Why Baking Soda Makes Better Ground Beef
The trick to moist, tender ground beef is a sprinkle of baking soda. Here’s the science behind why it works and why you’ll never skip it again.
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Ground beef, what it comes off the ground? lovely
I had 9 dollars for groceries this month
Oh you discovered velveting, a thing that's a thousand years old. Good job, Brit.
I also can taste when its had baking soda, unfortunately
What with digestion or health benefits/ drawbacks?
Don't do this.
The one on the right looks better and can be browned/seared properly without baking soda.
You have to let it cook.
It’s called velveting
Hi ATK, can you please test the max amount of baking soda I can put in meat without tasting it? Thanks 🙏🏽
To me, the smell of ground turkey meat is absolutely disgusting, somewhere between feces and mostly rotting flesh.
It also changes the texture, and makes it feel weird when eating it.
Ever had spongy chicken in an Asian dish? It's called velveting. It's an acquired taste. And it's GROSS. Don't do it.
It doesn’t. I’ve tried their baking soda hack a few times. The food always ends up weird and tasting like baking soda. Skip this!
Looks burnt
I thought it was Baking Powder?
Been using it to tenderize tougher cuts of beef for years
Oh no it doesn’t. Wait. Is this the line for an argument? 😂
Hello
Cook a burger then crumble it. Baking soda hits way too forward for me.
How about in a meatloaf?
Only trouble with baking soda is that it's not natural. It's a chemicals made in a lab. So powerful I use it to soak produce to remove around 90% of the pesticides!!! Pay attention, our food supply is killing us!!!!
So 1/4 tsp. of baking soda and a Tblsp. of water per pound of meat?
I def did not like the texture after trying this.
Yes, it’s a proven tenderizing method.
However, the baking soda proportion is critical. It will leave an aftertaste.
In use with sliced meats, rinse off the baking soda before cooking.
Just a word of advice: If you plan to cook ground meat to keep in the fridge for the following days, it is precisely those juices inside the meat that make it taste weird when not consumed instantly, especially ground turkey… If you plan to make a batch, cook it on a medium-low flame until all the juices are released and you start to hear the meat sizzling, then you can store it for a few days with no worries about it tasting off.
What about in a Bolognese?
I do wonder why this work cooking ground meat but not when cooking burgers
I tried this once but I think I let it sit too long, and it made the meat unusually tough. Ironic.
Hi Test Kitchen! IMO, you must pay strict attention to the measurement of the baking soda. He is saying one quarter teaspoon (aka a scant amount or a "pinch" amount) mixed with 1 tablespoonful of water. Then add to your ground beef and allowed to "sit" for 15 minutes before the cooking of the ground beef begins. Be aware that this step cannot be undone. Once you do the deed, be prepared for a new mouthfeel for your ground beef.
If you prefer a chew to your beef, you might not enjoy the recipe now that your ground beef has had its pH altered. IMO, this did not make the ground beef better. What does make ground beef better is draining off most of the fat and water that an 80-20 pound of lean ground beef will render as you sear it, and then adding a sprinkle of BBQ sauce, fresh ground, black pepper blend, garlic powder, and fresh fried bacon, crumbled. Then, add Kosher salt, to taste! Not before! Please let me know about your experience with the Baking Soda ! BTW, some cooks refer to the use of Baking Soda to alter the chemistry of ground beef as velveting! Me thinks that this is an American translation of the actual Chinese term! Happy Cooking!
What do you do to take away the metallic taste that leaves?
Yea science!! 💪
No thanks. I'll cook my ground beef just the way I've always been cooking it.
"makes better ground beef"? is this an AI title? shouldn't it be "makes ground beef better"?
Does this work with ground chicken and ground turkey as well?