{{short description|Hand tool used to tenderize slabs of meat}} {{About|the utensil|the powdered meat tenderizer "spice"|Bromelain#Meat tenderizing and other uses|and|Papain#Uses|and|Actinidain|a variety of techniques for tenderizing meat|Meat tenderness#Tenderizing}} thumb|right|An example of a meat tenderizer in use thumb|right|upright|Stainless steel meat tenderizer thumb|right|Example of a blade tenderizer in action
A '''meat tenderizer''' or '''meat pounder''' is a tool for mechanically tenderizing and flattening slabs of meat.<ref name="k493">{{cite book | last=Hutton | first=Elinor | title=The Encyclopedia of Kitchen Tools | publisher=Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers | date=2020 | isbn=978-0-7624-6998-7 | page=}}</ref>
Meat tenderizers come in at least three types:<ref name="k493"/> * The first, most common, is a tool that resembles a hammer or mallet made of metal or wood with a short handle and dual heads. One face of the tool is usually flat while the other has rows of pyramid-shaped protrusions.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Madhusankha |first1=G. D. M. P. |last2=Thilakarathna |first2=R. C. N. |date=2021-02-01 |title=Meat tenderization mechanism and the impact of plant exogenous proteases: A review |journal=Arabian Journal of Chemistry |language=en |volume=14 |issue=2 |article-number=102967 |doi=10.1016/j.arabjc.2020.102967 |issn=1878-5352|doi-access=free }}</ref> * The second form resembles a potato masher with a short handle and a large metal face that is either smooth or adorned with the same pyramid-shaped protrusions as found in the first form. * The third form is a blade tenderizer that has a series of blades or nails that are designed to puncture the meat and cut into the fibers of the muscle.<ref name=":0" />
Tenderizing meat with the mallet softens the fibers, making the meat easier to chew and to digest.<ref name=":0" /> It is useful when preparing particularly tough cuts of steak, and works well when broiling or frying the meat.<ref>{{cite book |last=Gwyther |first=Pamela |year=2001 |title=The Beginner's Cookbook| publisher=Parragon Publishing |location=Bath, UK |isbn=1-4054-3689-1 |oclc=233261474 |page=13}}</ref> It is also used to "pound out" dishes such as chicken-fried steak, palomilla, and schnitzel, to make them wider and thinner.
==See also== * Cooking * Meat tenderness
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Kitchen Tools}} {{cooking-tool-stub}} Category:Food preparation utensils