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 the 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.
Juicy minced meat cutlets are a popular and beloved delicacy.
The recipe for this dish has many variations.
Most often, delicious cutlets are prepared from beef, pork, fish and chicken.
General principles for preparing juicy minced meat cutlets
Each of the meat delicacy options has the necessary ingredients. The main product is minced meat. You must also add egg white to the cutlets. It helps the cutlets keep their shape when frying and prevents the minced meat from spreading over the pan.
Thanks to the stale crust of bread soaked in milk or water, the finished juicy cutlets have an original taste. If the dish is made from minced fish or chicken, you should add more bread, because these types of minced meat have a liquid consistency.
Salt and pepper are seasonings that are necessary for any type of minced meat. You can also use various herbs and additives for vegetables, chicken, meat, and fish. Onions are suitable for meat cutlets. Garlic will improve the taste of chicken meat. It is better to put a lot of greens in fish dishes.
Wheat and rye flour are used for breading. You can replace the ingredient with breadcrumbs. You can add different seasonings to the breading if desired.
It is necessary to fry juicy minced meat cutlets in vegetable oil. You can use lard and fat.
Cook the cutlets over high heat until a crust forms, and then gradually reduce the flame. Then the minced meat cutlets turn out juicy.
Juicy cutlets made from finely ground minced meat
Ingredients
frying oil
white dry bread – 180 g
pork pulp – 830 g
chicken breast – 220 g
onions – 85 g
parsley – 40 g
garlic cloves – 15 g
frozen butter – 66 g
pepper from the mill – 14 g
salt – 8 g
nutmeg – 2 g
breadcrumbs – 120 g
Cooking method
1. Grind pork and chicken into minced meat three times.
2. Soak the pieces of bread in water. Get rid of the crust. Without squeezing, add to the minced meat.
3. Remove the top layer from the onions and garlic. Grate. Place the mixture in a container with minced meat.
4. Add a little water while mixing the ingredients.
5. Place pieces of frozen butter.
6. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
7. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for 40 minutes.
8. Form round cutlets.
9. Bread in breadcrumbs.
10. Fry in very hot oil until a crust forms.
11. Cool.
12. Serve juicy minced meat cutlets with mashed potatoes and salad.
Juicy minced meat cutlets with seafood
Ingredients
mustard – 12 g
crab meat – 210 g
boiled shrimp – 140 g
minced chicken – 215 g
canned corn – 115 g
onion – 70 g
flour – 65 g
potatoes – 350 g
paprika and salt
Cooking method
1. Wash the potatoes under running water, remove the skins. Boil and puree.
2. Sprinkle with paprika.
3. Add small onion slices.
4. Put mustard.
5. Pour in the corn.
6. Lay out the minced meat.
7. Add seafood cut into medium pieces.
8. Stir the mixture.
9. Make medium-sized cutlets from small pieces of minced meat.
10. Roll each of them several times in flour.
11. Fry over medium heat.
12. You can treat unexpected guests to juicy minced meat cutlets with seafood, because the delicacy requires a little time.
Juicy minced fish cutlets with lard
Ingredients
egg – 1 pc.
pike fillet – 485 gr.
white bread – 335 gr.
spices - optional
not old lard – 155 gr.
onion – 30 gr.
milk – 20 gr.
breadcrumbs – 135 gr.
sunflower oil – 60 ml
garlic – 18 gr.
Cooking method
1. Separate the fish: remove the head and tail, remove the meat from bones and peel.
2. Grind the fillet using a meat grinder, adding pieces of lard, peeled garlic and onion.
3. Place the bread in a deep container.
4. Pour milk.
5. Add minced meat with egg and spices.
6. Make cutlets.
7. Fry in a frying pan in sunflower oil on all sides until cooked.
8. Serve juicy minced fish cutlets hot with young boiled potatoes.
Juicy minced chicken and cabbage cutlets
Ingredients
chopped parsley – 65 g
minced chicken – 440 g
onion – 80 g
cabbage – 210 g
vegetable oil – 110 ml
sour cream – 46 g
garlic – 8 g
mustard – 36 g
ground black pepper - to taste
salt – 14 g
Cooking method
1. Place minced meat in a container.
2. Shred the cabbage. Add to the minced meat.
3. Peel the onion. Cut into small cubes.
4. Chop the parsley.
5. Remove the peel from the garlic. Pass through garlic.
6. Place the prepared ingredients into the bowl with the meat. Mix.
7. Add half the mustard.
8. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
9. Grind the resulting mass with a blender until smooth.
10. Make cutlets, giving them a flat and round shape.
11. Fry in oil until crispy.
12. In a bowl, whisk sour cream, pepper, salt and remaining mustard.
13. Pour in 95 ml of water. Stir the mixture.
14. Place the cutlets in the roasting pan. Pour over the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
15. Juicy minced meat cutlets with cabbage are ready to eat.
Juicy minced meat cutlets with olives
Ingredients
khmeli-suneli – 16 g
oregano – 8 g
dried parsley – 26 g
pepper – 9 g
loaf – 180 g
minced meat – 1100 g
onion – 55 g
garlic – 22 g
cabbage - 1 small fork
olives – 140 g
Cooking method
1. Peel and chop the onion coarsely.
2. Cut the loaf. To fill with water.
3. Squeeze out the liquid slightly.
4. Place pieces of onion and loaf into a container. Grind using a blender.
5. Add garlic cloves. Grind again.
6. Finely chop the cabbage.
7. Add salt. Squeeze with your hands to release the juice.
8. Sprinkle the minced meat with salt.
9. Add seasonings. Place the minced meat in a container with onions and bread. Stir the mixture.
10. Divide the minced meat into small portions. Make tortillas. Place an olive in the center of each of them.
11. Make cutlets. Roll in breading.
12. Fry on both sides in oil until golden brown.
13. Serve juicy minced meat cutlets for dinner with vegetable salad.
Juicy minced chicken cutlets stuffed with cheese
Ingredients
minced chicken – 550 g
garlic – 4 cloves
piece of loaf – 145 g
spices and salt
onion – 35 g
egg – 1 pc.
milk – 64 ml
hard cheese – 120 g
dill, parsley - a bunch
boiled eggs – 2 pcs.
vegetable oil – 30 ml
Cooking method
1. Cool hard-boiled eggs. Get rid of the shell. Grate.
2. Chop a piece of cheese into thin strips.
3. Wash the greens. Dry. Finely chop.
4. Combine ingredients in a deep container. Mix.
5. Place the loaf pieces in a plate filled with milk. Set aside to allow the loaf to soften.
6. Mash the bread until smooth using a fork.
7. Remove the scales from the garlic. Pass through a press.
8. Remove the top layer of onion. Finely chop. Grind into a pulp using a chopper.
9. Place the bread mass, minced meat, egg, and onion in a deep bowl.
10. Add spices and the required amount of salt.
11. Knead the mixture thoroughly.
12. Form into thick cakes. Place the filling of eggs, herbs and cheese in the middle.
13. Wrap in minced meat.
14. Pour oil into a saucepan.
15. Place the container on the fire.
16. Place the cutlets with the filling. Fry over medium heat.
17. Lush and juicy minced meat cutlets with filling, served with any side dish.
Juicy minced meat cutlets fried in batter
Ingredients
570 g lean minced meat
75 g onion
2 raw eggs
2 g baking soda
4 g garlic cloves
80 g canned pineapples
125 g hard cheese
105 g butter
70 g fat for frying
Cooking method
1. Add finely chopped onion to the minced meat.
2. Turn the garlic cloves into pulp using a garlic press.
3. Add salt and pepper.
4. Knead the minced meat thoroughly.
5. Pour water into it.
6. Grate the cheese on a medium grater.
7. Chop the pineapple pieces.
8. Mix cheese with pineapple.
9. Divide the minced meat into equal parts.
10. Roll into tight balls. Make a flat cake from each piece.
11. Place a tablespoon of filling.
12. Place a piece of butter on top.
13. Seal the flatbread in the form of a pie.
14. Roll each piece of minced meat with filling tightly.
15. Place future cutlets in the refrigerator.
16. Beat raw eggs into a deep bowl.
17. Add mayonnaise, soda and salt.
18. Beat the mixture.
19. Gradually add flour until the dough turns out like pancakes.
20. Heat the fat thoroughly over medium heat.
21. Place future cutlets in batter.
22. Place in the pan, leaving gaps.
23. After browning, turn the cutlets over. Fry until they are browned on all sides.
24. Remove the juicy minced meat cutlets from the pan.
25. Place on paper towels for a few minutes to remove excess fat.
26. Serve with vegetables.
Juicy minced meat and chicken liver cutlets with vegetables
Ingredients
large carrots – 55 gr.
chicken liver – 320 gr.
large onion – 135 gr.
minced pork – 420 gr.
zucchini without seeds – 220 gr.
black bread – 245 gr.
Quail eggs – 5 pcs.
potatoes – 90 gr.
olive oil – 50 ml
flour – 75 gr.
oat flakes – 65 gr.
Cooking method
1. Turn meat and chicken liver into minced meat.
2. Cut the peel off the carrots.
3. Remove the top layer from the potatoes.
4. Remove the thick skin from the zucchini.
5. Soak the bread in a small amount of water.
6. Remove the skins from the onion.
7. Cut the products into pieces. Grind into a homogeneous mass using a meat grinder.
8. Add soaked and drained bread.
9. Beat in the eggs.
10. Sprinkle the mixture with salt. Knead thoroughly.
11. Pour in dry flakes. Set aside the minced meat for 25 minutes.
12. Pour oil into the frying pan.
13. Warm up.
14. Roll the cutlets formed from minced meat in flour.
15. Place in a frying pan. Fry on all sides until a crust forms.
16. Fragrant and juicy minced meat cutlets are ready for use.
To give the cutlets the correct shape, you need to wet your hands in cool water. With one hand you need to hit the cutlet against the palm of the other hand a couple of times to compact the minced meat.
The softness of the finished juicy minced meat cutlets depends on the amount of bread.
It is better to change the oil after each portion cooked in a frying pan.
For juiciness, you can add lard or fat to the minced meat.
For cutlets, it is better to choose the sirloin part of the carcass. The meat of the hind leg is dense and dry. It is recommended to mix several types of meat.
To make the cutlets juicy, you need to add onion, chopped with a grater, to the minced meat.
You should not soak the bread in milk; when frying the minced meat, due to the interaction of proteins, the cutlets will lose their juiciness.
Juicy minced meat cutlets should not be small. The larger the cutlets, the juicier they are.
Oat flakes are able to absorb excess liquid that is in the minced meat.
For juicy minced meat cutlets, it is better to use fresh ingredients, and you should prepare the minced meat yourself.
In some cases, eggs can be abandoned. These ingredients will make the finished cutlets tough.
For a piquant taste, you can add coriander or cinnamon to the minced meat.
Sour cream will add tenderness to the taste of the dish. The product can be put into minced meat or into the sauce in which the cutlets will be cooked.
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 everyone, 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:
Minced meat cutlets go well with any type of side dish, be it spaghetti, rice, mashed potatoes or buckwheat. The meat dish is most often prepared for the everyday table, but it can be eaten on holidays. Experienced housewives have identified a classic recipe, brought it to perfection and created no less tasty variations. You can add cheese, herbs, zucchini, potatoes, cabbage, and pumpkin to minced meat cutlets. The cooking technology is not difficult, let’s consider the important nuances in order.
Features of preparing minced meat cutlets
- To ensure that the meat fibers retain their juice, pass it through a meat grinder or blender several times. Even if you use store-bought minced meat, grind it again before cooking.
- To obtain fluffy and tender cutlets, mix rolled minced meat with bread. Choose baked goods that are slightly stale rather than fresh. Before mixing the ingredients, remove the crust from the bread.
- The preparation of minced meat for cutlets has its own characteristics. For example, adding fresh bread will make the base sticky. Eggs will give the meat toughness and partially take away the juice, so they are not required components.
- You can season the minced meat with your favorite spices to create a piquant taste. Granulated and fresh garlic, mustard powder, suneli hops, and coriander are most suitable.
- To maintain softness, fluffiness and juiciness, add butter to the meat. It must first be melted and then added to the composition. An analogue is lard based on beef or pork.
- If you are one of the people who loves experimenting with food, prepare cutlets with minced meat and potatoes, zucchini, pumpkin, beets, carrots, herbs, and bran. Add a little kefir or sour cream to maintain an airy consistency.
- Many housewives make the mistake of frying cutlets over high heat on both sides. After turning the flatbreads over, cover the dish with a lid and simmer the product until done. It is not difficult to determine; clear juice should ooze from the cutlets.
Minced meat cutlets with milk
- garlic - 5 cloves
- onions - 3 pcs.
- milk - 245 ml.
- minced pork - 0.6 kg.
- chicken egg - 1 pc.
- loaf (pulp) - 160 gr.
- breadcrumbs - 50-70 gr.
- vegetable oil - in fact
- ground pepper - 7-8 gr.
- salt - 15 gr.
- Pour the milk into a saucepan and heat on the stove, but do not boil. Remove the crust from the loaf, you will only need the pulp. Soak it in milk and leave for a quarter of an hour.
- At this time, peel and chop the onion. Mix it with the minced meat and transfer it to a bowl, knead it with your hands. Add the softened loaf, pass the minced meat between your fingers.
- Pass the garlic through a press and add to the main mixture. Break an egg here, add pepper and salt. Stir the minced meat until as smooth as possible.
- Divide the meat into pieces and form each into a ball. Flatten into a flat cake and roll in breading. Pour oil into the frying pan and heat it.
- Place the cutlets in a heat-resistant bowl and fry over medium heat on one side. When you turn the flatbreads over, cover the pan with a lid.
- It’s easy to determine readiness: pierce the cutlet with a fork, look at the juice. If it is transparent, increase the heat and fry the dish for 2-3 minutes. When the cutlets are browned, turn off the stove.
- spinach - 185-200 gr.
- onions - 120 gr.
- minced pork - 450 gr.
- minced beef - 500 gr.
- fresh parsley - 60 gr.
- flour - 80-100 gr.
- fresh dill - 40 gr.
- table salt - 12 gr.
- garlic - 5 cloves
- ground black pepper - 5 gr.
- Peel the onion, chop it into 4 parts, and chop with a blender. Mix with minced meat and grind through a meat grinder several times. Wash the dill and parsley, remove the stems, chop the leaves, and add to the main mixture.
- Press the garlic cloves through a press or use seasoning granules. Add to the minced meat, salt and pepper. Form cutlets no more than 2 cm thick. Pour oil into a frying pan and heat it.
- Dip the flatbreads in flour and place them to fry. Cook on medium until the cutlets are browned. Pierce the flatbread with a fork: if the juice is clear, proceed to tasting.
Cutlets with pumpkin
- onion - 1 pc.
- salt - 12 gr.
- minced pork and beef - 280 gr.
- pumpkin pulp - 475 gr.
- chicken egg - 2 pcs.
- flour or breadcrumbs - 80 gr.
- milk with fat content from 3.2% - 145 g.
- semolina - 60 gr.
- Mix pumpkin pulp with onions and pass through a meat grinder. Add minced meat here and repeat the steps. Salt this mixture, add pepper (optional), break the eggs.
- Stir the mixture until smooth, gradually add semolina. Heat the milk in the microwave, do not bring to a boil. Pour the mixture into the minced meat.
- Pass the mixture through your fingers, wrap in cling film, and leave in the refrigerator for 1.5 hours. This move will allow the meat to thicken and prevent it from cracking during the frying process.
- After the specified time has passed, form the minced meat into flat cakes, roll in flour or breadcrumbs. Fry the cutlets in vegetable oil; readiness is determined by pressing: if clear juice comes out, turn off the burner.
- Some housewives prefer to bake minced meat cutlets in the oven. To do this, heat the appliance to 180 degrees, place the flatbreads on a greased baking sheet, and cook for a third of an hour.
- onion - 60 gr.
- garlic - 4 cloves
- salt - 10 gr.
- white cabbage - 380 gr.
- semolina - 50 gr.
- flour - 60 gr.
- minced pork - 225 gr.
- minced beef - 250 gr.
- chicken egg - 1 pc.
- chopped pepper - 5 gr.
- Chop the cabbage, peel the garlic cloves, and place the ingredients in a meat grinder. Turn them into porridge, get rid of excess juice. Do the same with onions.
- Add the vegetables to the minced meat, mince again or beat well with your hands. Break an egg into the mixture, add pepper and salt. Season with your favorite spices as desired, add herbs.
- Prepare flatbreads from the minced meat. Mix semolina with flour; this mixture will be used for breading. Dredge the cutlets and place in a hot frying pan with oil.
- Cook the dish on medium power. First fry the cutlets on one side, then turn them over to the other and cover the dish with a lid. Simmer until done, then brown over high heat.
Cutlets with tomatoes and cheese
- tomato - 2 pcs.
- gray or black bread - 40 gr.
- sunflower oil - 100 gr.
- ground pepper - 7 gr.
- breadcrumbs - 80-90 gr.
- onion - 1 pc.
- salt - 10 gr.
- dill - 20 gr.
- milk - 50 ml.
- parsley - 20 gr.
- egg - 1 pc.
- garlic - 4 cloves
- hard cheese (“Dutch”, “Russian”) - 170 gr.
- minced beef - 250 gr.
- minced pork - 350 gr.
- Wash the dill and parsley, peel the onion. Grind the ingredients. Rinse the tomatoes and chop into cubes. Pass the garlic cloves through a crusher and mix with other vegetables.
- Heat the milk, soak the crustless bread in it, leave for 10 minutes, squeeze out. Chop the cheese into cubes and mix with the minced meat. Add herbs, tomatoes, bread crumbs, onions, garlic, and any seasonings here.
- Add pepper and salt, break the egg. Knead the base until smooth, remove excess juice. Form minced meat into patties and roll in breading.
- Heat a frying pan, pour oil into it. Place the flatbreads for frying and bake until golden brown. It’s easy to determine readiness; just pierce the cutlets with a fork.
- If translucent juice comes out, turn off the burner. Serve the dish with mayonnaise or sour cream, combine with any side dish. You can also bake the cutlets in the oven.
- chicken egg - 1 pc.
- salt - amount to taste
- any seasonings - 15-20 gr.
- onions - 40 gr.
- carrots - 1 pc.
- beef - 200 gr.
- pork - 350 gr.
- garlic - 3 cloves
- flour - in fact
- semolina - in fact
- First of all, you need to prepare the minced meat. Rinse the beef and pork under the tap and soak in warm water for 10 minutes. Next, dry with napkins, remove films and excess fat.
- Chop the meat into small pieces and pass through a meat grinder or blender. Peel the garlic, place it in a crush and add the seasoning to the meat.
- Chop the onion into cubes or grate and add to the beef and pork. Add pepper, salt and your favorite seasonings (optional).
- Rinse the carrots, grate them on a fine grater, and add to the main mass. Break a chicken egg into the mixture, begin to intensively knead the minced meat with your hands and beat it on a cutting surface.
- Mix flour and semolina in equal quantities to make a breading mixture. Form cutlets from minced meat and roll them in the mixture.
- Prepare a multicooker rack that is designed for steaming food. Grease it with butter and place the prepared flatbreads in the bowl.
- Set the “Steam” function on the device and cook for 40-50 minutes. During this period, the cutlets will be steamed; if you wish, you can additionally fry them to obtain a crust.
Chicken cutlets with mushrooms
- sunflower oil - 45 ml.
- chicken fillet - 350 gr.
- egg - 1 pc.
- full fat milk - 30 ml.
- breadcrumbs - 60 gr.
- dried mushrooms - 15 gr.
- onions - 1 pc.
- salt - 5 gr.
- ground black pepper - to taste
- Wash the chicken breasts, chop into cubes, and pass through a meat grinder. If not, place the meat in a blender. Chop the onion, grind it into porridge, and mix with the chicken.
- Salt and pepper the minced meat, and add bread crumbs soaked in water if desired. It will make the cutlets airy. Pour warm milk into the minced meat and pass through your fingers.
- Divide the meat base into portions, from which cutlets will be formed in the future. Start preparing the filling. To do this, soak dried mushrooms in drinking water and leave for 15 minutes.
- Next, drain the liquid and place in a frying pan. Add chopped onions here and fry until golden. Form thin cakes from the minced meat and place the filling in the center.
- Seal the edges of the cutlets and heat the pan for frying. Dip each flatbread first in the egg, then in breadcrumbs or flour. Fry on medium power.
The basis of minced meat cutlets is beef, pork, bread and chicken egg. Try cooking a dish with milk using classic technology. Take a closer look at recipes that involve adding pumpkin pulp, tomatoes, hard cheese, herbs, and carrots. Create your own unique dishes by varying the amount of spices and other ingredients.
Video: principles of preparing minced meat cutlets
The word “cutlet” came into Russian from French; la côtelette is a piece of meat on a rib. So in ancient times it was much more convenient to eat it with your hands. With the advent of cutlery, the need for bones disappeared. Pieces of meat were removed from them. And the cutlet began to change. They began beating the meat to make it softer and breading it to maintain its juiciness. This process took place throughout Europe. Today, only the Kiev cutlet, which is often made with a bone, reminds us of the old days.
Over time, the cutlets became chopped, as this made them much easier to chew. And with the advent of meat grinders, they turned into a fairly easy-to-prepare dish. These are the ones we will prepare.Meat selection
For cutlets, you can use a piece of brisket or shoulder; chopped goulash is also suitable. But keep in mind that market traders may sell you bad meat. Therefore, when purchasing, you should ask to see the piece from all sides.
Cutlets are best made from chilled meat, not frozen.
The most delicious cutlets are made with the addition of fatty meat - pork or even lard.
Meat for cutlets should not be lean, take it with fat - then the cutlets will be juicy.
It’s good to make cutlets from two or even three types of meat. You can combine beef and pork, you can add poultry to them.
Ground meat
The meat needs to be turned twice, but if it seems that the minced meat has not yet become tender, then three times.Be sure to add onions to the minced meat. It is rolled together with the meat or chopped very finely. Onions cut into slices should be placed in a meat grinder between pieces of meat.
It is advisable to prepare cutlets only from freshly prepared minced meat. If you do make minced meat in advance, do not put bread in it, do not add salt or spices.
The minced meat must be kneaded by hand. You can even beat it with your palms - this way it will turn out tender and soft.
You need to knead the minced meat for a long time, you can beat it with your palms, throw it from one hand to another, or hit it on the table. All so that the meat mass is saturated with oxygen and becomes more viscous and homogeneous.
A couple of tablespoons of ice water added during kneading will add juiciness to the minced meat. You can also add a spoonful of vegetable oil.
A cube of cold butter added at the end of kneading will make the cutlets juicy and more airy.
Photo: Shutterstock.com
Bread
To prevent the cutlets from falling apart, add bread to them.
You need to soak dried bread; fresh bread does not release the amount of gluten needed to “glue” the minced meat together.
Reduce calories
Instead of bread, you can add finely grated zucchini to the minced meat. It will give the cutlets juiciness, but its taste will be almost noticeable.
You can also add grated carrots, pumpkin, beets to the cutlets - all these vegetables will add juiciness to them.
Instead of bread, you can mix stiffly beaten egg white into the minced meat. It will connect the minced meat and prevent the cutlets from falling apart. But perhaps it will make them a little tougher.
Modeling
It is best to cool the minced meat for half an hour before modeling.
To make it easier to divide the minced meat into portions, you need to wet your hands with water.
Try to make cutlets of the same size.
When making a cutlet, pat it with your palms and try to make it uniform, without seams. This way she won't release her juice.
Breading
You can coat the cutlets:In regular flour
In breadcrumbs (both white and rye)
In crushed nuts
In ground sesame
Frying
Place the cutlets on a hot, but not overheated frying pan. It is desirable that it has a thick bottom.
The cutlet is fried over high heat for 1-2 minutes on one side, then the heat needs to be reduced and simmered on the same side for another 3-4 minutes. And then turn it over and repeat the process.
When frying, cutlets need to be turned over minimally. Then their crust will not collapse and their juiciness will not disappear.
You can bring the cutlets to readiness in the oven or under a tight lid over low heat. This will take 7-10 minutes.
The sauce is poured after the cutlets are fried and covered with a lid. You can simply use sour cream, or you can prepare something more complex.
Do not add water to the sour cream to make more sauce, this will spoil the cutlets and kill their own juice.
Photo: Shutterstock.com
How to determine readiness
The cutlet needs to be pierced; if the juice comes out clear, it is ready.
If you fried the cutlet for about 20 minutes, of which 5-7 minutes under the lid, then this is enough for it to be ready.
If you want to get confused
Cutlets are best made from minced meat. Only then you will need to knead the minced meat better so that it does not fall apart.
Basic cutlet recipe
600 g beef goulash400 g pork goulash
2 medium onions
1/4 white loaf
1 glass of water
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tbsp. l. flour
1 cup sour cream
Step 1. Cut the loaf into large pieces and add water.
Step 2. Rinse the meat, peel the onion and cut into 4 parts. Grind the meat and onions through a fine grinder.
Step 3. Turn it a second time. Salt and pepper. Mix well and knead the minced meat a little, like dough.
Step 4. Divide the minced meat into 3-4 parts and beat each with your palms for at least a minute.
Step 5. Remove the crust from the loaf, squeeze out the bread and add to the minced meat.
Tip: If the minced meat seems a little dry, you can add a little milk, or water and vegetable oil.
Step 6. Form cutlets. Roll them in flour.
Tip: During the sculpting process, you can beat the cutlets a little more with your palms, patting them.
Step 7. Heat a frying pan with oil. Place the cutlets and fry over high heat for half a minute (until a crust forms).
Step 8. Reduce heat and fry over low heat for another 2-3 minutes.
Step 9. Turn the cutlets over and fry first over high heat and then over low heat as described in steps 7 and 8.
Step 10. Leave the pan on low heat, close the lid and leave the cutlets to fry for about 7-15 minutes (depending on the size of the cutlets).
Tip: At this stage, you can pour sour cream over the cutlets to create a sauce. Just do not add water under any circumstances, otherwise the cutlets will turn into a rag.
Step 11. Remove from heat, pour in sour cream, sprinkle with herbs, serve hot.
Loading...
