The most common cooking tip that I get asked for, especially by friends in the gym, is “What’s the best way to cook a steak?” The technique junky in me wants to jump right in and start talking about climate, origin of meat, amino acid loss from freezing and thawing, equipment, or a host of other factors that affect the outcome of your dinner. Going into depth, I look up to see a glazed over look similar to those dunkin’ donuts that I miss so much. The realization that I’ve come to is that most people want to know that secret trick or ingredient from the yak skin bag under your apron that you may have pick up from an ancient shaman in the hills of Uzbekistan, or from that really famous chef that you worked with who gives tips to stars like Jerry Springer and Joey Butafuco.

There is no cure all, secret ingredient that will make your meat tender, taste good, and keep it from overcooking. If there is a secret ingredient that a lot of restaurants use, it’s meat tenderizer. Stated on the package as: “Meat Tenderizer is a blend of ingredients specifically designed to enhance flavor and tenderize meats. Sprinkle on pork, lamb, or steak and bring out the taste!” Sounds really suspicious honestly. The most common list of ingredients of “over the counter”(this stuff should be controlled) meat tenderizer includes: salt, dextrose, MSG, papain and calcium silicate. Doesn’t sound like your mother’s secret spice blend.

Salt: fair enough; the right amount of salt helps break down proteins and cartilage as well as amino acids which allow you to taste the meat. MSG: I’ll leave that one for you to ponder. Papain: derived from papaya and sometimes kiwi or figs, it is an enzyme that breaks down protein. Papain is sometimes prescribed to people with post-traumatic stress syndrome after being in accidents or patients that are HIV positive to aid digestion. It can cause skin and stomach irritations. Calcium silicate: a white powder derived from limestone, it is used as an antacid, anti caking agent and many more diverse uses such as insulation, bricks, cement, roof tiles and sometimes certain brands of table salt.

Until a few years ago, I always thought that there wasn’t such a thing as meat tenderizer. More of a myth of sorts to be bought at that hard to find “mom and pop” corner store right along side the “elbow grease” which can be used to clean just about anything.

Related posts