Meat tenderizers give you tender steak without a hefty price tag. We researched the best meat tenderizers for any recipe at every budget. Donna Currie is a food stainless steel meat tenderizer mallet and blogger specializing in recipes and kitchen gadgets. She covers kitchen tools and gadgets for The Spruce Eats and is the author of Make Ahead Bread.
Carrie Honaker is a freelance writer specializing in food, wine, travel, and culture. Her work has appeared in Bon Appetit, Wine Enthusiast, Allrecipes, and more. The meat tenderizer is the hero of the budget cook. These simple tools, and a little elbow grease, take a tough cut of chuck or chicken and transform it into a softer-to-chew, flavorful protein by physically breaking down dense tissue and fibers. There are a couple considerations to make when shopping for a meat tenderizer that will properly turn tough cuts into ready-to-cook meats that taste as tender as more expensive varieties.
From models with retractable blades and safety locks to traditional double-faced mallets, these are the best meat tenderizers. Bob Vila also picked the Oxo Good Grips Bladed Meat Tenderizer. Amazon reviewers rated this product 4 stars or above. Dimensions: 2 x 3 x 4. Get the job done with this budget tenderizer made from plastic and no moving parts. Meat tenderizers are great to use for steaks that are lean, have tough muscle fibers, and come from frequently utilized muscles of the cow, such as flank, skirt, and tri-tip, as well as lean game meats.
Tenderizing the meat prior to seasoning and marinating allows the steaks to absorb more of the flavor. Mallet-style meat tenderizers are quite popular and easy to use. This one can be wielded one-handed or with one hand over the other for a bit more power or control. My favorite type of meat tenderizer is the old-fashioned mallet style with a textured face.