Understand The Role Of Eggs When Making Meatballs - Tasting Table (2024)

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Understand The Role Of Eggs When Making Meatballs - Tasting Table? ›

Eggs play an important role when making meatballs. The protein in the egg white gives the meatball structure, while the fatty yolk helps keep the meatball moist and together as it cooks.

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.

Cook's Illustrated explains that adding too many eggs will put your meatballs at risk of having a soggy texture. Any additional and unnecessary liquid will also cause difficulty mixing and forming meatballs. Adding a single egg should be enough to do the trick, with two being the maximum for each pound of meat you use.

Eggs and breadcrumbs are the essential ingredients meatloaf needs to keep it together. Without them, it will become crumbly and fall apart.

Including eggs in the recipe is especially important if you are using very lean meat such as ground chicken or turkey breast as they add some fat from the yolk. You won't need more than an egg or two per every one to two pounds of meat. If you use too many eggs, you'll wind up with soggy, heavy meatballs.

You want enough to keep the mixture stable and easy to handle, but too many will make the mixture overly soft. Excess eggs will also make meatballs tough and spongy, rather than toothsome and tender. A good rule of thumb is to add one egg per pound of meat.

Ricotta cheese is a great alternative for the eggs in meatballs. A good rule of thumb is one cup of ricotta cheese for every pound of ground meat.

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.

What can I use instead of eggs to bind meatballs? There are several options to substitute eggs in a meatball recipe: 2 tablespoons of buttermilk per egg, 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt per egg, 1/4 cup ricotta cheese per egg, or 3 tablespoons unsweetened apple sauce per egg.

Eggs are an ingredient in nearly every meatloaf, and they have two distinct roles. Egg yolks, which are mostly water but contain a good amount of protein and fat, add flavor, richness, and moisture. They also help bind the meat together and get the loaf to set in a stable form without the need to overwork the meat.

What is the best binder for meatballs? ›

An egg is usually a good start, as that can help with the tenderness and texture, but the king of meatball binders is breadcrumbs soaked in milk (also known as a panade). Soaking the breadcrumbs first makes them pliable and soggy, which allows them to easily and evenly mix into the ground meat.

The function of egg in meatballs has very little to do with flavor and more to do with its binding properties, similar to why you might use breadcrumbs in meatloaf or burgers: to help everything hold 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. Try soaking your breadcrumbs in milk for extra moisture and fluffiness.

5. Roll your meatballs in flour. Roll the finished meatballs in plain flour before frying. This is, hands down, one of the easiest ways I've discovered to prevent meatballs from falling apart when cooking.

Egg yolk acts as a binder and adds flavor

After forming it into a patty, he explains that the egg actually helps bind the meat together, and adds an incredibly rich flavor to the burger patty. As a good rule of thumb, it's best to add one yolk per pound of ground beef.

Eggs are also important for texture and flavor, their fats and emulsifiers adding moistness and richness. Egg yolks alone work best; the whites just make the mixture sticky and hard to handle, with no benefits.