Cutlets are the first meat dish from which any housewife at one time begins to master the culinary art. It would seem that this is nothing complicated. But for some products, for some reason, they stick to the pan, others fail to make them juicy and tender enough, and still others “conjure” the composition of the mixture for a long time. So how to make minced meatballs so that not only the hostess likes them? There are many recipes, but some should be paid closer attention.
Mixed minced meatballs
First, consider the classic version of how to make minced meatballs. This method is known to many and is used in everyday life more often than others. For work, it is better to use mixed forcemeat so that the patties are not very greasy and not very dry. In this case, you need the following set of ingredients:
- 0.5-0.6 kilograms of mixed minced meat (beef + pork);
- 1 egg
- 150 milliliters of milk;
- edible salt;
- 100-130 grams of crumb of white bread;
- 1 onion;
- 35-50 grams of butter;
- 150-210 grams of wheat flour;
- ground pepper.
Now we need to figure out how to make minced meatballs, having all the necessary products available:
- The first thing you need to break the bread into pieces, put them in a bowl and pour milk. Some people prefer to use a loaf.
- Chop the peeled onions into cubes, and then passer in a frying pan in a heated mixture of vegetable and butter. When stirring, you can immediately pepper and lightly salt it.
- Stuffing put in a deep bowl.
- Add to it the fried onions (along with butter) and a loaf squeezed from milk.
- In addition, introduce the yolk (after separating it from the protein), pepper and a little more salt (to taste).
- The ingredients need to be mixed well, and the resulting mass should be beaten off, throwing it with force into a bowl. This will help remove excess air from the mixture that interferes with molding.
- In the prepared mass, add egg whipped into the foam. Minced meat is ready.
- Now we need to form oval products from it.
- Roll them a little in flour to get a golden crust.
- Fry on both sides also in a mixture of two oils.
After that, you can pour a little water into the pan and bring the cutlets under the lid to readiness.
Sauerkraut cutlets
After the classic recipe, every housewife immediately has a desire to learn something new. She becomes interested in how to make minced meatballs using various original additives. Here, of course, there are many options. Take, for example, Vargashinsky cutlets. To prepare them you need:
- 500 grams of prepared minced meat;
- 2 eggs;
- salt;
- 250 grams of sauerkraut;
- pepper;
- 1 onion;
- vegetable oil;
- breadcrumbs.
Cooking such cutlets is easy:
- Onion a couple of minutes in oil.
- Add cabbage (along with brine) and simmer under the lid for 15 minutes over medium heat. After this, the products need to be slightly cooled.
- Stuffing put in a deep plate.
- Add stewed vegetables, pepper, 1 egg, salt to it, and mix it all.
- Additionally put two free plates. In one you need to pour crackers, and in the second - pre-beaten egg.
- From the cutlet mass to form a workpiece.
- Dip it in an egg and roll in breadcrumbs.
- Fry over medium heat for 5 minutes. In this case, you do not need to pour a lot of oil into the pan.
- Turn the workpieces and fry the same on the second side, but already under the lid.
Cutlets are tender, aromatic and very tasty.
Zucchini cutlets
The trouble with many housewives is that they do not know how to make juicy minced meatballs. In this case, they can be advised on a recipe that uses the following ingredients:
- 500 grams of mixed minced meat;
- some salt;
- bulb;
- half a teaspoon of a set of spices (for minced meat);
- 150 grams of zucchini;
- ground pepper;
- 20 grams of fresh parsley;
- 150 milliliters of vegetable oil;
- 100 grams of breadcrumbs (optional).
Cooking technology:
- Peel the zucchini, cut off the peel from it and remove the seeds. Grind the pulp.
- Cut the onion into small cubes.
- Finely chop the parsley.
- Put minced meat and all prepared ingredients in a deep bowl.
- Add a little salt, pepper and mix well.
- There is no egg in this recipe that is commonly used for ligament. Therefore, the cooked mass must be well beaten so that it is densified as much as possible.
- Form cutlets. If desired, you can roll them in breadcrumbs.
- Fry for 3 minutes on each side.
Cutlets with the addition of zucchini are not only juicy, but also very soft.
Cutlets without bread and potatoes
It so happens that there is no white bread or loaf at hand. Some housewives are lost and perplexed. They don’t understand how to make delicious minced meatballs without the usual ingredients. It turns out there is a way out. Moreover, it is quite simple and original. To work, you need to take:
- 0.5 kilograms of ground beef and pork;
- 300 grams of potatoes;
- salt;
- 3 eggs;
- 250 grams of onion;
- 75 grams of breadcrumbs;
- ground pepper;
- vegetable oil.
Cooking process:
- Forcemeat to shift in a deep spacious container. Even a regular bowl will do.
- Peeled potatoes and onions cut into large pieces, and then chop them with a blender in mashed potatoes.
- Add the resulting mass to the minced meat and mix.
- Fall asleep crackers. They practically replace bread.
- Repeat stirring. At the very end, you can add spices.
- For the correct formation of cutlets, you first need to take part of the meat, roll it with your hands in a ball, and then slightly flatten with your palm. It should make a small oval cake.
- Fry in hot oil for about 5-6 minutes on each side.
After that, tender and unusually tasty cutlets can be eaten immediately, without waiting for them to cool.
Cakes with cottage cheese
Many people are familiar with the situation when cutlets lose volume after frying and literally shrink. It is usually all about minced meat. It must be able to cook properly. The experts in this case have one interesting tip on how to make lush minced meatballs. It should be noted right away that this recipe is very unusual. You will need the following main components:
- 150 grams of pork fillet;
- salt;
- 1 egg
- 40 grams of cottage cheese (non-greasy);
- 30 grams of butter.
Everything is done very simply:
- Pork and cottage cheese through a meat grinder. The mass can be slightly salted.
- Stir the egg with half the measured amount of butter.
- From the prepared mixture to mold cutlets.
- Dip them in the egg mass.
- Fry in the remaining oil until a characteristic crust is formed.
The cutlets prepared according to this recipe are simply airy. Moreover, the curd in them is almost not felt. They can be served with any garnish (porridge, potatoes or vegetables).
Chicken Cutlets
Everyone knows that minced chicken is a bit dry. Therefore, it is rather difficult to cook cutlets from it. They are often poorly sculpted and crumble during frying. But how to make minced chicken cutlets? In this case, you need to show imagination. You can use the option that experts refer to recipes in haste. First you need to collect all the necessary ingredients:
- 0.5 kilograms of minced chicken;
- 50 grams of milk;
- 1 egg
- salt;
- 1 onion;
- 60 grams of potato starch;
- a pinch of ground pepper;
- 30 grams of vegetable oil.
Everything is done very quickly:
- Finely chopped and washed onions.
- Add it to the minced meat along with milk, salt, egg and pepper.
- Introduce starch and mix it all thoroughly.
- With wet hands, mold patties and fry them in hot oil on each side for about 5 minutes.
The option is very simple and does not require any special skill or dexterity from the hostess. And cooked meatballs will surely please the household.
Secrets of Mastery
Sometimes housewives complain that they seem to do everything right, and the cutlets as a result are not as tasty as we would like. What's the matter? Experienced cooks in this case can give some important tips with which even a novice housewife will understand how to make minced meatballs in a pan.
It is worth highlighting several important points:
- It is necessary to prepare the stuffing correctly. For this, a familiar set of products is suitable:
fresh meat (it is better to chop it finely with a knife so that it does not lose juice); bread crumb soaked in water or milk (it holds moisture in the meat); onions (it can be crushed or chopped in a blender); spices (responsible for aroma); lard (added if lean meat is used); spices (pepper).
Some housewives like to add an egg, but this is not necessary.
2. To prevent the patties from crumbling, the mince should be well beaten off. To do this, you first need to mold the workpiece, and then forcefully throw it back into the bowl. Similar actions must be repeated several times.
3. When molding the hands, be sure to moisten them with water so that the stuffing does not stick to them.
4. For frying use a frying pan with a thick bottom (preferably cast iron).
5. Breading may be required to maintain shape. Flour, semolina or bread crumbs are suitable for her.
6. First you need to heat the pan well and only then pour oil on it.
7. Fat must be allowed to heat up.
8. In properly fried cutlets, the middle should be gray (not pink). Otherwise, they should be sent back to the pan.
9. With light pressure, a clear liquid should be released.
If all these points are taken into account, then you can be sure that the cutlets are made correctly and will certainly be tasty.
Oven cutlets
It’s not at all difficult to understand, using any recipe you like, how to make minced meatballs in the oven. There are no special tricks or important secrets. For example, you can consider an option for which you need:
- 300 grams of pork, chicken and ground beef;
- edible salt;
- 2 potatoes;
- 1 egg
- seasonings (good to take, for example, “hops-suneli”);
- 1 onion;
- pepper.
Further work must be carried out in a certain sequence:
- Put three types of minced meat in one container and mix them well.
- Peel the potatoes, and then chop it in mashed potatoes on a grater or in a blender.
- With onions, you can do the same or just finely chop it.
- Add prepared foods to the minced meat along with the rest of the ingredients according to the recipe.
- Form wet cutlets with wet hands and place them on a baking sheet.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
- Put a baking sheet with cutlets in it and bake for 35-40 minutes, periodically pouring them with juice, which will stand out.
Finished products are sure to turn out lush, soft and very fragrant.