Can anyone teach me how to make soft meatballs? I made this spaghetti and meatballs recipe tonight,

Some suggestions are to not overmix the mix - just like making hamburgers. Secondly, use

a large egg as a standard for mixing (you can always add more dry ingredients such as the bread for consistency). Thirdly (if there is such a word), don't overcook the meatballs in the oven or while simmering. I always rely on my thermometer to sample the temperature on the largest portion (even a meatball). It's really easy to check the temperature periodically to prevent overcooking.

I'm having a ground chicken burger shortly and I'll be using my thermometer.

I hope this helps.

 
When there is a mixture of ground meats, I often sub ground turkey (93/7) for ...

...the pork. It is leaner, and I find the end product to be more tender.

Michael

 
Sorry it did not work for you....

....several things could explain, maybe you formed the meatballs too tightly, or mixed the components too much? I wet my hands and barely shape the balls until they stay together, never pressing or rolling.

The bread used for the mix - I used this one
http://bewitchingkitchen.com/2010/11/08/sourcream-sandwich-bread/

because I had half of the loaf already sliced in the freezer, so I thaw a few slices and used in the mix. It's possible that since the bread was so soft and tender to start with, the meatballs benefited from it. However, I've made meatballs with day old baguette and even sourdough breads, and they always turn out tender.

If you like meatballs that are super tender, maybe cooking in the tomato sauce from start to finish will give you what you're looking for. To my taste, that's a bit too tender, but I have a friend who absolutely loves them that way

 
That's how I make them, except I don't add any milk. You could try adding another

or a larger egg - I find that if I add a jumbo egg instead of a medium one they are almost fall-apart tender. Or even a little of your sauce in the mix.

I also (like Sally) wet my hands with a little wine before I roll them. That way if they're too tough, you don't really care ;o) teehee

 
These are the softest, most tender meatballs - melt in your mouth! >>

I know they sound a little odd with the bread soaked in water and all, but trust me, these are fabulous!

Meatballs:
1 lb. ground meat-loaf mix (ground beef/veal/pork) (note: I don’t like veal, so I replace with more ground beef and ground pork)
2 slices white bread, soaked in water, squeezed dry
1 small onion, grated or chopped very finely
3 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1 large egg
1/4 teas. each, salt & pepper

In bowl, combine ingredients. Shape tablespoons into 24 meatballs. Heat oil in nonstick skillet. Add meatballs; brown, turning, for 6 minutes.

Freeze well.

 
That comes to just about the same proportion of bread...

to meat ratio that I mentioned.

1/2 cup of roughly cubed bread isn't much (maybe 1 slice); depending on how it was cut and measured.

Cheezz--I like your measurement better; it's more accurate than doing the cup thing.

After awhile Marianne will just know by the look and feel of the mix.

 
I love them Ang. My favorite is Chicken Chilly Burger...

I need to make these again soon. I haven't made them since I moved from Philly and I often made double-batches and froze them. Soo good! I've tweaked the recipe a bit if you or anyone wants my notes.

Edited to say that I need to get some more Indian chili powder from an Indian grocer in Bradenton. It's not the same as the chili powder we use here in the states.

I normally just take a 1-lb. package of ground chicken and either mix the patties with seasonings or just make some plain and top with Lawry's seasoning salt. They're not quite lean, but certainly a lot less fatty than ground beef.

http://www.angithi.com/recipysite/RecipeDetail.asp?RecipeID=28

 
Me Too! My favorite is a grilled chicken patty with a fruit salsa. I prefer chicken

over turkey. I make the patties with panko, salt and pepper and milk (ok, cream) and gently mix, adding either one until it feels right. But it's all about the salsa. I use whatever diced fruit I happen to have...peaches, mango, papaya and add either red or yellow bell pepper, which ever adds color contrast with the fruit, diced red onion, jalapeno, salt, pepper, lime juice and a touch of honey if needed. Chill it and just top the patty. Yum! Haven't made that in a while but will be on our plate in the next few days.

 
This may be obvious, but I get better results when using a bread-and-liquid addition when...

...the white bread is a sturdy, good-quality white bread, like Sara Lee.

The best bread is homemade, of course, and I like the King Arthur Flour Classic White Bread recipe, but that' not always practical for everyone.

Michael

 
Thanks to you all, I figured out what I was doing wrong...when I looked at the ground beef and the

ground pork in the mixing bowl, I was stymied about how to bring the two together, and I know that I smooshed them until they looked like the same kind of meat, then I smooshed them again with the other ingredients. This would account for the toughness when the meat is "over-mixed".

Okay, so how do you combine the different kinds of meat for a meatloaf/meatball mix, without smooshing them all together, or should I just buy a Meatloaf Mix, with is usually in my supermarket?

 
Gently break up the meats separately and toss in the mixing bowl by alternating them. Fold the

meats in afterwards by using one hand and gently scooping up from the bottom.

I think you'd have better control by gently mixing the meats yourself. Think of it as aerating soil before planting but with less pressure.

 
Marianne, in the recipe I gave above, there's a lot of smooshing going on, but they are super tender

 
orchid, I have some leftover heavy cream, scallions, and panko. Can you tell me

approximately how much cream and panko you use?

Thanks in advance. I'd like to make this tomorrow night.

 
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