Why do meatballs get tough?
Chef's answer
Not adding any moisture to the meat. Some kind of moisture, like eggs or a binder made from bread crumbs and milk, is essential when making meatballs. Without it, the protein content forces the meatballs to shrink as they cook, and produces a final dish with a tough texture.
Frequently asked Questions 🎓
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Too much egg, therefore, is not a good thing. It will make your meatballs spongy and over-absorbent (in a bad way), so that they run a high risk of being soggy and too heavy. As a general rule of thumb, one to two eggs per pound of meat should do the trick. If your recipe calls for more egg than that, beware.
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As a general rule, meatballs that are pink on the inside are not safe to eat. ... In the case of recipes such as meatballs in sauce, pink ground meat can lead to food poisoning. If you regularly find your meatballs stay pink inside when cooked in sauce, try cooking the meatballs before adding to the sauce..
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In general, we know that undercooked or raw meat and poultry can be contaminated with harmful bacteria, such as Campylobacter, E. coli, Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, and Yersinia, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
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Press the tip of your ring finger and your thumb together. The flesh beneath the thumb should give a little more. This is what meat cooked to a medium doneness feels like..
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It mostly depends on how the meat was handled and prepared. If it was contaminated by disease causing organisms such as E. coli Listeria or Salmonella during processing and packaging, you could get very ill including symptoms of muscle pain, cramps, headache, fever, vomiting, diarhea..
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ANSWER: Usually when meatballs fall apart, it's the binder that is the problem. Most meatball recipes call for using bread crumbs and eggs. ... Once the bread is soaked, you squeeze out as much of the milk as you can. What soaking the bread does is add moisture to the meatball as well as bread for a binder.
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3 to 4 daysProperly stored, cooked meatballs will last for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. To further extend the shelf life of cooked meatballs, freeze them.
A few more cooking questions 📍