A meat tenderizer or meat pounder is a tool for mechanically tenderizing and flattening slabs of meat. [1]
Meat tenderizers come in at least three types: [1]
- The first, most common, is a tool that resembles a hammer or mallet made of metal or wood with a short handle and dual heads. One face of the tool is usually flat while the other has rows of pyramid-shaped protrusions. [2]
- The second form resembles a potato masher with a short handle and a large metal face that is either smooth or adorned with the same pyramid-shaped protrusions as found in the first form.
- The third form is a blade tenderizer that has a series of blades or nails that are designed to puncture the meat and cut into the fibers of the muscle. [2]
Tenderizing meat with the mallet softens the fibers, making the meat easier to chew and to digest. [2] It is useful when preparing particularly tough cuts of steak, and works well when broiling or frying the meat. [3] It is also used to "pound out" dishes such as chicken-fried steak, palomilla, and schnitzel, to make them wider and thinner.
