Baking Soda as a Tenderizer

Did you know that baking soda can be used as a meat, chicken, pork or shrimp tenderizer? Yes, that's right ... a tenderizer. It's an old trick that is used in many Asian restaurants and was quite popular back in the 50's and 60's of mainstream America.

Ever notice how Chinese restaurants get even the toughest cuts of meat to a level of tenderness no amount of mallet pounding could ever achieve at home? Or how the shrimp has an almost "velvety" texture to it? You can get the same results at home using their secret ... baking soda.

Now, let me make it clear, this works only on small bite size pieces of meats, like for stir-fry, pepper steaks, fajitas, etc.  This is NOT to tenderize a thick steak or a hunk of meat. It just won't work. It will make the surface mushy and that's not a good thing. At least that has been my experience.

After reading this you may ask "so why not just buy a better cut of meat? The honest answer is ... not everyone can afford to buy tenderloin, sirloin, skirt steak or chicken tenderloins, to make a stir fry or in a recipe that uses small strips of meat. I know I can't always spend the extra bucks and quite frankly, I'd rather use those cuts in other recipes.


Here is how to use it effectively:
The ratio is 1 teaspoon for every pound of raw meat.
Sprinkle the baking soda evenly over the top of the meat.  The best way to do this is from way up high, at least 12" above the meat, this seems to coat it more evenly.
After sprinkling, using clean hands, work the baking soda into the meat.
Let it sit to tenderize for 30 minutes. I've found that 30 minutes is the right amount of time. If you go longer the meat will be too soft, almost mushy.
This part is very important, rinse the meat thoroughly and then rinse it again and then one more time. You want to remove ALL the baking soda.
Pat the meat dry and you are ready to follow your recipe, including any marination time.

What you can use it on:
Any bite-size pieces of animal protein; such as red meat, poultry, seafood etc.

Why it works:
Without a lot of scientific mumbo-jumbo, simply put, it breaks down the protein as the meat takes it in.