Meatloaf tips
Everyone loves meatloaf, and with good reason. It's easy to make and it's delicious hot or cold. Here are some tips to make the best meatloaf.
- The most important tip? Don't handle the mixture too much. If you over mix the ground meat it will compact, squeezing liquid out during cooking. That will create a tougher, drier loaf.
- Meatloaf consists of three basic ingredients: ground meat, a binder like bread crumbs or oatmeal, and liquid. Soak the binder in the liquid before adding the meat. Then you won't end up with dry chunks of bread in your meatloaf - one of the most common complaints about meatloaf!
- When you're making meatloaf from ground turkey or chicken, add plenty of binder or the loaf will be too compact and heavy.
- For traditional meatloaf recipes, you can use all ground beef, or add ground pork to the mixture for a little lighter texture and a more interesting loaf.
- After the meatloaf is cooked, let the meatloaf sit for 15-20 minutes before serving. This allows the juices to redistribute, so the texture is juicy and tender throughout.
- It's easy to freeze meatloaf before or after cooking. Just thaw cooked and frozen meatloaf in the microwave for a fabulous dinner in minutes. If you freeze before cooking, don't thaw the meatloaf; put it in the oven, and bake 1-1/2 to 2 times longer than the original recipe recommendations.
- And remember, you're using ground meat in these recipes, so for food safety reasons, use an instant-read thermometer and cook beef meatloaf to an internal temperature of 160 degrees, poultry meatloaf to 165 degrees.
Published 09/12/08
