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using a hammer tenderizer vs needled tenderizer

2K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  french fries 
#1 ·
hi gang:

i'm a bit confused...getting back into cooking.
so found some useful youtube channels on cooking, one involved
using a tenderizer hammer to flatten, let's say, a chicken breast for more even cooking and facillitating faster marinating.

but what of the needed 'stamp' versions? should these only be used on tough pieces of meat?
i ask as I'm about to cook my first steak in a long time (using cast iron pan)...wondering if i'd need
to a hammer tenderizer or the needled version (i believe i have a striploin in fridge..but it's not a cheaper piece of beef).
i guess i could always use pinepapple to break down tougher pieces, too....or just salt.

thanks for your feedback to this newbie trying find his footing again.
 
#2 ·
I don't use either very much, but my sense is:

1. Needled: use to make tough cuts more tender so they can be cooked quickly in a pan. E.g. tough beef cuts as steak.

2. Hammer: use to flatten and thin meats so they cook super-quick in a pan. E.g. veal or chicken piccatta.

3. Decent steak cuts: don't use the tenderizer unless you want the shape to be thin.
 
#3 ·
Some people use a rolling pin. Then there is a paddle kind of thing. I use the flat side of the mallet to pound chicken fillets into a uniform thickness so they cook evenly. Never on anything else and I have no use for the spiked side.

I once saw someone in the restaurant supply looking at the spiked side of the biggest mallet they had. I just had to say to him "I hate to see the meat you are going to use that on!"
 
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