To prepare delicious juicy cutlets, it is important to use several rules:
- Use minced meat in proportion (1 kg beef / 0.5 kg pork or 1 kg beef / 250 grams of lard)
- For the desired consistency, add bread soaked in milk. Grated raw potatoes also add softness and juiciness to the cutlets.
- If you want tender cutlets that “melt in your mouth,” do not add eggs.
- Do not cover the pan with a lid from the very beginning, first fry the cutlets until crusty on both sides, then reduce the heat.
- Butter can be added as desired. Because using these rules, the cutlets will still turn out juicy.
About how to properly fry cutlets so that they do not fall apart and become tough.
Ingredients:
How to cook juicy minced meat cutlets
1 . Peel the vegetables. Grate the carrots and chop the onion coarsely. Despite the fact that the vegetables will then be passed through a meat grinder, it is better to chop them first. This way the meat mass will be more homogeneous.
Carrots are added as desired. Onion is a must.
2
. Grate the potatoes on a medium grater. Add a little salt. Let stand for 10 minutes. Give away the juice. If you don't squeeze out the potato juice well, the cutlets will fall apart during frying!
3
. Remove all veins, cartilage and bones from the meat. Grind in a meat grinder using a medium-sized grill. When twisting, alternate meat and vegetables, placing them in the meat grinder one by one.
If you have ready-made minced meat, grind the carrots, onions and garlic in a meat grinder and add to the meat mass.
4
. Spices: salt, black pepper. If desired, you can add curry, ginger, nutmeg and other meat spices available to the meat and vegetable mixture. Although, traditionally only salt and black pepper are added.
5
. It is better to take white and stale bread, as this produces more gluten. Soak in milk (or water). Then knead the bread into the finished meat mass.
6.
Then add potatoes and mix thoroughly. At the end of kneading, you can add butter and a couple of tablespoons of ice water. This will add juiciness and fluffiness to the finished product.
To make the cutlets juicy, the minced meat must be thoroughly kneaded. This is done by hand. It is also advisable to beat the meat mass (lift the minced meat and forcefully throw it into the cup, do this several times). Thus, the meat fibers soften, the minced meat is enriched with oxygen and becomes homogeneous and viscous.
Place the finished semi-finished product in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. All this is done in order to add tenderness and juiciness.
7
. You can use crackers or flour with salt as a breading.
But, roasting in lezone is very tasty. This deboning method is often used to prepare meat dishes in restaurants. 3 eggs + 2 tbsp milk + a pinch of salt (mix and roll the cutlets first in this mixture, then in flour and immediately into a hot frying pan).
Breading is needed not only for a beautiful crust. It helps retain juices inside.
If possible, the cutlets should be the same size. It's easier to sculpt if you wet your hands with water.
8
. You need to fry the cutlets in hot oil to make them juicy. First fry on both sides for 1-2 minutes. Get a beautiful golden brown crust and “seal” the juices inside. Do not cover the pan with a lid at this time!
Then, reduce the heat and now cover with a lid, bring the cutlets to readiness, 4-5 minutes on each side. You can move the dish to the oven and finish cooking in it, about 15 minutes. Alternatively, add sauce to the fried cutlets and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes.
You can check readiness by piercing the cutlet. Clear juice should come out of it.
Juicy cutlets in a frying pan are ready
Bon appetit!
Sauces for cutlets, recipes
Any boring dish can be diversified and refreshed with the help of sauces. Preparing them is not difficult if you follow a set of certain rules, and they can be consumed in various interpretations and quantities. It is necessary to know the features of preparation and use of the most popular sauces.
Bechamel
This sauce requires patience and perseverance in preparation, but it is worth it, since bechamel complements many dishes, including cutlets, giving them tenderness, juiciness and airiness. Detailed recipe for Bechamel sauce with step-by-step photos.
To prepare, heat two glasses of milk in a saucepan without bringing to a boil. At this time, melt three tablespoons of butter in a frying pan over medium heat.
Two tablespoons of flour and salt are added there at the tip of a knife. Everything is stirred using a wooden spatula so that there are no lumps and the mass is homogeneous. Milk is gradually poured into the contents of the pan. You need to add it slowly, constantly stirring the sauce so that lumps do not form.
Bring the bechamel to a boil and cook for 2 minutes until the mixture thickens. Then you need to remove the mixture from the heat and put a little butter in it so that a film does not form on top. Bechamel is served with dairy veal and other types of meat, sturgeon, as well as savory pancakes. Bechamel is perfect for juicy meatballs and cutlets.
Aioli
This sauce is in demand in Europe and is quite simple to prepare. To make aioli, you need to crush 4 cloves of garlic in a mortar (you can take more or less, depending on your taste), add a raw egg yolk. Then 200 ml of olive oil is poured into this mixture in small drops.
Aioli needs to be stirred constantly, add 20 grams of cold water and the same amount of lemon juice, as well as salt to taste. Serve with juicy cutlets, boiled meat, fresh and boiled vegetables, baked jacket potatoes, and also simply spread on toast from baked white bread. In Provence, aioli is used with boiled eggs, squid and other seafood.
Video
In this video you can also learn some of the nuances of preparing juicy cutlets.
Cutlets are a universal dish that can be served for a regular family lunch or a gala dinner. Moreover, they can be meat, fish, vegetables, and cereals. The essence of this dish is that any products are first crushed, then an oblong or round piece is formed from the minced meat and it is then fried in a frying pan. It seems nothing complicated, but many housewives complain that their cutlets turn out dry and not tasty. Now we will tell you how to prepare juicy and appetizing cutlets so that you won’t be ashamed to treat your guests with them.
Tips for making meat cutlets:- Any meat that you are going to cut into cutlets should be moderately fatty. It is the fat that releases the main juice, which gives the cutlets juiciness. If you get lean meat, then put fresh lard into the meat grinder with it. Proportions 3/1 (meat/fat).
- Use only fresh, chilled meat for cutlets. If you take meat from the freezer, all the juices will flow out of it when defrosted, which will make it very tough.
- The presence of white bread soaked in milk will also add juiciness to the meat cutlets. Crushed, it will then work in the minced meat like a sponge and collect the liquid that is in the meat. Take two- or three-day-old bread or loaf. If you take a fresh baked product, then instead of crumbs in the bowl there will be a mass reminiscent of thick jelly. Be sure to trim off the rind before soaking in milk. For 1 kg of minced meat, add 300 g of bread.
- Many cooks add vegetables to minced meat instead of bread. Grate raw potatoes or fresh zucchini. Squeeze out excess moisture from the vegetable mass, but not to the point of dryness. For 1 kg of minced meat, place 2 medium potatoes or 1 small zucchini. Making cutlets from such minced meat is a little more difficult than from minced meat with bread. To prevent the meat pieces from falling apart in your hands, add one tablespoon of potato starch to the minced meat along with one egg. Such cutlets will not only be juicy, but also fluffy.
- While grinding the minced chicken, add one quarter of the chicken fat to it. If you are going to buy a whole chicken, then take a large one - cut off the fat near the hole through which the chicken was gutted. If you are going to make cutlets from chicken fillet, then buy separately fresh chicken fat, which is sold in the meat department.
- Chicken cutlets turn out very tasty and juicy if you add a little softened butter to it at the very end of mixing the minced meat. For 1 kg of meat, 100 g of butter is enough. Soften it to a very thick sour cream. To prevent the oil from leaking out during frying, add a little “Tender” oat flakes to the minced chicken. They will absorb the oil and the cutlets will remain juicy.
- To make the cutlets juicier, add more onion and lard, twisted through a meat grinder, into the minced fish. For 1 kg of fish, take 2-3 onions and 200 g of lard. To prevent fish cutlets from falling apart, beat an egg into them and add a quarter cup of dry semolina.
- You can replace the lard in fish cutlets with butter or high-quality margarine.
- The vegetables themselves are juicy, so their cutlets always turn out great. To bind chopped vegetables, use semolina, raw egg or starch.
- Vegetable coletas turn out to be very tasty and juicy if they are made from a mixture of boiled and raw vegetables (1/1).
- To prevent juice from leaking out of the cutlets, fry them in a hot frying pan. This will quickly form a crust, which will close the pores through which liquid can leak. If you make the cutlets thick, then if you quickly fry them, they may turn out to be raw inside. To avoid this problem, after frying, keep the cutlets in a hot oven for 10 minutes - they will “cook”.
- The breading for the cutlets is also designed to prevent juices from leaking out. Usually, crackers crushed almost into powder are used for this. If you are going to fry cutlets this way, then cook them at once - when storing fried cutlets in the refrigerator, the breading becomes damp and acquires an unpleasant aftertaste.
- Instead of breadcrumbs, use a well-beaten white of a raw egg. It will perfectly close the pores, and during storage the cutlets will not become soggy, but will remain crispy and appetizing.
- In any cutlets, especially if you are preparing them for a holiday table, add a piece of butter before frying. Firstly, the oil will give the cutlets additional juiciness, and secondly, it will enrich the taste of the cutlets. Prepare the butter for the filling as follows: soften it, add salt, mix with finely chopped herbs and place in a long sausage on cling film. Wrap the sausage in film and place it in the freezer. Free the frozen butter from the film and cut it with a sharp knife into pieces the size of a small walnut.
Any housewife knows how to cook cutlets. Of course, many have their own secrets on how to make cutlets tender, fluffy and juicy. However, a few more tips on how to cook fluffy cutlets will certainly not be superfluous.
General principles for preparing fluffy minced meat cutlets
Firstly, fluffy minced meat cutlets are obtained if this minced meat is prepared by you and from the right ingredients.
Meat should be taken from the front of the carcass: sirloin, tenderloin, etc. However, you can expect especially tasty and fluffy cutlets if the minced meat is made from different types of meat. For example, pork goes well with chicken or turkey, beef with turkey, etc.
Additives to minced meat. When thinking about how to make fluffy cutlets, do not forget that minced meat consists of more than just meat. Bread, vegetables, eggs, spices and spices, butter or sour cream are also added to it.
Bread soaked in milk is by no means the best addition to minced meat. Bread adds extra stickiness, and milk adds density. It is better to replace the bun with a potato or a piece of zucchini. Then you will really get juicy and fluffy cutlets - the vegetables will give juice, and it will not curdle like milk protein.
Your unconditional ally in making fluffy minced meat cutlets is onions. Just don’t turn it together with the meat, but rub it finely on a grater. Put on your swimming goggles and get going.
Many chefs, when asked how to make fluffy cutlets, advise not to add an egg. But there is an opinion that the yolk will still be appropriate in the minced meat, but set the white aside: it will be useful for breading.
Fats will certainly make the dish more tender and fluffy, it’s just important not to overdo it. A little butter, sour cream, mayonnaise, lard - not all at once, but just one - will help you prepare delicious cutlets.
And finally, spices and seasonings (dry herbs, nutmeg, cinnamon, garlic) will highlight the taste of the meat and complete the bouquet.
Secondly, the product must be correctly formed and breaded. To get juicy and fluffy cutlets, you need to ensure that the juice does not flow out of the product. This means, firstly, the cutlets should not be too small. You should put a piece of butter inside the cutlet. It wouldn’t hurt to dip the finished cutlet in lightly beaten egg white. You can cook cutlets in batter or in a potato “coat”. The breadcrumb coating is definitely not the best of the bunch. However, if you prefer it, under no circumstances use store-bought crackers, but only freshly crushed homemade ones.
Thirdly, it is important not to lose juice during cooking. Cutlets steamed or baked in the oven will be juicier than fried. But even in this case, you can cheat. Place the cutlets in a hot frying pan with oil and fry very quickly on both sides. Then reduce the heat to low and cook covered, making sure that the juice does not leak out. If you see juice coming out, turn the cutlet over. Do not overcook the cutlets - they will become tougher.
And now that we have figured out how to cook fluffy cutlets, let’s turn to the recipes.
Recipe 1. Lush minced meat cutlets with vegetables
Ingredients
Pork with fat – 350 g
Chicken (for example, breast fillet) – 350 g
Potato – 1 decent size
A piece of zucchini or zucchini - comparable in size to a potato
Onion – 2 medium-sized onions
Mayonnaise – 2 spoons
Eggs – 2 (white and yolk separately)
Garlic – 3-4 cloves
Dill, parsley, celery, cilantro (fresh herbs) - to taste
Salt, ground black pepper
Cooking method
Prepare minced meat and poultry, put zucchini and potatoes in a meat grinder. Finely grate the onion or chop it with a knife, also chop the garlic and herbs. Put vegetables, mayonnaise and yolks into the minced meat, add salt and pepper, mix everything thoroughly and beat, throwing the minced meat on the table with some force.
Form into medium-sized round patties. Beat the egg white lightly (not into foam, but just so that it is not too viscous). Dip each cutlet in egg white and place in a hot frying pan with oil. Fry quickly on both sides, reduce heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
Recipe 2. Lush poultry cutlets with tomato and sauce
Ingredients
Chicken fillet – 500 g
Turkey fillet – 250 g
Pancake flour – 3 heaped spoons
Carrot – 1 root vegetable
Onion – 1 head
Butter – 100 g
Eggs – 2 large
Tomato paste – 2 tablespoons
Sour cream 20% - 200 g
Dill and (or) parsley - half a bunch
Pickled cucumbers – 2-4 pieces, depending on size
Horseradish - a couple of teaspoons
Salt, pepper - to taste
Cooking method
Finely chop the chicken and turkey with a knife. Grate the carrots and onions and lightly fry with the addition of vegetable oil. Cool and pour the contents of the pan into the minced meat. Add tomato paste and pancake flour, then a couple of spoons of sour cream, two yolks, salt and freshly ground black or white pepper, finely grated (or chopped) frozen butter.
Knead and beat out the minced meat. Form it into fairly large oblong cutlets, dip each one in the protein and fry: first a couple of minutes on each side without a lid over high heat, then 10 minutes under the lid over very low heat.
Mix the remaining sour cream with horseradish, add pickled cucumber and green stuff, chopped in any way. Whisk the sauce with a fork and serve over the cutlets.
Recipe 3. Lush minced meat cutlets in a potato “coat”
Ingredients
Pork (piece with fat) – half a kilo
Potatoes – 5 potatoes (or more, depending on size)
Onion - 2 large onions
Dry bun without crust – 4-5 pieces
Kefir - about a glass
Eggs – 3 (separate the yolk from the white)
Wheat flour – half a cup
Soda - teaspoon
Mix of dry herbs, salt, pepper
Cooking method
To make minced pork, it is better to mince it twice. Break the bun into small pieces and soak in kefir. Separate the yolks from the whites and add them to the minced meat. Also stir in the finely grated onion, the soaked bun with the remaining kefir, a spoonful of soda, salt and pepper. Knock the minced meat on the table several times.
Grate the potatoes very finely and mix with flour, salt and dry herbs. Beat the egg white and combine with the potatoes. Beat two more whites separately with a fork.
Form round or oval cutlets, wrap them in egg white, and then in potato batter. Fry quickly in a frying pan on both sides and finish in an oven heated to 180 degrees.
Recipe 4. Fluffy cutlets “To your health!” (baked in the oven)
Ingredients
Beef – 500 g
Beef liver – 100 g
Pork lard – 100 g
Onion – 1 head
Zucchini or zucchini – 300 g
Frozen corn and peas - about 150 g in total
Any greens (dill, cilantro, parsley, celery, spinach...) – a bunch
Eggs – 3 pieces
Cinnamon and nutmeg – a little bit
Tomato paste - as much as needed
Salt, pepper, garlic - to taste
Cooking method
Pass the beef (it is better to take a piece of tenderloin or brisket, only lean) through a meat grinder along with the liver and lard. Grate the onion and zucchini, chop the greens with a knife.
Mix all the vegetables and herbs with the minced meat, add the yolks, herbs and spices. Mix everything and knock it out on the table. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Form large cutlets and dip them in egg white. Place in a mold that has been pre-greased. Bake at 170 degrees.
Mix tomato paste with hot water (a spoon in half a glass of water), add salt, pepper, chopped garlic. After 10 minutes, take out the form with the cutlets and pour the tomato sauce into it. Bring to readiness.
Recipe 5. Lush minced meat cutlets with “Nests” cheese
Ingredients
Chicken fillet – half a kilo
Onion – 1 large head or 2 small ones
Potatoes – 2 tubers
Smoked cheese (can be sausage) – 300 g
Smoked sausage – 100 g
Eggs – 2 pieces
Frozen French fries – 400 g
Soda - small spoon
Salt pepper
Cooking method
Chop the chicken fillet. Grate the onion and potatoes. Fry the onion until golden brown, mix with chicken and potatoes. Finely grate the pre-frozen smoked cheese and cut the sausage into small cubes. Separate the yolks. Mix all this into the minced meat, and then salt (don’t overdo it: the cheese and sausage are salty!), soda and pepper. Form into medium-sized round patties.
Beat the egg whites with a fork and moisten the fries with it. Lay out the fries in the form of nests, and place a minced meat cutlet in the middle.
Bake in the oven until done. You can add a little water to the pan if you are afraid that the cutlets will burn rather than bake.
Recipe 6. Fluffy cutlets in puff pastry
This fun recipe for fluffy cutlets is suitable for both a holiday table and a snack on the run.
Ingredients
Beef – 300 g
Pork – 300 g
Onion – 1 large
Carrot – 1 small root vegetable
Zucchini – 200 g
Cheese – 200 g
Eggs – 2 pieces
Salt, curry, sweet paprika powder
Puff pastry – 600 – 800 g
Cooking method
Grate the carrots and onions and lightly fry them in a frying pan. Pass the meat and zucchini through a meat grinder. Grate the cheese, separate the yolks from the whites. Mix the yolks, minced meat, fried and cooled carrots and onions, cheese, herbs and spices in one bowl. Knock the minced meat on the table and let it sit for 15 minutes. Form cutlets.
Roll out the puff pastry and cut into strips. Wrap the cutlets in these strips, trying to do it neatly and beautifully. Place the products on a baking sheet lined with parchment and brush the top with whipped egg white.
Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes at 180 degrees.
Recipe 7. Lush cutlets from two types of fish
Ingredients
Red fish (pink salmon, coho salmon, etc.) – 300 g (boneless fillet)
Catfish (can be halibut) – 300 g (also fillet)
Onion – 1 piece
Eggs – 3 pieces
Butter – 100 g
Pancake flour – 5 tablespoons
Potato – 1 large
Sweet red pepper - half
Dill – 5-6 sprigs
Salt, white pepper or curry
Cooking method
Pass fish fillets, peppers, onions and potatoes through a meat grinder with a coarse mesh grid. Mix egg yolks, spices, herbs and flour into the minced meat. Let sit well (10 – 15 minutes).
Grind the dill in any way (knife, blender, food processor), mix it into the minced meat. Beat the whites.
Form cutlets, make a dent and put in a small elongated piece of butter. Seal the cutlet so that the oil is inside. Wrap the products in egg white and place in a heated frying pan with a sufficient amount of vegetable oil (any kind, as long as it is odorless).
Quickly fry the cutlets over high heat without a lid, then cover and reduce heat. So bring it to readiness. If you wish, you can cook the cutlets in the oven at 170 degrees.
It is best not to grind the meat in a meat grinder, but to chop it finely with a knife. This especially applies to poultry cutlets. But if you still decide to turn the meat, it is better to use a coarse mesh grill.
Is the meat too tough? You cannot make very soft cutlets from very tough meat. An acceptable result can be achieved if, on the contrary, you take the finest mesh grate and turn the meat twice. The use of various additives will also help somewhat: for example, semolina instead of bread, sour cream, chopped champignons, etc.
For a quick and easy way to grate butter or smoked cheese, freeze it in the oven.
Try serving the cutlets not with potatoes or pasta, but with vegetables, salad, and mushrooms. You can also serve sauce: white, tomato, sour cream with horseradish, mushroom... The dish will become healthier and better digestible.
Bake a boiled quail egg or a whole slightly cooked champignon inside the cutlet - and you will get a fun dish, suitable for a holiday.
Did you know that the cutlet is French? Of course, not in the banal form in which it often appears on our tables, but many, many decades ago it came to us precisely from refined and sophisticated France. Then the “young lady” looked like a piece of juicy beef on a bone (“cotelette” translated into Russian means “rib” - it was this part of the carcass that was taken to prepare the dish).
Over time, the Russian people began to transform the “French woman” to suit their tastes and ideas of beauty - they began to beat the meat, and after years they even turned it into minced meat. Removing the bone accordingly. So the “foreign” fashionista became a Russian cutlet.
What are cutlets made from at home? Pork, beef, chicken, turkey? Also probably fish, seafood, liver, mushrooms. There are often recipes with cereals and vegetables. And, I’m sure, every housewife has her own signature secret of delicious cutlets.
I have no secrets. There are rules that I, of course, do not always follow, but if we are talking about cutlets from the “you can swallow your tongue” category, then I follow them strictly. Today we are talking about meat cutlets.
So, ten tips on how to how to cook delicious meat cutlets.
1. Minced meat - only homemade. No purchase compromises, even if they are of a thousand times proven quality.
2. Meat is of high quality. “The third grade is not a defect” will do, but we’ll leave it for ordinary cutlets, everyday ones, and for a local culinary masterpiece, buy a good back part of pork or veal tenderloin at the market. Pork is fattier, beef or veal is lean.
3. Minced meat - freshly prepared. Of course, you can take it out of the freezer and defrost it, you will also get cutlets this way, no one argues, but we are talking about tasty and juicy cutlets, right? Then we take out a meat grinder and grind the minced meat.
4. You can cut it. Small. As small as it gets. In this version, meat fibers are not crushed by the circle-knives of the meat grinder, retaining more juice. But this advice is, let’s say, theoretical; I don’t have enough patience for such delights.
4. Bread. Necessarily. Thanks to it, the juice that is released from the meat during frying remains in the cutlets, being absorbed into the bun. By the way, about the bun. It’s not at all necessary - there are also lovers of rye bread. I am a conservative: I take three or four slices of the day before yesterday’s loaf (for 500 g of minced meat), cut off the crusts, pour milk (or low-fat cream - so that it’s completely “ah!”). When the crumb gets wet, I squeeze out the bread.
5. Egg. Do not add. It makes the minced meat denser and harder. I don't like. It is usually taken to ensure that the cutlets do not fall apart during the cooking process, but to prevent such incidents, I have another secret hidden in my pocket, so I simply don’t add it.
6. Other additives.
Onion. Necessary. It's juicy, it's flavorful. You can also add a few cloves of garlic. It's not for everybody, but we like it. You can have a lot of onions - some amateurs, like my husband, manage to make quite nice cutlets, despite the fact that the share of onions is a third of the total volume of minced meat. I can not do that. I limit myself to one large onion per half kilo of meat.
I grind the onion together with the meat in a meat grinder. Can be grated. Cutting is also possible, but I don’t like it when onion comrades are found in homogeneous minced meat.
If the meat is very lean, it is good to add a little lard or other fat - again for the juiciness of the cutlets.
Vegetables - all to your taste. However, if we are talking about meat cutlets, then I recommend saving pumpkin, carrots, zucchini, cabbage, potatoes and other goodies for the next portion.
Spices - I don’t recognize anything except black pepper. But again in the classic version. In general, you can add whatever you think goes well with the meat.
7. Stir. With diligence and care, this is the key to ensuring that the cutlets are uniformly juicy, tasty and delicious in all places.
8. Recapture. Necessarily. A lot of. You scoop the minced meat into your palms, raise your arms and forcefully throw the meat back into the bowl. So - at least 15 times. And better than 30. Then not a single cutlet of yours will fall apart during the frying process.
9. Place butter or a piece of ice in the middle of the cutlet.
I think this is unnecessary shenanigans. If the minced meat is of high quality, fresh and quite fatty, no amount of oil and ice will make it even tastier, it will only add work. If you doubt that you are lucky enough to buy the “right” cutlet meat, bother with butter or ice.
We sculpt with hands dipped in water so that it does not stick.
The correct frying pan is with a thick bottom. Cast iron is ideal.
Breading - optional. My mood sometimes takes flour, sometimes semolina, sometimes crackers. And most often - without any breading at all.
The oil is hot, the frying pan is clean. After each frying batch, thoroughly remove any burnt marks.
Fire is close to minimal.
Fry on both sides. When pressed, the finished cutlets should ooze slightly. On the cut - grayish. Not red, not pink.
I wish you good luck in preparing delicious meat cutlets and in addition I offer you more several proven recipes for delicious colettes from Zest:
Many of our fellow citizens, born during the Soviet Union, remember how their mothers and grandmothers regularly prepared homemade cutlets. This simple dish was a frequent guest on almost any table of any family.
Years have passed and modern housewives, accustomed to semi-finished products, have forgotten how to cook cutlets. The few who tried to do this most often refuse to continue this practice, since the finished “dish” did not at all please their loved ones.
In fact, there is nothing easier than frying homemade cutlets, you just need to know a few secrets of preparing them correctly.
Meat
To make the cutlets tasty and juicy, you need to buy the right meat. You can, of course, buy ready-made minced meat. However, it is unlikely to be made from premium meat. So it’s better not to risk your reputation as a good housewife, but to buy meat and make minced meat yourself.
For cutlets, you should not take the most expensive pieces of beef pulp - tenderloin. Parts such as shoulder, neck, back or brisket are quite suitable. True, beef alone is not enough for good minced meat. You will also have to “splurge” on pork. Here the most acceptable option would be fatty pieces or lard in general. It is this additive that will make the cutlets juicy and tender.
Before you grind the meat in a meat grinder, you need to prepare it. To do this, you will have to remove all the films from it, remove the veins, cartilage and small bones. As for the degree of grinding, chefs do not have a common point of view. However, practice shows that for homemade cutlets it is best to grind the meat once, placing a medium-sized wire rack in the meat grinder.
And, of course, about proportions. The best option is 0.5 kg of pork per 1 kg of beef. But you only need to put 250 g of lard per kilogram of meat. Otherwise, the cutlets will turn out too fatty.
Bread
Now about the bread. For some reason, a number of housewives believe that it is added to minced meat solely for the sake of quantity, i.e. for the purpose of saving. But no! Bread is one of the most important ingredients of minced cutlets. True, here you also need to maintain the correct proportions. Cutlets are still a meat dish, not a bread dish. But more on that later.
Stale bread is best for cutlets. You shouldn’t buy a fresh bun and stuff it into minced meat. It is advisable to buy a white loaf the day before and let it dry. The crusts must be cut off from bread “prepared” in this way. After this, the loaf is cut into pieces and soaked in cold milk. You can also soak it in water; this will not greatly affect the taste of the finished cutlets. The swollen bread should be kneaded and mixed with minced meat.
Returning to the proportions, we can say the following: for every kilogram of meat you will need 250 g of bread, soaked in 0.3-0.4 liters of milk or water.
Should I add eggs and onions to cutlets?
In addition to meat and bread, cutlets have one more ingredient that you can’t do without - eggs. They serve as the cement that prevents homemade cutlets from falling apart during the cooking process. However, here you also need to observe moderation: for 1 kg of original meat, 2-3 eggs are enough. If you put more, the cutlets will turn out too tough.
And now about the optional components. Many people add onions to minced cutlets. It is not prohibited. Experts believe that it is best to grind the onion through a meat grinder along with the meat. You can simply cut it, but only very finely. Otherwise, it will not cook through and the finished dish will have a sharp and slightly bitter taste. As for the amount of onions, expert opinions coincide: for every kilogram of meat you will need 200 grams.
You can also add various spices to the minced meat. Ground black pepper, paprika or chili pepper will perfectly complement the taste. If desired, you can add finely chopped herbs such as dill and parsley. Mint or cilantro can add special charm to the cutlets. But this is already for amateur gourmets.
How to make cutlets correctly
It is not recommended to make cutlets from freshly prepared minced meat. It’s better to cover the bowl with cling film and put it in the refrigerator for half an hour. This will allow the meat juices to be absorbed into the bread, and the spices to give the entire semi-finished product a spicy aroma.
After this, the minced meat must be thoroughly kneaded again so that it is saturated with air. Some cookbooks advise adding a handful of crushed ice to it. This seems to make the cutlets juicier. However, if the above proportions of different types of meat are observed, then you can do without ice.
Now it's time to start making cutlets. There are no special secrets here. Hands are wetted in cold water, a certain amount of minced meat is taken from the bowl and rolled into a ball, which is then flattened on both sides. The resulting cutlet is placed on the board awaiting frying. Although you can immediately roll it in breading and place it in a frying pan.
Breading secrets
By the way, about breading. It is needed so that the cutlet is covered with an appetizing crust and all the juices remain inside it. You can use breadcrumbs purchased at the supermarket as a coating. However, most chefs do not recommend doing this. It is better to prepare them yourself by grinding white bread in a blender.
You can also roll the cutlets in regular flour, adding a little salt to it. Some people prefer to bread semi-finished meat products in semolina or sesame seeds, but these are already controversial options.
But breading in lezone is a normal restaurant practice. The strange word “leison” hides what our housewives are accustomed to calling “batter.” Leison is made quite simply. You need to beat 3 eggs with 2 tablespoons of milk (or water) and a pinch of salt. There is no need to add flour to the lezon. But the cutlets must be rolled in it, and then dipped into the resulting mixture and sent to a hot frying pan.
How to fry delicious juicy cutlets
The cutlets should be fried exclusively in hot oil. It is best to use melted butter. However, plant-based is also suitable. In principle, you can even use margarine - whatever is more convenient for you.
Don't put too many cutlets in the pan. It's better to fry them in two or three batches. First, the cutlets need to be fried on both sides over high heat to form a crust. Then you can reduce the gas and, covering the pan with a lid, fry until fully cooked. You shouldn't turn the cutlets often. It is enough to do this 2-3 times.
Cutlets can not only be fried. If desired or on the recommendation of a doctor, they can be steamed or stewed.
The finished dish can be served with almost any side dish. If you have time, you can make some interesting sauce for them. Although juicy homemade cutlets are delicious on their own, without any additions. That's all the main secrets of making juicy, delicious minced meat cutlets.
