Why does meatloaf need bread crumbs?

Chef's answer
The Classic Meatloaf Recipe According to the cooking experts at Kitchn, the breadcrumbs in your meatloaf act as a binding agent for the meat. Additionally, Kitchn recommends soaking your breadcrumbs (or stale bread) in milk before mixing with your meat to improve the moistness in your finished dish..
Frequently asked Questions 🎓
To check for doneness without a thermometer, pierce the thigh and pay attention to the juices: if the juices run clear, it's cooked, and if the juices are reddish pink, it needs more time. A thermometer takes away all those variables. No one involved in the cooking of the meatloaf is a very good or experienced cook..
A ground beef patty or meatloaf cooked to the required temperature of 160 F (71 C) is safe. Yet under certain conditions it may still be pink in color. ... This too can combine with the myoglobin in meat, causing it to retain its pink color (though usually just on the surface) even when well cooked..
Consistency. The ideal meatloaf has a ratio of one part ground meat to one part bread. Dry bread softened in milk provides tender results, but you can also use oatmeal, crushed crackers or stuffing mix. At this ratio, the meatloaf will be wet, but not runny..
The most common reason as to why your meatloaf may fall apart is that it doesn't have enough binding agents, like eggs and breadcrumbs. These ingredients are key because they're what makes the meat mixture stick together and stay together while it cooks.
Yes, you can freeze meatloaf after preparing and shaping it. You may want to first fit some plastic cling wrap snugly into the loaf pan before putting the meat mixture in. Freeze it for about 30 minutes to an hour, pull the partially frozen loaf out and wrap it in the plastic, then in foil.
Ingredients. Brown Sugar, Onion, Salt, Spices (Including Paprika, Celery Seed, Mustard, Black Pepper), Hydrolyzed Corn Gluten, Soy Protein and Wheat Gluten, Garlic, Caramel Color, Malted Barley Flour, and Natural Flavor (Including Smoke)..
A-Meatloaves most often crumble when they contain too many bread crumbs or too few eggs or when they have not cooled partially in the fat-filled loaf pan in which they were baked. We suggest adding no more than 1/3 cup of crumbs for each pound of meat and adding 1 egg for each pound of meat plus an extra egg.14 Apr 1988.
A few more cooking questions 📍

What kind of fish does the Bible say not to eat?

`Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams, you may eat any that have fins and scales. But all creatures in the seas or streams that do not have fins and scales--whether among all the swarming things or among all the other living creatures in the water--you are to detest. What months are crabs in season?;The primary season for all crab species is October to January when they are often at their largest and populations are highest after spawning. Some regions even stretch the crabbing season into July. They aren't hibernating however, they're just lying dormant in the mud, thinking crab thoughts for a few long, cold, lonely months. Such is the life of a crab in the winter. Bake your fish for 10 minutes for every inch of thickness. If your fillet is a half-inch thick, bake it for just 5 minutes. Keep an eye on your catch to make sure it doesn't turn rubbery. Why was my baked cod tough?;Whether I bake or pan-fry there is always at least one piece that has a very tough chewy section. Based on the rest of the pieces, it is not over cooked. What causes the tough area, is it freezing or the original fish. Undercooked cod can also be chewy. Does lemon juice cook salmon?;Lemon juice is a very acidic liquid that you can use to cook" your fish without the use of heat, creating a dish called ceviche that is common in Central and South America. Likewise, does lemon juice kill bacteria in fish? ... It doesn't actually cook the fish.