If you’re a fan of the classics like chilli con carne, spaghetti bolognese or even mouthwatering mince-filled tacos, we need to let you in on a little secret.
Before you fry the mince, if you add a tiny amount of bicarbonate of soda (otherwise known as baking soda) to the meat, you’ll end up with a filling that’s more tender, almost “velvety” and which browns better too.
That’s according to America’s Test Kitchen, which shared the “quick trick” for making any ground meat recipe “more tender and more juicy”.
Responding to a video showcasing the technique, one commenter said: “It works! I’ve tried it a few times. I wouldn’t do it any other way now.”
“This changed my life,” added another.
Why does this work?
The technique is inspired by Chinese stir-fry recipes, Australian chef Nagi Maehashi explained on Recipe Tin Eats. The “Chinese restaurant method”, as she called it, is also known as “velveting beef” (the technique can also be used for chicken, she added).
The chef continued that the “simple, highly effective technique” uses baking soda that “transforms economical beef so it’s incredibly tender in stir fries and stir fried noodles”.
Per America’s Test Kitchen, it works because baking soda raises the pH of the meat, “which alters the charge on the muscle filaments so that they repel each other. As a result, they can’t contract as easily and squeeze out their water”.
This means the meat holds onto the moisture better, which makes it more tender and juicy.
A higher pH also means better browning in the pan.
As experts at Serious Eats explained: “The rich flavours and deep colour that develop when meat cooks come from the Maillard reaction, a series of chemical reactions between proteins and sugars that create hundreds of new flavour compounds. Those reactions occur more readily at higher pH levels.”
How much baking soda do I need?
Not much at all. If you add too much, it can make the meat smell.
America’s Test Kitchen recommended adding a quarter of a teaspoon of bicarb to a tablespoon of water and mixing it up. Then add the mixture to a pound (450g) of raw mince and stir it all in.
“Combining it with the water helps you to distribute it more evenly,” said their chef, who recommended letting the soda mixture sit with the meat for 5-15 minutes before cooking.
Serious Eats’ experts recommend the trick when you’re cooking mince for Chilli con carne, taco meat, mince or beef to pop inside stir-fries and lettuce wraps, as well as for bolognese-style meat sauces.
And if you want to try it on beef cuts for stir-fries, Maehashi recommended using three-quarters of a teaspoon of baking soda on 250g of beef cuts. ”Toss with fingers, leave for 30 minutes,” she advised. After that, she recommended rinsing the meat and patting off excess water.
The pro noted that other cupboard staples that can give a similar tenderised effect include cornflour and egg white marinates.
