PJ O'neal is one of New York City's dynamic food educators, writers, and food advocates. He has over five years creating food programming and cooking curriculum for many sectors. He also curates NYC food guides and tours on his travel website thestudioemcee.com.
When I was a museum educator at the Museum of Food & Drink in New York City and I led countless tours in the Chinese-American foodways exhibit we always talked about this method of cooking. You may have never heard of the term, but have probably eaten its results, especially in chicken dishes. Find out why this cooking method is so popular and how it can be used on beef for the most tender steak ever.
What is Velveting?
Velveting is a cooking method where usually tough cuts of meat are marinated in a cornstarch or baking soda mixture or slurry. This tenderizes the meat without altering its taste while also helping the meat to retain moisture so it doesn't dry out while cooking, especially in something like a stir-fry.
Why You Should Velvet Steak
Velveting is most commonly done with chicken, but it can be done with almost any meat, including beef and pork. In fact, one our most popular recipes at Allrecipes is Chef John'sVelvet Steak with Korean Chili Butter.
Because the velveting process is great for tenderizing tough cuts of meat, it works really well on beef cuts like sirloin and flank steak. The cornstarch (or baking soda) and oil mixture used to marinate the meat helps the meat retain moisture while cooking for a more tender, juicy steak.
The cornstarch method is the most common way to velvet and the one used in this steak recipe:
Start by whisking cornstarch, water, and oil. You can also add other ingredients for flavor such as soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, seasonings, and egg whites.
Once you have your slurry mixture, mix in the meat. Let the meat marinate in the mixture, refrigerated, for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours.
Rinse off the cornstarch from the meat with cold water (hot water can cook the meat). Pat the meat dry with a paper towel and it's now ready for cooking. Alternatively, you can simply shake off excess marinade and cook it without rinsing (which will give the meat a nice brown crust).
Velveting is a technique in Chinese cuisine for preserving the moisture of meat while cooking. Additionally, it provides a soft or "velvety" texture to the meat of any entrée. The technique is applied to raw meat before cooking either in oil or in water.
is a cooking method where usually tough cuts of meat are marinated in a cornstarch or baking soda mixture or slurry. This tenderizes the meat without altering its taste while also helping the meat to retain moisture so it doesn't dry out while cooking, especially in something like a stir-fry.
Beef steak – I use rump steak, sliced into strips, against the grain. You can also use sizzler steak, stewing steak or ready-sliced stir-fry steak. Other cuts of beef to use that are more well known outside of the UK include: top round, bottom round, flank, hanger, skirt, chuck, blade or denver.
In Chinese cooking, proteins like beef, pork or chicken are velveted first before stir-frying them. There are several ways to velvet, but at its most basic level, it involves marinating meat with at least one ingredient that will make it alkaline. This is what tenderizes the meat, especially cheaper, tougher cuts.
Salt. We all know that salt is one of the most common seasonings in cooking, but salt can do a lot more than just add flavor to your food. By adding salt to your steak, you will help pull out moisture from the meat, enriching the flavor of your steak while tenderizing it in the process.
Don't let it sit too long: Velvet the meat for at least five minutes or up to an hour. The longer it sits, the more tender it will be. However, if you velvet for longer than an hour, the meat will become too soft—more akin to goo than a tender cut of protein.
Velveting chicken is a perfectly healthy meat preparation method since the core ingredients are cornstarch and oil, each of which is perfectly fine for you to eat. So, velveting can deliver delicious, tender meat without sacrificing quality when it comes to taste or health.
How is it that these restaurants can get the meat to be so soft and moist no matter how much they are cooking and for different recipes? It all starts with tenderizing the meat with baking soda and water that is massaged into the thinly sliced meat. It is then left to marinate for about an hour or two before cooking.
Whether hosting a holiday cookout, serving up some stir-fry or tackling game meats, baking soda is the go-to meat tenderizer to help make your steak, chicken or turkey silkier, juicier and yummier.
Rinse off the cornstarch from the meat with cold water (hot water can cook the meat). Pat the meat dry with a paper towel and it's now ready for cooking. Alternatively, you can simply shake off excess marinade and cook it without rinsing (which will give the meat a nice brown crust).
Mix with your hands until well combined and the water has been mostly absorbed. Add the seasonings to the velveted beef and mix until well combined. Then, cover with cling wrap and let it rest overnight or for a minimum of 3 hours.
Allow the meat to soak in the baking soda solution for 15 minutes. Remove the meat from the liquid and briefly rinse the meat in plain water to strip off the baking soda solution (or as much of it as possible). Cook as desired.
Ribeye has more flavor than a filet mignon, but it's also slightly chewier. This is a pretty forgiving steak to cook because it has so much intramuscular fat; overcook it slightly, and it will still taste juicy. When shopping, look for ribeyes with good marbling and a nice fat cap on the top.
How does Texas Roadhouse tenderise their steaks? Season each side of the steak well with the seasoning and set aside to rest for about 40 minutes. This causes the salt to infiltrate the surface (through osmosis) and actually aids in the breakdown of muscle fibres, resulting in more tender meat.
Make a marinade with acidic components—such as citrus juice, buttermilk, yogurt, wine, vinegar or soda—to help break down tough connective tissue and muscle fibers.
Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) will give your meat a bad flavour if it is not removed before cooking. Rinse the meat under water for about a minute to ensure all of the bicarb has been removed. Place the meat in a bowl and dry it with a paper towel. You just want to remove any excess moisture.
Finally, health experts say to stay away from processed meats, which are generally considered to be unhealthy. These include any meat that has been smoked, salted, cured, dried, or canned. Compared to fresh meat, processed meats are high in sodium and can have double the amount of nitrates.
The first method, and arguably the fastest, is using a fork. Just go over the entire steak, puncturing holes all over. Then flip and repeat. The idea is that opening lots of holes helps moisture escape during cooking.
Flank steaks are the most popular choice for making a stir-fry. However, you can also use sirloin steak, skirt steak, Denver steak, or even beef chuck. Beef chuck steak is the most economical choice, but it does require some extra trimming. You'll want to remove the tough tissue from the steaks before frying.
Not only does a tenderizing steak marinade imbue aromatic flavour, but the acidic ingredients in it also denature connective proteins in the meat. Regular or apple cider vinegar, wine or beer, lemon or lime juice, buttermilk or yogurt contain tenderizing acids.
Hobby: Flower arranging, Yo-yoing, Tai chi, Rowing, Macrame, Urban exploration, Knife making
Introduction: My name is Madonna Wisozk, I am a attractive, healthy, thoughtful, faithful, open, vivacious, zany person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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