How To Prepare Meat Without Losing All Its Juices

One of the keys to preparing meat is to prevent it from losing all its juices. In this way it will be juicy and will maintain all its flavor. It will not be dry or hard. The loss of water can cause the meat to shrink to almost half its original size, taking on a more cooked or roasted appearance.

Why is it that when preparing meat does it release its juices?

Many times we have heard that the human body is made up of   70% water. The meat we use for cooking, like that of any mammal, has a similar amount of water, according to data published in the journal Meat Science .

Of course, not all pieces of meat retain water in the same proportion. It is also true that younger animals retain more of it.

• This is the reason why its meat is usually juicier and is better valued in the kitchen.

When it comes to cooking meat we must take some precautions. With these we will prevent the water from leaving the muscle fibers dragging part of the proteins.

Avoid accumulation of liquid in the pan when preparing meat

When introducing the meat in the pan it should not be frozen, due to thermal balance, the pan loses heat. As the meat heats up, the muscle fibers will begin to contract, similar to squeezing a wet sponge, and the water begins to flow out.

• Our skillet should keep the temperature high enough to evaporate the water immediately.
• Otherwise,  the water from the meat will begin to accumulate in it.

Following the recommendations published in the “Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart” in the United States Department of Agriculture, its temperature should be kept at 62.8 ºC. It should not be larger until all the liquid has evaporated.

When all the water evaporates, the temperature will rise again and we cannot allow the meat to continue cooking. Although we will get a golden meat, it will be like eating dry scourer.

How to prepare meat without leaking water

Fortunately, when you are aware of what is happening, it is easy to take a few steps. These will prevent the meat from releasing water when cooking, such as:

• First of all, we must take the meat out of the fridge a little before we start cooking it. This way we achieve that the difference in temperatures when putting it on the pan is less.

• It is also advisable to dry the meat very well with absorbent paper. Do not leave it over a stream of cold water with the intention of washing it.
• When cooking it in small pieces, it will be important not to salt it before cooking. This will prevent the pieces from juicing too soon, leaving the meat much drier. Therefore, the salt must be added at the end of the preparation.

What should we take into account when preparing meat?

Using the right tools in the kitchen will also help us to get better quality dishes. In this sense, we can resort to some such as the following.

• First of all, we must use a pan as wide as possible.
• We must also place it in a fire of good size and with the correct intensity. This will help the temperature of the entire pan to be uniform, in this way we will get a good dish.
• The temperature of the pan should always be higher than that of the meat. In this sense, we can get it to brown on the outside but remain soft and juicy inside.

Do you want to enjoy juicier steaks? Don’t miss out on trying these simple tips! Also, do not forget that, as long as you moderate the portions, meat is highly recommended for your diet.