Meat tenderizing is a typical cooking procedure meant to reduce the toughness of the fibers in a cut of meat. With meat tenderizing, meat fibers are broken down and the meat itself becomes soft. Not only is the tenderized meat easier to chew, it is also tastier and more palatable. This is especially necessary in thick cuts of meat, such as steak, particularly for those who prefer to cook their meat rare or well-done.
Tenderizing steak and meat properly brings out its own flavoring that can enhance the overall taste of the food. Tenderizing will ensure that food will properly cook. Otherwise, you might end up having meat that is tough to bite and chew.
There are meat vendors that sell meat that are already tenderized. However, you can also use any kind of meat and tenderize it during food preparation yourself, which ensures that you know exactly what ingredients went in to preparing your meat. There are also cases in which you can tenderize the meat while cooking it. While there are so many ways to tenderize meat (including the use of tenderizing tools, aging processes, commercial meat tenderizers, and marinating), an alternative is the use of kiwi fruit.
Apart from being an edible berry, kiwi fruit can be used to tenderize meat, hence its being commercialized as a useful meat tenderizer. It contains an enzyme known as actinidin that makes it possible to marinade tough cuts of meat, especially steak. Actinidin is an enzyme capable of dissolving protein.
•Prepare the meat. Place the meat on top of a clean surface. Grab a half of the kiwi fruit and rub it onto the meat surface.
•Let the extract of kiwi fruit set into the meat. Wait for about an hour before cooking the meat as you would normally do.
Once the meat has been prepared and cooked, you will notice that slicing kiwi-tenderized meat is easy. The meat will also taste juicier and tastier.
•Note, though, that kiwi fruit may act as an allergen. Some people might be allergic to kiwi fruit, and so it might not be an ideal meat tenderizer for everyone. In particular, those who are allergic to pineapples, papayas, and latex are likely to be allergic to kiwi fruit, as well. Kiwi fruits have raphides that are a crystal form of calcium oxalate. The most common symptoms of allergic reactions are swelling of the lips and face, sore throat and sore mouth, and sweating.
Before you use kiwi fruits as your meat tenderizer, make sure that you don’t have such food allergies. If in doubt, consult your doctor about allergic reactions. You might have to undergo skin tests to check for allergies.
Aside from using kiwi fruits as your meat tenderizer, there are other ways to make the meat softer. Consider other options if you or a family member cannot eat kiwi because of allergic reactions. Some options include commercial meat tenderizing marinades, papaya, salt, and even a mallet-like meat tenderizer.
•Cut the kiwi fruits. After washing the kiwi fruits, use a knife to cut them in halves.
