Is There Any Difference Between A Meat Mallet And A Meat Tenderizer?

One of the things every cook fears most is seeing their guests struggle to cut and chew the steak they've been served. The best tool to avoid this experience is a meat tenderizer. And if you've only seen one type of tenderizer, it's probably the classic meat mallet, the hammer-like utensil with a handle on one end and two striking surfaces on the other. One surface is flat, primarily used to thin out a piece of meat or even out something like a chicken breast to ensure the entire piece touches the pan for more even cooking. The other side has small spikes and this is the true tenderizer part of the mallet. Striking with this end tears into the meat's connective tissues to loosen it up so that it's easier to eat after cooking while also thinning out the meat for efficient, even cooking.

While great for softening cheap cuts of meat, the meat mallet is not the only type of meat tenderizer. Another option of manual tenderizer is the masher-style tenderizer, which is essentially the same as a mallet but with a vertical handle that allows you to bring it down almost in a stabbing motion to get more of your arm and body weight behind each strike. By contrast, a meat mallet relies on its own weight and the velocity and precision of your strike. Then there's the bladed tenderizer, a handheld tool you place over the steak and press down on almost like an ink-stamp machine. When you press, the tool brings several blades down onto the meat to pierce through it and break up the tissue.

According to some experts, there are four types of steak you should always tenderize. These are flank, skirt, sirloin, and tri-tip steak. If the goal is strictly to break down the muscle fibers, a bladed tenderizer may work great. But if you need to pound a steak or perhaps chicken breast for even cooking, the bladed tenderizer falls short. One example is chicken fried steak, the Texas staple that has to be pounded thin so that it can be breaded, fried, cut, and chewed easily. A meat mallet is simply the right tool for this job.

Some butcher shops, restaurants, and other commercial facilities rely on tenderizer machines which press, break up tissue, and even cut meat into strips or chunks. A butcher shop with all the perks will be happy to tenderize your steaks using its tenderizer machine, adjusting for pressure to ensure you get tenderized and even steaks. Otherwise, a meat mallet will be your go-to, as is the case for even those with years of cooking experience (via Reddit). You may instead have a masher-style tenderizer you purchased because it felt more convenient to your hands, as the choice between these two does come down to personal preference. And if you don't have either, there's always the pin roller or frying pan.