Meat is one of the most delectable dishes on the dinner table. Though many households consume it almost on a daily basis, it is also known that cooking meat takes a longer time. Let us give you few tips that make whipping up your family’s fav meat dish quickly and at home.
- Smaller portions:
Simple facts like cooking bigger portions take a longer time often gets overlooked. Grab your mallet, rolling pin or even skillet and thin down the slabs of meat. Better still order good cuts from the butchery like Fipola or marinades. Cleaned and well-cut meat is half the job of cooking already done. Bigger portions not only takes time, draining out all the good nutrients but is also heavy on energy utility and while the core might remain uncooked, the exterior might turn chewy because it is overcooked.
- Slender or thin slices with more surface to heat
In continuation with the last point, the slender slices cook fast and evenly too. The reason is the larger surface area. The bigger the surface exposed to heat, the faster it gets cooked. Pounding the slab of meat is a good way to increase the surface area and make it thinner. Start from the centre and slowly pound towards the ends. This will ensure that the meat is slender and so cooks faster.
- Tenderize them
Many meat tenderizers are available in the market but the best natural tenderizer is right there in your pantry. Tea, coffee, ginger, vinegar, pineapple, baking soda and even wine or beer are some of the common tenderisers used. While some of them are washed off after the meat is tender like the baking and coffee since the flavour might not really be a part of the recipe, ginger and pineapple are often part of the recipe and so can be used to cook too. Tenderized meat cooks faster and is also flavoured. Meat is also tenderised by poking evenly with forks or with cuts across them.
- Marinate them
Marinating the meat is the best way to not only retain the nutrients and juices but is also a great way to add flavour and taste to the dish. Most of the meat dishes taste better when marinated than not as the spices are sort of absorbed into the meat during marination. Marination also tenderizes the meat in the process and is easier to cook. Buttermilk, lemon and vinegar are often used in the marinade to give the tangy twist.
- Heat the over or pan before the meat is put
It takes more time to cook the meat if put on an unheated pan or over. It is always better to heat the oven or pan and then put the oil or the saute that you need for the recipe and then put the meat in the hot boiling utensil. Similarly going for a stew or soup, allow the water to come to a boil before putting in the meat.
- Close the pan or utensil or Pressure cook the meat partially
It is common knowledge that closing the pan while cooking helps to cook faster as the heat is retained in and the temperature is consistently higher in the closed pan. Even a partial covering helps in lessening the time taken to cook. Pressure cooking the meat before the actual cooking is another way, especially if we are planning for a spread with the meat cooked in more than one way. Some of the recipes accommodate pressure cooking in their course.
To sum up, cooking meat faster is healthier and more flavourful. So we hope that following the above-mentioned tips will help you to cook faster and tastier.