To Make Tough Meat Tender
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut the steaks into slices about 2 inches thick the day before cooking.
Rub the surfaces with a little baking soda.
The next morning, wash off the baking soda.
Cook
Cut the meat into the desired shape and thickness.
Cook the meat to taste.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Steaks
- Main protein; the baking soda treatment works on its surface to change how it feels when cooked.
- Baking soda
- Raises the surface pH of the meat, which helps it hold moisture and feel more tender.
The step that matters
Washing off the baking soda. Baking soda left on the surface can leave a soapy, bitter taste and an unpleasant texture. Rinsing it off thoroughly before cooking matters for flavor.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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