, tenderizing also decreases the cooking time incredibly.
The meat tenderizer tool is usually similar to a mallet or hammer with a pounding surface on the other side. The pounding surface might be flat or spiky depending upon the type of meat it will be used on. It is usually made up of high-quality rust-proof metal or wood and is available in many sizes in the market. Crank meat tenderizer cubes are also available in the market, which is crank operated.
Meat is passed through the top of the machine, and the operation is performed by rotating the crank. Using a meat tenderizer tool is also quite easy. You just have to strike the meat with soft hands with the tenderizer tool. The time of the operation is quite dependent upon the type of meat on which meat tenderizer is used.
The Best Meat Tenderizer Tools To Buy
Editor’s Choice – Textured Aluminum Meat Tenderizer, 9.5-Inch KitchenAid
The textured aluminum meat tenderizer is 9.5-inches long. The striking surfaces are the size of about 2 X 2-inch squares. This aluminum design results in a light-weight durable tool to tenderize your meat. One side of the tool is smooth, perfect for pounding and flattening. The other side has textured, for maximum effect when tenderizing various meats.
KitchenAid has introduced a high-quality product in the market to tenderize the meat. It is similar to the conventional meat tenderizer tool which resembles the mallet. The product is made up of aluminum which makes it lightweight only weighing about 9.6oz. The product incorporates both flattened end and spiky end on the striking surface. The flattened end can be used for flattening the meat, while the spiky end can be used for pounding cutlets. This multipurpose meat tenderizer tool is only 11 inches in length and has an eyehole at the end of the handle which makes it easy to be stored after usage.
The soft comfortable grip reassures that the tool will not slip out of your hand while striking. At the bottom of the handle is a hole that can be used to neatly hang the meat tenderizing tool for convenient storage. So, you can place or hang it, where you have space in your kitchen.
When cleaning the tool, it is important to only hand wash the meat tenderizer. It is not dishwasher safe. Putting the tool in the dishwasher may result in damage to the protective coating that prevents the aluminum from deteriorating.
The product does come with a 1-year hassle-free guarantee for replacement and limited lifetime warranty.
Pros
- Lightweight durable material
- Easy to clean
- Two different textures on each side for different types of striking
Cons
- Not dishwasher safe may result in damage to the product
- Made out of aluminum, not stainless steel
- Not practical for large quantities of meat
Alternative Choice – Jaccard Supertendermatic 48-Blade Tenderizer
The Jaccard Supertendermatic 48-blade tenderizer is a small yet powerful tool. It measures 4 inches high by 5.75 inches long by 1.5 inches wide. It has equipped with 48 blades that will penetrate your meat for maximum tenderization.
This meat tenderizer has made out of two materials. The handle has made out of an anti-bacterial ABS plastic. The blades have built out of stainless steel to prevent any corrosion, that may occur on regular steel blades.
The design of this tool focuses on breaking up tough connective tissue, which will result in a slice of soft tender meat when it has cooked. The blades have a neat feature of creating tiny heat channels within the meat for maximum exposer reducing cooking time by 40 percent. These channels will also help to reach maximum marinade penetration so you can achieve the taste you are looking for.
It has proven that the outcome of using this tool will have the less expensive cuts of meat have you feeling like you just bought a 30$ piece of meat from a restaurant. This will result in saving a substantial amount of money that may have spent on high-quality cuts.
Pros
- Cut costs on high-quality cuts of meat
- Achieve optimal marinating results
- Have your meat cook 40% quicker
Cons
- Not easy to clean. You may have to undo bolts.
- Not easy to use if you are not familiar with this tool
- Blades will get dull over time
Popular Brand Choice – Weston Heavy Duty Manual Meat Cuber Tenderizer
The Weston Manual Heavy Duty Meat Cuber Tenderizer has designed around a cranking system. It has produced out of a cast-aluminum frame with a food-safe coating and has equipped with 31-stainless steel blades. These blades will chew through connective tissue resulting in a soft and tender piece of meat. The chute where the meat is placed measures 6 inches wide by 1.5 inches thick.
This piece of machinery will also include a pair of stainless-steel flip-flops to encourage safe use. This will prevent you from putting your hands next to any moving parts. Also, this kit includes stainless steel combs to prevent jamming. And finally, it will come with two C clamps as well.
These clamps are to ensure the tenderizer is tightly in place when cranking the device. The Weston is easy to clean, the two-piece housing will disassemble with ease. This will allow the removal of the stainless-steel blades for a thorough clean.
A jerky slicer of this model is available for cutting dry meats, it is recommended not to put dry meats through the manual Meat Tenderizer.
Pros
- 1-year manufacture warranty
- Easy clean, easy to disassemble
- You can process large amounts of meat
Cons
- If machine jams it is quite difficult to unjam
- Pricey product
- Not dishwasher safe
Budget-Friendly Choice – Multi-function Marinated beef injection Pickled Steak Meat Tenderizer
The Multi-function Steak Meat Tenderizer with Beef Injection is a multi-functional tool. This ingenious design will inject your favorite marinade into the meat while tenderizing it.
How this all works still amazes me, once your meat has placed flat on a cutting board. Prepare your favorite marinade with spices, oils, and your favorite juices. Place the marinade in a bowl big enough for the tenderizer tool to fit and submerge it in the juices, Now simply pull back the injector so it can fill up the chamber. Once the injector is full, place the tenderizer over the meat and apply pressure onto the injector and your meat. The 3-injection needless will fill your meat up with flavor whilst you tenderize your meat at the same time. Repeat until you get satisfactory results.
Materials that have used to make this tool are the following. The housing has made out of plastic. The blades are stainless steel. It has recommended cleaning this tool immediately after use. This will eliminate the risk of clogging the injection needles for the next use. If the tool has not used for 7 days or more, it has suggested coating the O-rings in vegetable oil.
Pros
- Marinate and tenderize at the same time
- Easy to clean, Injector disassembles
- Apply pressure to tenderize with ease
Cons
- No warranty has offered
- Injector needles may get clogged if not washed after use
- Small surface area, will take some time with large portions of meat
High-End Choice – High Steaks the Sausage Maker Roller Meat Tenderizer Tool
The High Steaks Roller Meat Tenderizer Tool is a roller design made in the U.S.A. It has armed with a razor-sharp rotating head. It works great on small to mid-sized cuts. The blades have made out of rust and corrosion-free material making this tool safe to place in a dishwasher.
The unique curved blade design optimizes puncturing when passing over your favorite meats. This will break up the connective tissues resulting in a soft, tender easy-to marinate a piece of meat.
Measurements of the meat tenderizer are 5.5 inches long with a head width of about 4.75 inches and weigh about 4 pounds. This makes the tool very versatile and easy to store. A protective case has given with the kit to avoid injury when storing.
The High Steaks Meat Tenderizer is easy to clean, you can place it in the dishwasher if you want to. No parts have needed to disassemble.
The Sausage Maker company offers a 3-year warranty for all defects. The company states they are highly confident that, their product is of the best quality. This is why a 3-year warranty has offered.
Pros
- Easy to clean, Dishwasher safe
- A small versatile tool, easy to store
- 3-year warranty have included
Cons
- Cannot process large amounts of meat at a time
- Pricey for such a small tool
- Cannot pound or beat meats
Koncle Meat Tenderizers tool
This meat tenderizer tool introduced by Koncle is the best option for you if you want to reduce the cooking time of the meat. This tool incorporates 56 sharp stainless steel blades that can be used for marinating or flattening. The product is easy to clean after usage and is offered with a plastic cap to cover the blades after usage. Koncle meat tenderizer is a lightweight product and is made up of high-quality ABS plastic.
Weston Heavy Duty Meat Tenderizer
Weston has also introduced a meat tenderizer tool in the market which is manually operated with a crank. Weston meat tenderizer is made up of high-quality aluminum. The product is easy to assemble and disassemble for usage and cleaning. Weston meat tenderizer incorporates 32 stainless steel blades for smooth operation. The upper end of the product has a small opening to pass through the meat. The crank is rotated and the meat is processed thoroughly.
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Design of a meat tenderizer tool
There are many meat tenderizing tools available in the market all of which have the same basic purpose of tenderizing and flattening the meat. The simple meat tenderizer tool is similar to a hammer or mallet with a striking surface.
Usually, the striking surface has two ends, one is flattened and the other has sharp and spiky ends. It can be used for both flattening and flavoring the meat with its two ends. Such meat tenderizer tools are made up of aluminum or wood. They usually have an eye for hanging it when not in use. Another modern meat tenderizer tool is available in the market which contains a blade in it.
The blade meat tenderizer tool is easy to grip and penetrates through the meat easily. Such blade meat tenderizer tools are often made up of ABS plastic which is tested and can be used on the food items. The blades of this meat tenderizer can be covered with plastic cover when not in use. Meat cuber is another meat tenderizing tool. It contains an opening on the top to pass the meat through and the tenderizing is done through a manually operated crank.
The meat passes through the machine when the crank is manually rotated and tenderizing is done on one side. Such meat tenderizer tools are made up of stainless steel or cast aluminum. Some modern meat cubers also offer a meat slicer which cuts down the meat into slices after tenderizing.
What is a Meat Tenderizer Used For?
Meat tenderizer tool can be used for various purposes if you are a meat lover. Following are some of the uses of a meat tenderizer tool:
To even the meat
There are many pieces of meat that are uneven. Meat tenderizer tool can be used to make the meat even by pounding on the meat. To even the meat, the meat is often covered with a plastic sheet and pounding is usually done from thickest to the thinnest side of the meat. To make the meat even, the flat side of the meat tenderizer tool is used instead of the spikey one.
To marinate the meat
Meat tenderizer tool can also be used to marinate the meat which reduces the cooking time and enhances the mouthwatering flavor. To marinate the meat, it is flattened firstly, and then the spikey end of the meat tenderizer tool is used to pounder the meat. Meat pounding breaks the tough tissues which add the gelatin in the meat increasing the moisture making the meat more flavorsome. There are pyramid-shaped dimples on the pounded side of the meat which can better absorb the flavors of the ingredients and make the steak, barbecue or fried meat more tasty and tempting.
To reduce the cooking time
Using this handy tool can also reduce the cooking time in addition to increasing the flavor. The tenderizer tool flattens the meat and breaks the hard tissues and collagen which provides the moisture which decreases the meat cooking time. Meat tenderizer tool makes the meat even in size which also reduces the cooking time.
Conclusion
So, the meat tenderizer tool is a handy product if you are a meat lover and want to enhance the flavor of the steak, barbecue or any other meat dish. The small pounding operation can reduce the cooking time incredibly and can make the dish really flavorsome.