9 Things Grandma Never Told You About Making Meatballs from Scratch (2024)

FAQs

What not to do when making meatballs? ›

Add Milk for Moisture

A little bit of milk will add moisture to your meatballs. (Many people think it's the eggs that add the moisture, but their role is to bind the meat, breadcrumbs, cheese and herbs.)

Egg and breadcrumbs are common mix-ins to add moisture and tenderness. Another binder option that people swear by is a panade, which is fresh or dry breadcrumbs that have been soaked in milk. “The soaked breadcrumbs help keep the proteins in the meat from shrinking,” as food writer Tara Holland explained in the Kitchn.

Add a lightly beaten egg, but not too much. Egg acts as a binder for the ingredients, but you only need a small amount. One small egg will do for one pound of minced meat. Alternatively, if you're following an egg-free diet, you could soak fresh bread in milk, squeezing out any excess milk, to use as a binder.

You only need a small amount of egg – it's there only to help the cooked meatball retain its shape, and shouldn't detract from the meat's flavour or texture. Filler ingredients like breadcrumbs or flour are important too because they stop the meatballs becoming dry.

Because meat shrinks when cooked, mince proteins are likely to separate and crumble unless bound together. Whether it's breadcrumbs or egg (or both), or simply salt, binding the mince is a crucial step in maintaining the softness of your meatballs while preventing them from falling apart.

Baking soda, otherwise known as sodium bicarbonate, appears often in köfte recipes. It raises the PH level of the meat, making it harder for the meat's protein molecules to bond. This in turn allows the meat to retain water as it cooks. And more water means a moist meatball.

Letting your meatballs cook on the stove in a simmering sauce is the way to go. You'll end up with the most tender meatballs because as they simmer they soak up so much of that tomato sauce.

But browning the meatballs on the stovetop first creates a crust that creates a more complex flavor and helps the meatballs hold their shape as they simmer. It's an extra step that adds hands-on cook time, but it pays off in flavor dividends.

How do you make meatballs not rubbery? ›

Use 1 egg, 3/4 cup of dried breadcrumbs, and 1/2 cup of milk per pound of ground meat. The egg and crumbs act as a binder. DON'T over-mix the meat/bread mixture or the meatballs will become tough. I use a small 1 scoop (like a miniature ice cream scoop) to portion the meatballs and roll them in my wet hands.

Yes. There are recipes that call for plain yogurt and mayonnaise instead of eggs. But keep in mind that mayonnaise is made with eggs.

Tip: Whether you're baking, broiling, pan-searing or adding meatballs directly to simmering liquid, always chill meatballs before cooking so that they hold their shape better and don't fall apart. This is especially important when working with pork, turkey and chicken, which are very wet when ground.

Milk: Adds moisture and tenderizes the meat, making our meatballs juicy and tender once cooked. Egg: Adds more moisture and helps the mixture firm up once cooked.

Using the wrong amount of eggs

That said, eggs are a perfect binder for meatballs to help develop your desired shape. On the other hand, this isn't an invitation to use as many as you want. Cook's Illustrated explains that adding too many eggs will put your meatballs at risk of having a soggy texture.

Coating cutlets in flour provides a golden-brown exterior (and some thickening power if you're making a sauce in the same pan!), but using flour as a binder for meatballs or meatloaf will result in a paste-like mixture that won't be as delicious.

Chill your meatballs: refrigerating your meatballs an hour before cooking helps them hold their shape throughout the cooking process. They can chill in the fridge for up to 24 hours before cooking, making meatballs a great make-ahead dish, too.

Although the meatballs are not browned first, they still cook though in the sauce and it is safe to add them to the sauce raw, as long as the sauce is kept at a simmer until the meatballs are cooked through. Cooking the meatballs this way means that they stay quite tender even when cooked.