What's up with the two-sided meat tenderizer utensil?

Question

I just purchased a two-sided meat tenderizer because I got tired of getting creative and using stuff around the house (cans, shoes, bricks...kidding...) to tenderize my steaks. One side is shaped like a flat mallet, the other has small spikes. What is the spiky side used for, and why would I use it instead of the flat side?

Answer 1

The flat side of your new tool is strictly for flattening tender cuts of meat, such as pork tenderloin, boneless chicken breasts, or any beef you want thin.

The tenderizer side is used to tenderize less tender cuts of meat by beating the meat on both sides with the tenderizer side of the tool. This breaks down the tissue in the meat, severs the tough silver skins and makes a tougher cut into a nice tender cut for quick to fix sandwiches or swiss steak. Meat departments use electric tenderizers to make pork cutlets or beef cubed steaks. Just pound both sides of the meat until it is flattened and shows a chopped look throughout. The two sides of the tool will give you 2 different types of meat cuts. Try both sides and you will see the difference.

Answer 2

Meat Tenderizer Hammer

Answer 3

Meat Tenderizer Mallet

Answer 4

The spiky side is used to cut the connective tissue that makes the meat tough. Meat tenderizing mallets usually just pound the meat, they don't tenderize it efficiently like the spikes will. The spikes also allow marinating to occur more efficiently.

Answer 5

The flat side is the only side of that device you want to use - it's for flattening meat, often called paillards, or pounding meat to a uniform thickness so it cooks evenly in a pan. The spikey side really just rips and marrs meat, it's a poor interpretation of a much better device for that job, called a needler. A needler breaks up the fibers in meat for a swiss steak (also goes by many other names) or to tenderize a tough cut (skirt, plate, etc...). Quality meat pounders do not have a spikey side, just a flat one, and come in shapes for better leverage. You do not whack the meat hard, use the weight of the device with gentle pressure to pound the meat between two pieces of plastic wrap.

Answer 6

I don't know exactly what the sides are supposed to be used for, but I use the 'spiked' side for tenderizing, and the flat side for pounding meats thinner. If I get a tough piece of meat that I want to cook in my crock-pot, I use the spiked side to break up the fibers so it ends up much softer. BUT I use the flat side to make meats more even in thickness. If I'm making chicken french, I'll use chicken breast, but pound the thicker side out to more evenly match the thin end. That way when it cooks more evenly, and one side isn't dry and the other raw.

Answer 7

The spiky side is used most often on red meat it tears and cuts connective tissue and is good if you are going to make "country fried" steak or something like that. The smooth side is better for more delicate cuts such as chicken breasts. They are already tender you just want them flatter so you pound it with the flat side.

Answer 8

Glad you finally bought the right tool.

The spiky side is used to break fibers of hte meat that would make it tough. The flat side is then used to spread hte meat out thinner, so ti cooks quickly, keeping it from getting tough.

The mallet is also good to crush ice, cracker crumbs, bread crumbs, and nuts.

Answer 9

I am assuming that it would puncture the meat causing it to rip and be more tender. I have no idea what the purpose of the flat side is.

Answer 10

the spike side is to make meat like Minute Steaks with the holes thru it
Look a minute steak in the store you will see what I mean