Meat Tenderizer

I received my Jaccard meat tenderizer as part of my Christmas loot and it has quickly become one of my favorite items. It is easy to use and produces a noticable difference when you use it versus when you don't.

Last night I was too lazy to get the meat tenderizer out to use on a chicken breast. I proceeded to season it as a I normally would and pan fried it. It was a huge mistake on my part not to use the meat tenderizer. It was very hard to evenly cook the chicken breast (due to the uneven size of it) and when it cooked up, the shape wasn't very appealing. The thicker side of the chicken breast was splitting apart from itself and the thin side of the chicken breast was woefully overcooked.

I immediatley pulled out another chicken breast and used the meat tenderizer on it. Using the meat tenderizer made a world of difference. It made the chicken breast have an even thickness all the way around and when it cooked, the chicken breast did not become overcooked on any one side. The marinade penetrated more deeply throughout the chicken breast and it was overall pleasure to eat.

I don't particularly believe the meat tenderizer reduces cooking time but I do know it makes it
1. easier to cook since it evens out the meat thickness throughout the entire piece
2. allows the marinade to deeply penetrate the meat
3. the cooked meat has a more pleasing look than the untenderized meat.

My Jacard meat tenderizer has a special place in my kitchen and I couldn't imagine living without one.