Meatloaf can be paired with mashed potatoes and is a great comfort food. If you have ever tried to bake a meatloaf from scratch or taken it out of the oven only to find it crumbling as you cut into it, then you will know how difficult it is to make it perfect.
We asked recipe developers and chefs for their top tips on how to make a great homemade meatloaf. Here are some tips to help you kulinarika avoid any possible meatloaf disasters.
1. Mistake: Using lean meat
How to fix it: Too much meat can lead to dry meatloaf. James Peisker is a chef, butcher and co-founder at Porter Road in Nashville. Avoid ground turkey and lean ground beef. Choose ground beef that is 80/20. This means it contains 80 percent lean meat and 20 percent fat. Peisker states that fat will ensure meatloaf is moist and holds together well.
2. Make a mistake: Too soon to slice the meatloaf.
How to fix it It smells delicious in the kitchen. You’re hungry. But hold tight. Peisker warns against cutting into the meatloaf immediately it is out of the oven. This will release the juices onto your plate or pan and can cause the loaf to fall apart. Instead, allow the meatloaf to rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting into it.
3. Make a mistake: You are not making a panade.
How to fix it. A panade, which is a fancy term for a starch-liquid mixture, is the key to tender meatloaf. Jeremy Hood, a blogger at KtchnDad, says that many meatloaf recipes which call for breadcrumbs don’t include instructions on how to add liquid. He says that without a proper panade you will end up with a giant hamburger. He says that meatloaf should taste tender and light when it’s bitten into. You need equal amounts of liquid and bread crumbs to achieve this texture.
4. Make a mistake: Don’t let your breadcrumbs soak for too long.
How to fix it: You’ll need to soak your breadcrumbs in milk before making your panade. This will allow them to become fully hydrated. Scott Hines, executive chef at B&O American Brasserie, Baltimore, Maryland, says that this is how to do it. He says this is not a quick process. Bread crumbs should be allowed to soak for at least five to ten minutes.
5. Mistake: Using skim milk.
It can be fixed by Jessica Formicola, a blogger and recipe developer at Savory Experiments. Skim milk will not help much with binding.
6. Make a mistake: Use fresh breadcrumbs.
How to fix it: Make sure your breadcrumbs are either stale, or toasted if you make panade from homemade breadcrumbs. Sharon Beck, Kosher Private chef in Miami Beach, Florida, advises. If you don’t, your bread will absorb some of the moisture and leave you with dry meatloaf. To help your meatloaf retain its shape, she suggests mixing breadcrumbs and an egg.
7. Mistake: Using boring ol’ bread.
You can make it more creative by changing the bread you use to make your breadcrumbs. Spotted Salamander’s Chef Jessica Shillato in Columbia, South Carolina recommends sweet white breads like Hawaiian rolls or brioche.
