What is the best way to marinate beef? How long to fry beef in a pan

Beef meat among many housewives is considered "capricious". Still, with most cooking methods, it turns out to be hard and dry, earning the epithet “rubber” and comparison with shoe soles. However, beef can still be made juicy, tender and soft, it is important to know about the features of its cooking.

Product selection and preparation

The preparation of this type of meat begins with its selection. The parts of the carcass differ in chemical composition and taste characteristics. In other words, there are parts of the carcass that, in principle, are not intended for baking, stewing, frying.

Films and tendons give rigidity to meat. For example, almost 80% of the neck consists of such connective tissues, so it is better not to fry this part, but boil it, make chopped cutlets out of it.

For frying, roast beef, steak, roasting whole, it is better to use tenderloin, front or back of the limbs. The meat will cook quickly, while being soft and juicy.

The softest part of the carcass is the fillet. A tenderloin is made from the middle of the loin, such a piece is also called Chateaubriand. The thinnest part is the tournedo, and the sharp edge of the fillet is called filet mignon. The best part of the fillet is the medallions. However, even a beef shoulder (a rather tough part of the carcass) can be an excellent steak if you cut the meat correctly and know how to cook it.

For frying and cooking in the oven, it is better to use young meat. Veal is usually soft to the touch and lighter in color. If you look closely, you can find that it has thinner fibers and lighter fat. The meat of an adult, and even more so an old cow, is not suitable for these purposes, since the dish will be dry and tough. But it is good to cook broths from it, however, this will take a lot of time. You can visually distinguish older beef by the dark red color of the flesh and the yellow color of the fat.

The easiest way to determine the softness and juiciness of fresh, not frozen meat. The presence of bruises and crusts is unacceptable, only a slight airing is possible. Before buying, you should press on the pulp, as soon as you remove your finger, the dent should straighten out. This indicates the juiciness of the beef.

If frozen meat is used, it must be properly thawed before cooking. It should be remembered that the process should be gradual. Beef taken out of the freezer should first be placed on the middle shelf of the refrigerator, and after a few hours left at room temperature. If the meat is defrosted by placing it in hot water or in the microwave, then despite all the tricks, after cooking it will become tasteless, rubbery.

Preparation of meat involves the removal of films, veins, tendons and further rinsing of the piece under water. After that, it should be blotted with a towel. In this way, beef is prepared for almost all dishes. The exception is steaks. It is not recommended to wash the meat before cooking them, but blotting it with a napkin is a must. Tough meat is better to pre-soak for softness in the marinade.

General cooking rules

If you need to cook small portioned pieces, then it is recommended to cut the meat across the fibers. Due to this, the pieces are less deformed, which means they remain juicier. In addition, this method of cutting provides faster cooking.

If you have to fry old meat, then it is recommended to marinate it first. There are many marinade recipes, but almost all of them contain acids - this will help soften the tough meat fibers. Marinade can be prepared on the basis of kefir, lemon juice, wine, sour cream. You can immediately add spices, garlic, onions to the marinade.

The tougher the meat, the longer it should be kept in the marinade. As a rule, the minimum marinating time is 2-3 hours, the maximum is a day.

If it is supposed to fry a piece of beef, then as little as possible should be done with it. Ideally, rinse, dry and thinly slice, then immediately fry in a hot frying pan. When stewing, on the contrary, the meat can be slightly beaten off with the back of the knife (not sharp), finely chopped and fry the pieces in oil for half an hour. Then pour in the liquid and simmer.

It is important to use a sharp knife for cutting, cutting off films and cartilage with it. It is important to completely clean the flesh from the veins, because when heated, they shrink, which makes it difficult to fry or bake the meat with high quality.

When frying

Before frying the meat, it is usually lightly beaten off on both sides with a special hammer. This helps to make the piece thinner, which means faster cooking. Prepared pieces must be dipped with a paper towel. This will remove excess moisture and grease from the surface. When frying, the meat will not “shoot”, and a uniform crust will form on its surface.

Salt meat when frying should be closer to the end of the cooking process. The fact is that when salt is added, intensive juice secretion begins, so a steak or other dish will turn out tough. Salting at the end of frying will help preserve the juices, as they will be "locked" inside the piece due to the brown crust on both sides.

Another important point is to prevent the juice from flowing out of the meat. First you need to quickly achieve a crust on both sides, and only then make sure that the piece is completely fried. That is why you need to spread the beef on a well-heated pan, while making the fire more intense.

When the meat is covered with a crust, the fire should be reduced, and cover the pan with a lid. If the meat starts to burn, you can pour in a little water or broth, sauce. It is important that the liquids are hot, otherwise the taste of the finished dish will resemble the notorious sole.

The time of frying beef depends on the characteristics of the recipe and the size of the cut pieces. If we are talking about steaks that are cut 2-4 cm thick and fried in a pan with a ribbed surface, then the frying time for each side is from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. It is the duration of the frying that determines the great variety of steaks - strong, weak, with blood, and so on.

The chop usually takes 4-5 minutes to cook, on average it takes 2-2.5 minutes to cook one side. The meat cut into pieces is fried for 20-30 minutes, periodically stirring the dish.

If the steaks are cooked at home, then first each side should be rubbed with vegetable oil a little. The pan should also be greased with oil, it is better not to pour it from a bottle, but to use a cooking brush.

When cooking

You can get soft boiled beef meat by dipping a raw piece into boiling water. The larger the piece, the juicier it will turn out in boiled form and the richer, tastier the broth will become. If a large piece fits into the pan, then it is in this form that it should be cooked without cutting it into pieces.

Spices and vegetables will help make boiled beef tastier and more aromatic. The latter (usually onions and carrots) are put in a purified form in the broth after an hour of cooking meat. No need to grind them - a maximum, you can divide into 2-4 parts. Spices are introduced to the meat a quarter of an hour before the end of cooking.

It is important to cook the beef under the lid, preventing access to oxygen.

After the meat is cooked, no need to rush to get it out of the broth. You should leave the piece to cool in the same broth. If you do not follow this advice and pull the meat onto a plate, it will quickly become covered with a crust, which will make it seem dry and tough.

If you come across an old piece of beef, then, of course, it is better to boil it. But first - soak in a marinade of 100 ml of vodka and 10 tablespoons of soy sauce. Even an hour in such a marinade will help the meat become softer after cooking. You can also add a little vodka, half a teaspoon of sugar, or a well-washed banana peel to the water. These ingredients will help tenderize older meat.

When extinguishing

Putting out beef to make the dish juicy and soft is not an easy task. It is better to cut it into small pieces. After that, they should be fried in a hot pan, greased with a small amount of vegetable oil. Do this for a short time - a minute and a half, stirring the pieces all the time or shaking the pan. As a result, a dry crust forms on the surface of the meat.

Now you can transfer the pieces to a saucepan or cauldron (it is important that it be a thick-walled dish) and pour hot water over it.

Spices and bay leaf will help to get a more fragrant and appetizing dish. But salt stewed beef should be 15-20 minutes before the end of the stew. On average, the whole process takes 1.5-2 hours.

Another "trick" for getting a soft stew is to add a little grape juice to the beef while cooking. It is poured in an hour after the extinguishing begins.

When baking

It is better to bake the meat in a whole piece, so it will remain juicy. Almost all good recipes for cooking baked beef involve marinating it first. The duration of the process is 2-3 hours.

After marinating, the beef should be wrapped in foil, preferably in two layers, so the steam will definitely not come out. The dish is prepared for 1-1.5 hours at fairly high (200-220C), but constant temperatures. After the beef is ready, you can open the foil and let the meat brown.

If, after cooking in the oven, the beef turned out to be tough, you can try to correct the situation by holding a piece over boiling water.

And a few more options for delicious beef dishes.

In sour cream sauce

A dish according to this recipe can be made in pots or a small cauldron. Thanks to sour cream and long-term stewing in the oven over low heat, the beef is incredibly soft, with a pleasant creamy aftertaste.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of beef pulp;
• 4 bulbs;
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil;
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard;
• 1 teaspoon flour;
• 2 tablespoons low-fat sour cream;
• salt, spices.

Rinse the beef, dry it and cut into cubes with sides of 3-4 cm. Cut across the fibers. Chop the onion into half rings, mix with meat.

Pour oil into a cast-iron or pot, put the meat with onions and put in a cold oven. Cook for 1.5-2 hours at a temperature of 180C.

At this time, make the sauce: mix flour, mustard and spices. Add sour cream, if necessary (if the mixture is too thick) pour in a little water. Remove the pots from the oven - by this point the meat will be almost completely cooked in its juice, and the onion will become transparent. Now you need to pour the sauce to the dish and put it in the oven for another half an hour.

Baked in foil with carrots

Beef baked in foil is almost a classic of culinary art. However, the dish will sparkle with new colors (in the literal sense, too - it will become brighter and more festive), it will turn out soft and tender if stuffed with carrots.

Compound:

• 1 kg beef tenderloin;
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 5-6 garlic cloves;
• 2 carrots;
• salt pepper.

Prepare beef, rub with salt and pepper. Cut the washed and peeled carrots into cubes, make cuts in the meat and stuff it with vegetables.

From the sauce and garlic, passed through the press, make a marinade and pour beef over them. Leave for a couple of hours.

After the specified time, wrap the dish in 2 layers of foil or a baking sleeve and place in the oven, heating it to 220C. Cook for 2 hours, and then unfold the foil and leave the beef for another quarter of an hour in the oven. This will allow the dish to “acquire” a golden crust.

The article presents practical solutions for how to make beef meat softer and juicier when cooked.

Any piece can be cooked in a roast and make fried meat or ready-made roast or fillet, steak, entrecote, meatballs and meatballs more enjoyable for the child. Useful tips from this article will help you with this.

How to make beef soft and juicy

You can make beef soft and juicy by marinating it like you would cook a barbecue from it. A faster way is to rub a whole piece of meat with mustard an hour before cooking.

How to make very soft juicy beef when roasting

Soft and juicy beef will be if:

1. Sprinkle its pieces with spices and salt a few hours before frying;
2. Beat the meat before frying;
3. Spread the pieces on a well-heated pan with oil;
4. At the end of cooking, pour a little water into the pan and simmer the meat under the lid until the water has evaporated.

How to make beef soft when stewing and baking

Braised beef will be soft if:

1. cut the meat into pieces across the fibers;
2. first heat the oil well in a frying pan, and then put the pieces of meat in it;
3. fry the meat for the first 5-7 minutes, stirring and not covering with a lid;
4. simmer for the next 30-40 minutes over medium heat, covered with a lid.

Oven-baked meat will be soft and juicy when placed in a roasting sleeve that will not allow moisture to evaporate, and the meat will cook in its own juices. In order to form a golden crust, the meat should be kept in the oven for some more time, but already removed from the sleeve.

How to tenderize beef and steak

The following recommendations will help to soften beef meat and steak:

1. Frozen meat must be thawed before cooking. It is desirable that defrosting occurs naturally, and not in a microwave or in water.
2. Pepper and salt the meat before putting it in the pan.
3. Steak meat is not beaten.
4. For even frying, also brush the steak pieces with vegetable oil before cooking.
5. Before laying the meat, the pan is thoroughly heated and the heat is not reduced in the future.
6. When frying a steak, do not put oil in the pan, just constantly turn the meat from one side to the other until it is completely cooked.

How to tenderize beef chops

A few secrets of soft beef chops:

1. Buy unfrozen, “fresh” light red meat for chops.
2. Cut the meat into portions across the grain. The thickness of the chop is usually about 1 cm.
3. You need to put not wet, but towel-dried meat in the pan, then less juice will flow out of it.
4. If the meat has not been breaded, then it is better to salt the chop during the frying process, after a crust forms on the meat.
5. You can bring the fried chop to readiness, if it remains damp inside and at the same time keep its juiciness in the microwave or oven.

How to make beef skewers tender

The marinade helps to soften the beef skewers. The classic marinade is vinegar, spices and onions. More refined - red wine, a mixture of black and red peppers, as well as onions and garlic. The meat is marinated for 6-18 hours in glass or earthenware. When frying kebabs, since beef is rather lean meat, it should be sprinkled with mineral water. Well-marinated meat is ready after 20 minutes of frying on a skewer.

How to soften beef goulash

Meat for goulash should not have veins and chaff, only then the goulash will turn out soft and tender. For cooking goulash, it is better to use a cast-iron skillet or a skillet with a non-stick coating. The first minutes, until the pieces of meat turn white, the goulash is fried over high heat, the next hour and a half - the fire should be reduced to a minimum, and the pan covered with a lid. So the beef is well simmered and will be quite soft.

How to Soften Cooked Beef in the Oven

The beef cooked in the oven is soft, if it is pre-marinated and for 1.5-2 hours (depending on the size of the piece of meat) and fried, wrapped in foil. To form a golden crust, at the end of frying, the foil can be opened or removed altogether.

How to make beef cutlets tender

How to make tough and old beef soft when boiled

Even old beef will become soft and tender in taste if it is held for several hours in a solution of 100 g before cooking. vodka and 10 tablespoons of soy sauce.

How to quickly soften minced beef

Tough ground beef can be softened by placing ground beef in a plastic bag and beating it for at least 5 minutes. You can soften the minced meat by adding cold beef broth or egg white to it.

How to make beef soft and tender in a pan

If the beef is marinated before cooking with the addition of alcohol (beer, wine or vodka), then the cooked meat will be much more tender and softer. The alcohol will evaporate during cooking and will not harm your health.

My husband (probably no exception) loves to eat delicious food. I am a housewife, so I have a lot of time to cook. I tried many beef recipes before I found ways to cook soft beef that worked for me. The meat according to these recipes is juicy and really soft. I will write them for you so that you do not make mistakes, do not spoil the meat in search of a good recipe. Take advantage of my experience and learn from my mistakes.

Ingredients for the recipe "How to cook soft beef."

• 1kg meat
• 2 onions
• 1 large carrot
• 2st. l. 9% vinegar
• Bay leaf
• garlic
• 1.5 st. tablespoons of delicious tomato paste
• favorite spices

Cooking soft beef

1. The meat should be washed under cold water and dipped in paper towels. If there is water left on the meat when you fry the meat, it will splatter a lot.

2. Cut the washed meat into cubes 3 by 4 cm in size, heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the beef on all sides over high heat until golden brown.

3. Transfer the fried meat to a saucepan with a thick bottom, pour 1 liter of boiling water, add vinegar. When it boils, reduce the heat, cover the pan with a lid and simmer for an hour and a half.

4. After an hour and a half, add bay leaf, diced onion and carrots, grated on a coarse grater, or cut into pieces. Leave to simmer, if necessary, add boiling water.

5. After about 20-25 minutes, salt, add the garlic passed through the press, tomato paste, finely chopped parsley and spices. Mix everything and simmer for another 10 minutes so that the beef turns out to be truly tender.

By following all the points of the recipe "How to cook soft beef", you will get the most tender meat! And one more of my favorite recipes, having prepared which, you will understand that you have never eaten anything softer and more tender.

2 very soft beef recipe

Ingredients for making soft and tender beef according to this recipe:

• 1 kg boneless meat
• 1 lemon (juice)
• 1.5 teaspoons potato starch
• 1 teaspoon soda
• vegetable oil
• salt,
• spices to taste, suneli hops
• 2 large onions

Recipe

1. Wash and dry the meat with paper towels, cut into small pieces.

2. Put the meat in a bowl, salt, pepper, add seasonings. Add starch, soda and mix everything. Pour over lemon juice, mix and let marinate for about an hour to make it soft.

Step-by-step recipes for amazing marinated beef in the oven with potatoes, chili and lard in wine, cognac and tomato sauce in foil, sleeve and baking dish

2018-02-20 Julia Kosich

Grade
prescription

3808

Time
(min)

servings
(people)

In 100 grams of the finished dish

20 gr.

8 gr.

carbohydrates

2 gr.

171 kcal.

Option 1: Classic Oven Pickled Beef Recipe

Since beef meat is quite tough, it is recommended to cook it for a long time, giving preference to stewing. However, this type of meat can be made a whole piece. To do this, it is important to preliminarily (for a couple of hours) insist with vinegar or lemon juice. But let's take a closer look at how to properly cook pickled beef in the oven.

Ingredients:

• one and a half kilograms of beef;
• a spoonful of sugar;
• seasoning "For meat";
• three tablespoons of oil;
• coarse salt;
• a third of a glass of water;
• three tablespoons of tomato paste.

Step by step recipe for marinated beef in the oven

Wash a 1.5 kg piece of beef (choose a relatively lean back). Clean and dry with paper towels.

In a separate container (clean and dry), combine refined oil, water, meat seasoning, sugar, water and salt. Mix until smooth.

Lay a triple layer of foil on a dish of a suitable size. Put the prepared meat piece in the middle.

Spread (generously) on all sides with spicy tomato dressing.

Send for a couple of hours in the refrigerator. During this time, the beef will infuse, so that later it will turn out soft and tender.

After the specified time, the dish is returned to the table. Preheat the oven at 195 degrees.

Wrap a piece of juicy meat pulp tightly with foil. Transfer to a baking sheet (flat).

Send the appetizer to cook, which will take 40-45 minutes. Before serving, leave the marinated beef in the oven for at least half an hour to infuse and "cook" in foil.

This type of meat preparation involves serving in the form of cutting. How do they do it with bacon. In fact, we cook it only using spicy tomato dressing, which will emphasize the taste of meat and make it amazingly tasty.

Option 2: Quick Oven Pickled Beef Recipe

As already mentioned, cooking beef quickly is quite problematic. But if time is running out, we suggest marinating this meat for a short time and baking it in a sleeve. It is he who will significantly reduce the process of creating tender beef.

Ingredients:

• kilogram of lean beef;
• 45 grams of butter;
• salt;
• onion;
• laurel (2-3 small leaves);
• black and/or allspice;
• a spoonful of table vinegar;
• spoon (tea) of sugar.

How to quickly cook marinated beef in the oven

Wash the lean and cleaned piece of beef. Dry immediately with a towel. Make parallel cuts along the surface from above.

Drizzle with table vinegar. Salt. Add (evenly) pepper and sugar. Leave for half an hour directly on the kitchen table.

After 30 minutes, spread the sleeve on a baking sheet. Tie the end on one side.

Coat the infused piece with softened butter. Place the beef inside the sleeve. And put the rings of peeled onions down. Place a couple of bay leaves on the surface of the meat.

Send the marinated beef to the oven, fixing the open edge of the sleeve. Bake a quick and amazingly tasty dish for approximately 35-37 minutes, setting the temperature to 200 degrees.

You can check the readiness of the meat piece by piercing it directly through the sleeve with a long skewer. If the juice that comes out is completely transparent, the dish is ready. In the event that the liquid turns out to be mixed, we recommend that you open the film and cook over high heat for 6-7 minutes.

Option 3: Oven-baked marinated beef in wine

Wine is often used to create a variety of meat dishes. So why don't we include this ingredient in the beef recipe that today's selection is dedicated to.

Ingredients:

• a glass of red (dry) wine;
• kilogram of beef (lean);
• spices "For meat";
• two tablespoons of oil;
• coarse salt;
• half a lemon;
• a couple of cloves.

How to cook

Clean the lean beef piece with a knife. Wash and dry immediately with a towel. Make shallow, preferably parallel cuts on top.

Line a baking sheet with a triple layer of aluminum foil. Raise the edges so that the dressing does not spill out.

Place the prepared piece of beef in the middle. Drizzle with aromatic oil and wine sauce.

Lay a couple of carnation inflorescences on the surface.

Fold the foil around the meat. Thanks to this, the beef will be completely "shrouded" in marinade.

Leave the meat piece to infuse for one and a half to two hours.

The next step is to preheat the oven. Transfer meat in foil to a baking sheet. Bake marinated beef in the oven for 42-43 minutes.

To test for doneness, open (slightly) the foil and pierce the meat with a skewer. With pure juice (without impurities), turn off the stove. Let the beef rest and cool.

Red wine can be substituted for white. However, beef "loves" the former. The main thing is that it must be dry. Although, if you like bright sweet notes in meat dishes, try making it in a sweet or dessert wine.

Option 4: Marinated beef with potatoes and tomatoes in the oven

Potatoes and small tomatoes cooked with beef will allow you not only to decorate the taste of the dish, but also save time on preparing a side dish. We are preparing a two-in-one serving right now!

Ingredients:

• four potatoes;
• kilogram of beef;
• five cherry tomatoes;
• coarse salt;
• a couple of tablespoons of refined oil;
• a third of a lemon;
• black pepper;
• a third of a bunch of parsley (fresh);
• dried basil.

Step by step recipe

Rinse and clean the planned beef piece. Then make thin, shallow cuts along one (upper) side.

Now transfer the meat to a flat gastronorm container. Drizzle with lemon juice and oil. Sprinkle with pepper and salt.

Leave the beef to marinate for an hour and a half. The place is the kitchen table. At the same time, do not forget to cover it with a film so that dust does not get on it.

At this time, remove the tomato stalks. Also peel potatoes. Cut the first in half, cut the second into cubes and rinse, removing the starch.

Grease a rectangular shape with oil, or even better, cover it with parchment.

Arrange the potatoes and tomatoes evenly on the bottom. Sprinkle with dried basil and chopped parsley (washed and dried).

Place the cured meat on top. Cover the form with a sheet of foil.

Bake an amazing dish for 39-40 minutes at 185 degrees.

Then remove the foil. Increase the degree of the stove to 200. The marinated beef in the oven will be ready after another 10-12 minutes.

During this time, the potatoes should be cooked. However, if you are worried about its softness, we recommend that you boil this root crop in advance (“in uniform”). So, you will focus only on roasting meat, without fear that the main ingredient of the side dish will remain raw.

Option 5: Beef marinated in cognac with herbs and bacon in the oven

The lard will provide tenderness to somewhat tough beef. And cognac will give unique nutty notes. Try this beef recipe to love it by changing your culinary attitude from negative to positive.

Ingredients:

• a third of a glass of cognac;
• 45 grams of lard;
• kilogram of lean beef;
• half a bunch of fresh parsley;
• salt/spices "For meat";
• a tablespoon of wine vinegar;
• a couple of sprigs of rosemary.

How to cook

Cut the membranes and veins from the beef. Then wash the piece. Get wet with napkins. Make narrow incisions a couple of centimeters deep.

Pour a piece of vinegar and rub with salt and spices. Cover with clingfilm and set aside to marinate.

After a couple of hours, finely chop the chilled lard (pork).

Open the beef and stuff it with lard. Lay on a triple layer of foil located on a baking sheet.

Wrap the edges of the foil, leaving access to the meat. Pour in cognac. Lay rosemary sprigs. Sprinkle with chopped herbs.

Close the foil, leaving no empty space. Move the meat to the oven.

Turn on 195 degrees. Cook the marinated beef in the oven for about 46-38 minutes.

Having opened (a little) the foil and checked the readiness (clear juice when pierced) of the meat, turn off the stove.

Option 6: Marinated beef in spicy soy dressing in the oven

By incorporating soy sauce and a few special spices into your roast beef recipe, you can add a savory Asian twist to the meat. But the highlight of the last dish of our selection will be hot chili.

Ingredients:

• half a glass of soy sauce;
• kilogram of beef meat;
• a third of a (small) chili pod;
• coarse salt;
• a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice;
• black pepper;
• ground nutmeg;
• dried ginger;
• frying oil.

Step by step recipe

Pour soy sauce and lemon juice into a bowl. Introduce spices: salt, nutmeg, black pepper and dried ginger. Mix with a whisk.

Wash the beef meat (lean and cleaned). Dry with a towel. Saddle over the entire surface of shallow long incisions.

Place the meat in a gastronorm container with sides. Drizzle with prepared spicy dressing. Cover with cling film (food grade).

Forget about meat for two hours. When the time is up, heat the oil in a wide (thick-bottomed) frying pan.

Place a piece of beef without marinade in hot oil. Gently, so as not to burn yourself, fry on each side for a minute. Having achieved the appearance of a crust, shift the main ingredient of the dish to a triple layer of foil.

Cover the surface (except the underside) with thin rings of washed and peeled chili.

Cover the meat with foil on all sides. Send on a baking sheet in a hot oven. The temperature is 195 degrees.

It will be possible to please loved ones with the taste of pickled beef in the oven after 45-46 minutes. And before serving, we advise you to leave the meat to cool slightly. Better yet, serve it the next day, like boiled pork.

When cooking meat according to this recipe, we recommend giving up sugar and significantly reducing the amount of salt, since we will use soy sauce that already contains all these spices. You can also include additional spices in addition to the mentioned ginger and nutmeg.

Beef is distinguished by the finest flavor nuances and a delicate milky aroma. But in order for beef dishes to have the most delicate structure, this type of meat should be cooked correctly. All cooks in chorus can say that beef should be soaked in various marinades before cooking. The longer the meat is soaked, the better the dish will turn out, the more tender it will taste, the more compliments it will receive from tasters. There are different ways to prepare marinades, dressings and sauces for veal and beef. Each of them is distinguished by a bright aroma, certain flavors that emphasize the piquancy of meat. What will sharks of the gastronomic business advise ordinary culinary specialists?

Hundreds of brochures have been written about how to soak beef so that it is soft, and yet many Russians do not know how to do it correctly. As a result, the meat turns out to be too tough, tasteless and not fragrant. It is simply impossible to eat such beef - the fibers will get stuck in the teeth, and the receptors will not be able to feel the subtlest flavors of this type of meat. If you want to cook beef in the oven according to an old recipe that involves simmering meat over low heat for 7 hours, you should choose the lightest possible dressing. It can be regular lemon juice, cream or mustard. The most interesting taste of such beef will turn out if you spread honey on top of it - the meat will be soft and slightly sweet in taste. You can also try mixing honey with various spices.

Beef turns out very soft if you make a marinade or cream-based coating for it. Cream, in principle, has an aroma reminiscent of the smell of boiled beef - characteristic "milk" notes. You can prepare the following type of marinade: dilute 500 ml of cream with 200 ml of natural yogurt. In the resulting fermented milk mixture, you need to add finely chopped green bell pepper, salt and pepper to taste. Pieces of beef are placed in the resulting marinade, dipped on both sides and put in the refrigerator for several hours. After the meat is properly saturated with the resulting marinade, it will be possible to fry or bake it. In any case, the beef will be softer and more tender in taste. It can be served with finely chopped fresh herbs and a spicy Cheddar-based cheese sauce.

The Japanese believe that there is nothing better than soy sauce and fermented bean marinade. That's why they soak the beef in these dressings. Of course, it is easier to find soy sauce in Russian stores than miso juice. As the most authentic sauces, it is advised to purchase Kikkoman. Before soaking the meat in soy sauce, you need to take the necessary pieces, rinse them under cold running water, then put them in an enamel bowl and pour soy sauce on top. At the same time, it is not necessary to salt the beef - it will be quite salty anyway. In the resulting marinade, the meat is kept at room temperature for at least three hours and in a dark place. The juice from the fermented beans is also poured on top of the meat. The pickled product is then placed in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Mediterranean cuisine includes two main components of sauces - lemon juice and olive oil. If you mix them together, lightly salting, you get an excellent marinade sauce for beef. To prepare the marinade, two lemons, 100 g of olive oil and a couple of pinches of sea salt are taken. Salted olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice are diluted in a bowl. You can add spices to the marinade if you like. Beef fillet is placed in a bowl with this sauce, dipped on both sides, sprinkled with dried celery on top. Lemon juice will make the meat softer, celery will make it fragrant, and olive oil will make it tasty. If such a beef fillet is fried in a Teflon pan, you will get very ruddy meat with a golden crust.

Another way to marinate beef is to soak it in wine with spices and honey. To do this, you need to take red or white semi-dry wine (preferably not fortified, but natural), any spices, for example, pink and black pepper, as well as linden honey. All components are mixed with each other, slightly heated on the stove to get a homogeneous, slightly thick mass, reminiscent of mulled wine in appearance and smell. Then the wine marinade is removed from the stove, cooled and poured into an enamel bowl, in which you can then put the pieces of beef. And what about the national cuisine? American chefs usually soak cuts of beef in homemade ketchup. The French love a variety of creamy sauces that make tough meats melt in your mouth. Italians use olive oil in their dressings and marinades.

How to make beef tender? The most important thing is that before cooking this or that dish, you need to marinate it. For dressing or marinade, you can use any ingredients - cream, soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, various spices, herbs and vegetables. You should also cook tough meats like beef over low heat for a long time. Then the meat will turn out tender and melt in your mouth. And some cooks soak beef for several days in various marinades! They believe that this is the only way to make beef tender.