Ina Garten's Meat Loaf Recipe Turns Out Perfectly Every Time (2024)

FAQs

What does milk do to meat loaf? ›

Milk and other dairy products, like heavy cream and buttermilk, contain both water and fat, adding two types of moisture to our meatloaf. There's a long-held theory that milk can tenderize ground meat, and this is the reason often cited for cooking ground meat in milk to make a Bolognese-style ragù.

Overmixing will make a meatloaf dry and dense. Start by stirring the wet ingredients together. Then add the sautéed veggies. Now, before starting to mix it all together there like a mad man, just stop.

Once assembled, simply wrap the prepared loaf in foil or plastic wrap and store it overnight in the fridge to bake the next day. You can also freeze assembled meatloaf. Let it defrost overnight in the fridge prior to baking.

So, yes, we want our meatloaf moist, but we don't want it grease-laden and soggy. If we take a pile of ground beef and pack it into a loaf pan, the fat that renders out has nowhere to go, and so the loaf swims in its own juices…but not in a good way.

Sure, egg yolks add some rich flavor to a meatloaf, but the real reason we need eggs is for structure—to help bind the meatloaf together. This is especially important since we're making a free-form meatloaf, or one that you shape by hand, versus using a loaf pan.

If you don't have any bread, you can substitute it for breadcrumbs, crackers, cereal grains, oatmeal, instant rice, instant barley, or even potato flakes! However, bread is still the best choice of all the potential options.

Adding more to your mixture is always easier than taking some out. Another common reason meatloaf is mushy is too much filler, like breadcrumbs, bread, and oatmeal. Too much filler will stop it from baking correctly and becoming a fully formed meatloaf.

Should I cook my meatloaf covered or uncovered? The meatloaf can be cooked uncovered. However, if you are concerned about it burning, you can cover the meatloaf with foil for the first 45 minutes and uncover it for the final 15 minutes to allow the meatloaf to brown on top.

Let the loaf cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. If you baked the meatloaf in a loaf pan, carefully drain off the liquid fat before transferring the meatloaf to a clean cutting board.

In meatloaf, this is most commonly the eggs and breadcrumbs. Your binding ingredient is only second to the meat itself in your recipe and the reason why meatloaf crumbles. When this happens, it's because you didn't use enough. Next time, try adding in an extra egg and/or some more breadcrumbs.

How to make a Bobby Flay meatloaf? ›

Whisk together the eggs and herbs in a large bowl. Add the meat, bread crumbs, cheese, 1/2 cup of the ketchup and 2 tablespoons of the balsamic vinegar, the vegetables and mix until just combined. Mold the meatloaf on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

The Quick Answer. Yes, you can! You can freeze leftover (already-cooked) as well as uncooked, raw meatloaf. This makes meatloaf a super convenient recipe for meal prep, of course.

Metal pans are great conductors of heat; in other words, they heat up quickly, but in turn, they also cool down more rapidly once removed from the heat source. Additionally, metal pans can withstand higher temperatures than glass.

If you want to make the best meatloaf possible, a sheet pan is a much better medium. Not only will it be easier to clean, but the meatloaf will hold its shape just fine with the correct ratio of ingredients. Just make sure it's firm enough when it goes into the oven, and it should come out the same way.

Overall, glass and ceramic pans seemed to brown the cake more quickly than the other materials — silicone barely browned the loaves — making them less ideal for sweet baked goods. However, we could see glass or ceramic loaf pans being the ideal vessel for savory loaves or dishes like meatloaf.

Milk encourages the browning reactions characteristic of baked goods like pastry crusts, cookies and biscuits. Milk contributes to the keeping quality of bread and gives it a soft crust. Additional protein and sugar (lactose) in milk adds more sweetness and a browner color to baked goods than water.

Too Much Liquid

One of the most common reasons meatloaf is watery is an overabundance of liquid ingredients. Adding broth, milk, or eggs can enhance flavor and moisture, but too much can lead to a soupy consistency. Use these ingredients sparingly, and consider adding breadcrumbs or oats to absorb excess moisture.

In an acidic environment, meat pulls in more moisture and softens more quickly. Then there are the sugars present in dairy, which round out the flavors of whatever's being braised. As the milk cooks, it curdles—a good thing, for once—and in Sodi and Williams' braciole, it makes a creamy, aromatic gravy for the chops.