Best Meat Tenderizer In 2021 | Getting A Perfect Tool For Tender Tasty Meat!

Unless you have been a vegetarian since birth, otherwise you should know or have heard about meat tenderizers. For meat lovers, chefs, and cooking enthusiasts, a tenderizer is a must-have item in their kitchen just like a grinder or slicer. Be it a slice of red meat, including beef, pork, lamb, etc., or poultry containing chicken, ducks, turkey, etc., or even seafood comprising of fish, crabs, shrimp, among others a tenderizer would make a difference.  We know for sure one of these is your favorite, and it’s part of your everyday diet if you love it.

Why spend a lot of money on steak, which might turn out to be tough, dry, and hard to chew? Avoid such disappointment by getting a meat softener, and thank us later. When the meat is tender, you will not have a fear of entertaining yourself, family, or friends with a delicious meal. Having recipe ingredients is one thing, but how one prepares it is a different thing. For a mouthwatering delicacy, you need proper tools to make it. Here we present the top six tenderizers that are worth investing in. Read and pick one based on your needs!

Top 6 Meat Tenderizer In 2021 (Best Picks)

In a hurry? Check the bestseller top Meat Tenderizer from Amazon. Just check the product link, the details, and the price.

Things To Consider When Buying A Meat Tenderizer

Nowadays, we have all sorts of goodies flooding in our market, and it’s the same case even to meat tenderizers. There are many options to choose from, but the challenge now is getting the right one that will suit your needs perfectly. It’s a mind-blowing exercise, and it needs your total concentration to differentiate one from another.

Put your worries aside, and we are here to help you make an informed decision. It’s tiresome when buying something important, and you don’t know precisely the features to consider when making your final choice. These are the key features to take into account before purchasing a tenderizer tool:

1. Type

Typically, meat tenderizers come in three forms, i.e., blades/needles, mallets, and powered/ seasoning tenderizers. Let’s check out how it works, and you may choose the type that will suit your cooking style.

• Powdered or seasoning tenderizers that you get quickly at the grocery store to soften your meat. Just sprinkle all over the meat to aid break down the tough fibers with salt, particular acids, or active enzymes, it leaves the meat too soft.
• Blades/ Needle tenderizers are handheld devices that comprise a series of blades or needles. When you press the top of the tenderizer down the dozen stainless blades or needless emerges and pierces the meat breaking the tight tissues down. Suitable for home cooking than mallet tenderizers as one can maneuver easily.
• Mallet tenderizers are used as a hammer precisely as the name sounds. They have a long handle generally made of aluminum, stainless steel, or a non-stick coating. You need to strike the surface of the meat to make it soft. Some mallets have dual sides; one is a smooth head for flattening meat while the other one is a ridged head for tenderizing.

2. Handle

The handle should fit securely in your hands, whether the design is vertical or horizontal. The handle should be made of materials that prevent your hand from slipping and are comfortable to hold. Consider an ergonomic handle meat softener that is comfortable to keep. This also makes the tenderizing process more accessible, safer, and quicker.

3. Weight

Weight also matters a lot when it comes to meat softeners. Meat softeners need to be heavy enough for you to get the desired texture and thickness with minimal effort. Though, when the meat softener is too heavy, it might be challenging to use and control. One needs to decide the maximum weight of a tenderizer they can handle, depending on your strength. It will make your work more comfortable, and you will not struggle when tenderizing your meat.

4. Cleaning

The right meat softener should be more natural to clean after every use by brush and hot soapy water. However, tenderizers with small blades and needles often get steak stuck on them, making them difficult to clean. Typically, these tenderizers need to be hand-washed, but one needs to disassemble them carefully and remove the chunked meat gently to avoid accidents. It’s advisable to read the cleaning instruction before washing, just to ensure you don’t damage the product accidentally. For a more straightforward cleaning process, look for tenderizers that are dishwasher safe.  It will enable you Isafe time and avoid any possible accident with the product and you too.

5. Durability

Look for something that will last for a long time and make you feel the worth of your money at the end of the day. Choose a meat softener made of durable materials like a substantial metal base since it won’t bend easily. It can also hold up to the meat tenderizing impact. If you are going for a meat softener with blades, ensure the metal won’t rust or corrode. Plastic handle tenderizers should be durable to see the taste of time without scratching losing its colors or even denting.

6. Price

The price might be your determinant factor, especially if you are on a tight budget, and you are not willing to spend extra coins than the allocated amount. Henceforth you will need a meat softener that will fit your budget and can do the work correctly. For someone who doesn’t cook meat more often, his budget will differ from someone who cooks meat daily. Just keep in mind that whatever you are going to spend sometimes might reflect on the type of product you will get. As the more expensive ones have higher quality typically, but it doesn’t mean all affordable items are not of high quality.

7. Safety and Ease of Usage

When it comes to handling sharp objects, then safety is the highest value you need to consider. Meat softeners come in different designs and styles; for example, the bladed or needle type one can be the most intimidating tool in your kitchen. If you are not careful with them, it can cause a significant injury.so, make sure the product is safe to use and if it will be easier for you to use the item.

8. Versatility

Many meat softeners can assume more than a single role. Consider the other function the product can do, and if it satisfies you, then go for it. But be sure it does the original work.

Benefits Of Using The Best Meat Tenderizer

Whatever the case in our daily life, the word benefits just pop out necessarily or unnecessarily. Interest put in afore forth in everything we do in our lives, and it’s saddening sometimes because it has made people sound selfish in other situations.

For now, let leave that aside and concentrate on the meat softener’s benefits. For your information, we have numerous benefits of using meat softeners, and we cannot discuss them all. Here are the main ones that we felt it would make an excellent deal for you:

Makes meat Soft and tastier

When you use a meat softener, it will make your meat soft to chew. Tender meat is ordinarily suitable for young and older people who don’t have the energy to crush hard meat and bones. Chewing and digestion are comfortable when the meat is soft. Juicer meat is possible with the help of holes that tenderizer creates on a piece of meat as well as getting rid of the bad odor that raw meat has. As the meat penetrates inside the holes, they shrink, and meat contracts folding flavored moisture. In the end, you will enjoy a nicely cooked meat that remains moisturized with spices all through.

Excellent flavor and texture

It doesn’t matter if you are a pro or not in the kitchen. Whatever meat one is planning to prepare, a meat softener will enable you to perform great cooking. The secret of meat dishes lies basically in the texture and excellent taste. The tender meat with several holes is easy to marinate with the desired flavor entire piece. The results area unique taste and a better feel.

Fast cooking

Tenderized meat cooks 50% faster than the usual steak. Many cuts created by the meat softener enable the heat to pass through easily. They are hence reducing the time taken while cooking steak as well as money for your gas or electricity consumed.

Even cooking

Thanks to meat tenderizers nowadays, the issue of under or overcooking meat has been dealt with. The meat can now be cooked evenly effortlessly. The tenderizer uniform cuts achieve this. Yes, we agree some meat softener has blades with different thicknesses, but by discretion, you know the deep and thick-cut need to be at the center for even cooking.

Kitchen Serenity

There is nothing that is fulfilling than having peace of mind when cooking in your kitchen. With meat tenderize, one is sure of the duration of cooking and how the result will taste. This power and control have been bestowed on us by meat tenderizers in our modern kitchen. So, free yourself from unnecessary stress and enjoy your cooking time by fully knowing everything under control.

The Best Meat Tenderizers to Buy in 2020

Based on various features that each of these meat tenderizers has and the customer’s reviews from genuine sources. Plus, our own experience with each one of them has let us come up with these top six best tenderizers in the market. Each one has something special and unique about them, let check what each one has to offer;

1. Jaccard Supertendermatic 48-Blade Tenderizer

Made of a white ABS plastic handle, the sturdy Jaccard Supertendermatic 48-blade Tenderizer comes with forty-eight retractable stainless steel blades that fit securely to the holding plate on the bottom of the unit. The one-point-five inches penetration by the blades allows seasoning, marinades, or spices to penetrate faster.

The softener tool also creates tiny heat channels in your beef, enabling it to cook up 40 percent more quickly. The absorption of flavors is estimated to be 600 percent meaning the taste of your steak will be excellent.

The product is comfortable and easy to use in any type of beef, be it beef, pork, chicken, turkey veal, venison, just to mention a few. Its blades don’t create any visible marks on your meat, the shape of the meat will remain intact. It also ensures your meat doesn’t shrink unnecessarily but cooks evenly.

Pros

• Affordable and durable product
• Retractable 48 stainless steel double-edged blades
• No one choice of professional chefs worldwide
• Ideal for all type of  white and red meat
• Reduce shrinkage and allows meat to cook evenly and faster

Cons

• The blades can be difficult to clean

Check quicks specs of the product below:

Features
Weight	445g
Dimension	(10.2* 3.8* 14.6)²
Manufacturer	Jaccard
Item model number	200348

2. Oxo Good Grips Good Grips

This tenderizer is one of the Oxo industry’s remarkable devices that you might consider to be part of your kitchen equipment. Stylized Oxo Good Grips Good Grips meat tenderizer is made of solid aluminum, which makes it sturdy while using it. The soft device handle cushions your hand to absorb pressure anytime.

Yes, it’s a dual-sided device, one texture side for tenderizing while the flat side enables you to pound your meat. The upper part is made of stainless steel to avoid rusting. The device can be cleaned quickly, and it’s easy to use. It can relieve your stress when you want to vent it out on something without even hurting your hand. Just take a piece of meat and start pounding; you will feel better within a few minutes.

Pros

• Two-sided for both texture and meat flattening
• Soft handle to absorb pressure
• Easy to use and clean
• Sturdy device due to solid aluminum construction
• A pocket-friendly device with a stunning performance

Cons

• Not ideal for a large thick piece of meat

Check quicks specs of the product below:

Features
Weight	281g
Dimension	(22.9* 6* 4.8)²
Manufacturer	OXO Good Grips
Item model number	26191

3. Weston Manual Heavy Duty Meat Cuber Tenderizer

It doesn’t matter whether you have a busy restaurant to run, hunter, gardener, or food enthusiasts, the Weston meat cuber tenderizer will be excellent for you. The device comes with 31 sharp stainless steel blades capable of piercing through tough connective fibers to tenderize and flatten your meat cuts. The sturdy base of the equipment and the 2 C-clamps enable mounting and counters.

The stylish all-metal design meat softener is durable and features steel combs that prevent jamming the machine. This device allows you to cubes your meat after tenderizing as per your desires. Cleaning the equipment has been made easier by its 2-piece housing design allows disassembling easily.

Pros

• A high-quality device with one year warranty
• Dishwasher safe
• Sturdy cast aluminum construction
• The heavy-duty base and crank handle is good for food-safe coating

Cons

• Not suitable for chicken or marinated meat
• Your meat may come out torn and scattered

Check quicks specs of the product below:

Features
Weight	10 pounds
Dimension	(6.75* 13.5* 13.75)²
Manufacturer	Weston
Item model number	07-3101-W-A

4. Norpro Grip-EZ Stainless Steel Meat Pounder

The mirror-polished stainless steel head of this meat softener gives it a stylized look and can fit in any modern kitchen. Norpro Grip-EZ Stainless steel meat pounder is a little higher in terms of its prices than other tenderizers. But its simplicity and maneuverability compared to none of the meat tenderizers in the market. With it, you can whack away any meat cuts without suffering from hand fatigue.

The weight of this device enables flattening and thinning your meat without feeling fatigued in your hands. Its ability to pound different types of beef uniformly, allowing even cooking, makes it remarkable.

Pros

• Its smooth surface ensures the meat doesn’t tear when pounding
• Fits Comfortably in your hands to avoid slipping
• Easy to clean

Cons

• If not handled chances of breaking granite surface are high since its heavy

Check quicks specs of the product below:

Features
Weight	1.62 pounds
Dimension	(3.25* 3.25* 4.75)²
Manufacturer	Norpro
Item model number	7033

5. XSpecial Meat Tenderizer Tool 48-Blades Stainless Steel

This high-quality device is made of an ABS plastic handle that is durable, strong, and comfortable to use. Its 48 retractable razor-sharp stainless steel blades are long-lasting, and it doesn’t rust, discolor, dull or change its shape over time.

The device is suitable for all kinds of meat, and the blades are designed not to tear or disfigure your meat. Not only is the device simple to use and clean, but it also makes your cooking faster as it enables your spices to be absorbed easily, giving you a great taste. The device has two colors to choose from, i.e., black and white

Pros

• Has several blades for quicker operation
• Dishwasher safe
• 2 inches penetration into the meat

Cons

• Harder to use with thicker meat
• Might make smaller pieces of meat too flat

Check quicks specs of the product below:

Features
Weight	7.2 ounces
Dimension	(3.46* 1.85* 4.65)²
Manufacturer	XSpecial Products
Item model number	MTB01

6. OXO420956, Black & Silver

Just for your info, OXO is a famous brand in the industry and has a different remarkable product in the market. This dual-sided hammer-like device is used by professional butchers, chefs, and meat lovers to pound and tenderize their meat. It has an ergonomically engineered handle that is non-slip for comfortable use.

The dual hammer-like head has both texture and flat sides. The flat side is customarily used to pound and flatten your meat. While the textured hand is for tenderizing and breaking down tough meat fibers, both sides are compatible with all kinds of meat. The hole in the handle enables you to hang the device after use, meaning it can suit even your small kitchen perfectly.

Pros

• Durable one-piece aluminum construction with non-stick coating
• Easy to clean and use
• Has both smooth and textured sides
• Dishwasher safe materials

Cons

• Not suitable for a large thick piece of meat

Check quicks specs of the product below:

Features
Weight	14.4 ounces
Dimension	(2.5* 2* 10)²
Manufacturer	OXOX9
Item model number	420956

FAQs

Q: Why should I tenderize meat?

Well, if you have gone through our article, we have mentioned the main benefits you get when the meat is softened. If not, go through it to learn more. However, some of the benefits include softening the meat, fast and even cooking, tasty meal, and making your kitchen look good. Y

ou should also understand that not all local counters have tender meat cuts; others are tough. Tender cuts might be available, but they are a bit pricey compared to cheap cuts, which are there. But when you have the meat softener, you don’t need to worry, since your tenderizer will handle any reduction.

Q: Is there any meat I should avoid tenderizing?

Not all the type of meat should be tenderized. For example, those expensive steaks have in their substance a significant amount of fat, which acts as a natural tenderizer. Furthermore, delicate meat such as chicken, fish, or pork may lose its structure and shape when tenderized. Avoiding them will be advantageous to you.

Q. What type of meat cuts requires needle tenderization?

Any other beef cut should be put into consideration though severe cut gives you excellent results than the soft ones. When you needle-tenderize, the toughness will reduce multiple times, making your work easier.

Q: What is the best meat tenderizer among the three types?

All three types of tenderizing, powered/seasoning, blades/needles, or mallets do a great job. But depending on your personal preference and needs, one way might be suitable for you over the other.

Q5. Can I get a multipurpose meat tenderizer?

Yes, you can, as we said earlier, our market offers several choices. It’s up to you now to consider the relevant features and decide on one that satisfies your needs. Go for one that interests you more.

Final verdict

When everything is said and done, deep down inside there! It is still a personal preference that matters but never overlooks the quality of a product that is everything. Meat softeners make our food delicious and tender to cut down the collagen in the meat by changing it to gelatin. It makes it easier for us to chew and apply spices easily while preparing them.

To ensure your tenderizer remains in good condition, one should clean it thoroughly after every use and store it in a dry place. Of course, you should ensure you got the perfect tool by picking one from the best meat tenderizers reviewed above!

Last update on 2023-03-14 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API