Breading Meat

Cooking meat that has been breaded adds a whole new taste and look to meat also breaded meat looks more attractive on the table. The crust is usually crunchy and maybe even chewy. Breaded meat is made of both thin fresh meat and breadcrumbs.

The great thing about breading your meat is that you can use relatively inexpensive cuts of meat because breading helps to improve the taste and texture of meat. Bread meat that is thin and boned. This helps the meat to cook faster and it will be moister.

Start your breading by cutting your meat into thin pieces and remove any bones. Dry your meat or fish by patting it with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Sprinkle some flour over the meat as this will help to dry the meat. It helps if the meat/fish is at room temperature.

Dip the meat into an egg mixture. This helps the crust to adhere to the meat. You can use these ingredients for your egg mixture:

• 2 eggs
• 5 tablespoons of milk

Place the eggs and the milk into a small bowl. Beat the egg and milk mixture well. After coating the meat with the egg mixture the meat is ready for the breading. You can make your own breading mixture; it is simple to do and you can add or subtract the flavoring that you do not care for. Here are the typical ingredients for a simple breading mixture:

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Bread crumbs are the most popular choice and cornmeal provides the firmest coat. You can use bread crumbs, cornmeal, corn flakes, potato chips, even cereal can be used for the breaded mix. Crush the mixture so that it is a fine mixture.

All you need to do is mix the ingredients together in a bowl. (Make sure you mix them well. You don't want "clumps" of any ingredients off by themselves.) Then lay the meat into the breading mixture. The egg mixture will help the breading adhere to the meat.

There are many ways that you can cook breaded meat. There is cooking on the stove, deep-frying, baking, and even broiling. The most flavorful and easiest is to cook the breaded meat by sauteing it on the stove.

If you decide that you want to bake your meat then place it in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for twenty-five minutes. It is done when you can pierce the meat with a fork and the juices run clear.

Place the food into a pan that has oil in it and that it is hot, be sure to us tongs in placing the food. (With the oil being hot you don't want to run the risk of burning your fingers.) Lay the food into the pan. Cook one side of the food until it is browned and crispy before turning it to the other side. When the food is flipped over repeatedly the breading has a tendency to fall off.

Cuts of beef and chicken that are not fragile can be dropped in a plastic bag with the coating and shaken. This is both an easy and effective method for covering the food, but is not recommended for more delicate fish, shrimp, or very thin fillets of chicken.

To get most of the flavor out of breaded meat, serve the food right away while it is still hot.