tenderising meat

thea4, Feb 18, 9:27pm
I have been told baking soda is used to tenderise meat but how? Is it rubbed on dry or added to water and the meat soaked in it?
fisher, Feb 18, 9:42pm
thea ... see the answers in gardening... .
thea4, Feb 18, 11:09pm
I have thank you
mtkeats, Feb 19, 2:25pm
Using sliced kiwifruit is awesome for tenderising meat, but only leave 6 hours or so, or else it tends to breakdown.
lythande1, Feb 19, 2:30pm
A marinade will only have a tenderizing effect if it contains an acid, , but even then, the effect is limited. The acid in a marinade, be it wine, vinegar, citrus juices, etc. , will break down the surface proteins on a piece of meat to some degree. However, even with extended resting time, the penetration of the marinade is not that deep. In fact, marinades only infiltrate three sixteenths of an inch beneath the food’s surface!
Baking soda is not an acid.
You can age it - if steak, but if a stewing type cut, then best to just stew it like it should be.
fisher, Feb 19, 2:43pm
wrong again... . :}}
kob, Feb 19, 3:12pm
thea 4 its cornflour used for tenderising not baking soda, but ive always used the kiwifruit and that always works for me, it turns rump steak into fillet quality and thats just by snawiching the kiwifruit together with the steak for about 1-2 hours before cooking, and saves on the old dosh, but have used to cornflour as well, chinese shops use cornflour to tenderise there pork etc for quick stirfry, try both and see which works for you, marinades are great for flavour but if youve got a tough piece of meat it just might need more than a soak in a marinade
davidt4, Feb 19, 3:35pm
This is incorrect, as usual. Enzymes in various fruit (e. g. kiwifruit, papaya, pineapple) tenderise meat by breaking down the protein.

I'm not keen on any kind of tenderising as all it does is destroy the structure of the meat. If you have a tough cut to use it's better to cook it slowly and make the most if its flavour.
beaker59, Feb 19, 7:33pm
Have to agree with David again the tough cuts are soo good slow cooked so the connective tissue turns to jelly. Other cuts that are frying ones but tough can be improved with ageing in the fridge.
lythande1, Feb 19, 11:56pm
Same thing - in certain fruit etc:
http://science. howstuffworks.com/pineapple-enzyme-tenderize-
steak.htm/printable
superdave0_13, Feb 20, 12:54am
You don't actually have to do anything to it but leave it alone and let it naturally decompose. You can speed this up and slow it down by varying the temperature.
nfh1, Feb 20, 3:34am
somehow this does not sound very appetising!
biker_69, Feb 20, 4:34am
The term decompose might be a little off-putting but he's right. The trouble with much red meat today is it's TOO fresh! People are so paranoid about bacteria LOL.
superdave0_13, Feb 20, 11:16am
I thought you'd like that! !
beaker59, Feb 20, 2:12pm
Yep ageing, no one I have known has got sick from eating well aged red meat, just keep raw meat separate from cooked in the fridge. Another tip is cooked on the upper shelves of the fridge raw on the lower shelves so if there is a drip from raw it doesn't fall on cooked. Supermarket steak can be excellent for that extra week in the fridge.
nfh1, Aug 25, 9:14am
yes I do think meat is much better aged but somehow decomposing does not have the same ring to it!