Meat tenderizers, meat mallets or meat pounders are instruments that are used to beat meat in order for it to become softer and more edible. Through this process, the meat is also tenderized so it can be cut up, mashed up, and broken up into smaller pieces. This makes it easier to use this meat to make meals like burgers, fried patties, etc.
Meat tenderizers are usually shaped like mallets or hammers and work very simply by pounding the meat until it becomes much softer. My choice of meat mallets is the Aliglow because its large size makes for quick work. Check it out at Amazon.
| Best Meat Mallets | Favorite Feature | |
|---|---|---|
 | 1. TP Foon Meat Mallet | made of corrosion- and bacteria-resistant stainless steel |
 | 2. Spring Chef Meat Mallet | futuristic design lets gravity do the work for ease in the kitchen |
 | 3. Onesource Meat Tenderizer | made so strong that it can crack nuts and ice as well as tenderize meat |
 | 4. Aliglow Meat Tenderizer | double-sided to both flatten meat and tenderize it |
Meat tenderization is necessary for red meat since it can sometimes be very hard when it is first used for cooking. The softening is a result of the fibers becoming disconnected from each other so that the meat is easier to chew and digest. Tough cuts of steak and fried meats are usually prepared with tenderized meat.
The breaking down of fibers also means that the sauces and the other ingredients that you’re cooking the meat with have a better chance of seeping in and being absorbed within the meat. This makes for a better meal and a tastier cut of meat.
However, you can also tenderize white meat like chicken and fish. It depends on the dish that you want to make and what consistency and texture you’re going for.
Picking out a Meat Mallet
There are a few things that you need to decide before you buy a meat tenderizing mallet. The basics are what you need it for and what you’re eventually going to cook with the meat that you’ve tenderized.
Usually, people buy meat tenderizer mallets in order to soften meat so that they can marinate it. In this case, you need to know about you’re going to use to marinate the meat. If you know this, choosing the best meat mallet for your cooking purposes will be easier for you.
Most cuts of meat are very tough, and they contain a lot of muscle fibers. The protein bonds in the fibers need to be broken down by the mallet in order for the meat to be tenderized. However, if you’re cooking a steak and if you’re cooking a burger, those are two very different types of meals.
Here, you need to decide which type of mallet you’re going to take. Will you choose one with industrial strength, or one with medium power so that you can just soften the meat up before you throw it on the stove?
TP Foon Meat Mallet
The TP Foon meat tenderizer mallet is made out of stainless steel and is corrosion resistant. It will not rust for over 3 – 4 years even if it is constantly exposed to air. It’s also dishwasher safe and will not corrode if you leave it covered with meat and the bacteria usually associated with meat.
It’s a heavy tool that can soften any type of meat that you throw at it such as pork, chicken, mutton, beef, etc. And it also has an ergonomic design so the weight is evenly distributed and there is less strain on your hand. You can also use it to crush potatoes, nuts, ice, and hard candy if you so choose.
The mallet measures 10.5 inches in length and 2.3 inches in diameter for the mallet head and weighs 15.5 ounces. It weighs less than a pound, so it will help you channel the weight to the right point on the meat.
Spring Chef Meat Mallet
This is probably the most well designed and futuristic of all the heavy-duty hammer mallets on this list. It is made with solid aluminum and chrome plating, and you can use it to tenderize any cut of meat from chicken to steak and veal to beef.
The mallet is designed in a way that lets gravity do the work, and so it can be used in light touches to loosen packages of vegetables and prepare cracked crab as well as to loosen garlic skin and crush nuts. It’s also dishwasher safe and easier to clean than other tenderizers.
Onesource Meat Tenderizer
This looks like an old school heavy mallet, but it’s every bit as futuristic as any of the others on this list. It is made from commercial grade aluminum and is heavyweight for very effective crushing of meat. Its head is 2.5 inches, and the handle is 12 inches in length. The head is dual faced and spiked, and the handle is made of wood.
The mallet can be used to tenderize all sorts of meats and can even be used to crack nuts and loosen bags of frozen meats and vegetables. It’s a particularly strong meat tenderizer.
Aliglow Meat Tenderizer
The Aliglow Meat Tenderizer has an ergonomic design even though it’s a large hammer. Despite being big, the mallet features a balanced design that allows it to fall straight on the meat with the force of gravity. This allows for more work in less time and less strain on your arms and hands.
The tenderizer can also be used to crush other things like ice for cocktails and crack crabs as well as nuts. The mallet is also multifunctional since one side is designed to flatten pork and poultry for thin cuts of meat and the other textured side is for tenderizing cuts of red meat that are very hard to cook and cut.
The textured side has around 16/37 aggressive points that are perfect for tenderizing cuts of meat that will melt in your mouth. The mallet is also very easy to clean and has a 12-month warranty that you can cash in if it breaks or a piece chips off.
Whether you want a heavy duty mallet or one that’s more ergonomic, choosing the right meat tenderizer mallet will ensure that the cuts of meat you cook with will be soft, juicy, and easy to cook.
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Rhonda grew up with parents who gardened, hunted, fished, canned, and preserved food. Her mother was a professional cook and Rhonda credits her teaching everything from how to make homemade biscuits and gravy to what kind of meals to serve for different occasions. In the kitchen, Rhonda uses a mix of old-fashioned country cooking and up-to-date fads in the kitchen, often experimenting with replacing higher-calorie or fat ingredients with healthier options that still retain the delicious flavors of the originals.