Rescue your dinner: How bicarbonate of soda saves tough meat
Although it is known that meat is best purchased from trusted sellers or local stores, sometimes mishaps occur. Often, it is not until we are preparing dinner at home that we realise the meat is tough and dry... Fortunately, there is a way to solve this problem.
Did you buy tough and dry meat? You can try to salvage it, and there are several methods to do so. These techniques can even tenderise beef while keeping the meat juicy inside. It's worth knowing these solutions.
The method is simple
When the meat is tough and dry, even if it is prepared appropriately, its taste will not be satisfying. This is influenced by the quality of the meat. Therefore, before you start preparing your planned dishes, it is worthwhile to tenderise it. There is a quick and easy way to do this: simply use bicarbonate of soda. Thanks to it, regardless of the cooking method—frying, baking, grilling, or boiling—the meat will have an ideal texture. There is no need to worry about the taste, as bicarbonate of soda does not affect it.
Practical tips
- Bicarbonate of soda can be used on any type of meat, regardless of the cooking method planned. When boiling, simply add a little bicarbonate of soda to the water, keeping the proportion of half a teaspoon per litre.
- If you plan to fry, the meat should be cut, rubbed with bicarbonate of soda, and left for a few hours in the refrigerator. After this time, it should be rinsed thoroughly, dried, seasoned, and fried. This will maintain its juicy interior.
- A popular practice in Asian countries is to marinate chicken in a mixture of soy sauce, garlic, bicarbonate of soda, and potato starch. This method makes the chicken
- Incredibly soft and crispy and the starch creates an appetising and crispy coating on its surface.
- Bicarbonate of soda is also excellent for lamb and venison, as it helps tenderise the meat and remove its specific smell. The meat should be soaked overnight in a brine of two litres of water and a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda, and it should be dried before cooking.
