How to make delicious cutlets from ready-made minced meat. What to add to the minced meat to make the cutlets juicy

Any housewife knows how to cook delicious, aromatic, juicy, hot homemade cutlets. Classic cutlets are made from a mixture of two types of minced meat: beef and pork. If you add a new product to the minced meat, you can get a variety of tastes. They go perfectly with absolutely any type of side dish.

Previously, a cutlet was called a piece of meat with a bone; in Russia, products made from minced meat began to be called a cutlet only at the end of the 19th century. Cutlets are made from various minced meats mixed with a variety of ingredients.

The molded raw cutlets are fried over high heat without covering the pan. Fry until cooked on both sides. When the cutlets are completely fried, cover the frying pan with a lid and add 3-4 tbsp. broth or water, steam for another 3-5 minutes. This will guarantee readiness and this way you can preserve the juiciness for some time.

Delicious classic minced meat cutlets, step-by-step recipes

In our article we will look at how to prepare cutlets from various minced meats; they will undoubtedly be tasty and will delight your household.

Menu:

People love homemade, juicy and flavorful cutlets. Experienced housewives prepare the minced meat for the cutlets themselves, each using their own subtleties and tricks. The classic method of preparing cutlets is often used at home, as well as in public catering establishments.

Small tricks for delicious cutlets:

1. You can add a little cold water to the minced meat, this will make the cutlets juicy.
2. Butter will make the cutlets airy.
3. Adding various spices to the minced meat for cutlets will add a spicy aroma.
4.To get an appetizing crust, it is first recommended to fry the products over medium heat.

Ingredients:

• boneless beef - 0.5 kg
• pork - 0.5 kg
• white bread - 0.200 g
• milk - 0.5 cups
• eggs - 2 pcs.
• onion - 2 pcs.
• salt pepper.

Preparation:

1. For minced meat, take slightly frozen meat. This will make it easier to grind it through the meat grinder. Add a little water to the rolled meat to make the cutlets juicier.

2. We also grind the onion in a meat grinder, or chop it in a blender. Soak the bread or loaf in milk and add to the minced meat, break the eggs into it, add salt and pepper. Mix everything. We prepared the minced meat.

3. Lightly moisten your hands in water so that the minced meat does not stick to them. And to make the minced meat sticky, we “beat” it on the table or, when shaping, we throw the cutlet from hand to hand. We beat it so that the cutlets do not fall apart when frying.

4. Roll the formed cutlets in breadcrumbs or flour and fry in vegetable oil until cooked.

Serve the finished cutlets with a side dish for lunch or dinner.

Bon appetit!

2. Gravy for cutlets

Most people prefer juicy, tender, aromatic and tasty cutlets made from various meats. And if you add gravy to them, it will only make them tastier. If you decide to cook cutlets for your next lunch, don’t forget about the sauce for them. You will learn what kind of gravy you can prepare for cutlets from our recipe.

Ingredients:

• tomato paste or sauce – 30 grams
• onion 1 pc.
• garlic 2 cloves
• flour 2 tbsp
• carrots 1 pc.
• water 200 ml
• ground black pepper, salt, spices
• vegetable oil

Preparation:

1. Peel the onion and chop finely. Wash the carrots, peel them, grate them on a coarse grater.

2. Pour oil into a frying pan and heat it on fire. Place the onion in a heated frying pan, fry it until golden brown, then add the carrots.

3. Peel the garlic and cut it into small slices. Add it to the fried vegetables, add salt and stir.

4. Add tomato paste to vegetables and season with spices. Mix well and add flour. As the mass begins to thicken, add water until the desired thickness is formed.

5. Simmer for about 5 minutes and remove from heat.

Our gravy for cutlets is ready.

Bon appetit!

3. Minced beef cutlets

Ingredients:

• 500 g minced beef;
• salt;
• onion - 1 medium head;
• two pieces of white bread;
• egg - 1 pc.;
• flour for dredging;
• 140 ml milk.

Preparation:

1. Divide the bread into pieces and soak in milk for 10 minutes. Then knead the bread until smooth.

2. Peel the onion and grate it on a medium grater.

3. Place the ground beef in a bowl, add grated onion, soaked bread, salt and break the egg. Mix everything thoroughly with your hands.

4. Form the minced meat into cutlets.

5. Pour the flour into a plate and mix with a pinch of salt.

6. Roll each cutlet in flour.

7. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry all the cutlets on both sides until cooked. Place all the cutlets in a frying pan, add 3-4 tablespoons of broth or water, cover with a lid and let steam for 3-5 minutes.

Serve the cutlets with your favorite side dish, garnished with chopped herbs.

Bon appetit!

4. Minced pork cutlets

Even if you think about your figure, you can cook pork cutlets, and this stereotype that pork dishes make you gain weight is completely wrong. Naturally, pork cutlets are not a dietary dish, but with small consumption they do not harm the figure. This means delicious minced pork cutlets are an excellent solution for a tasty and nutritious breakfast or lunch.

Ingredients:

• minced pork 0.5 kg
• white bread large piece
• milk 100 ml
• onion 1 pc.
• egg 1 pc.
• salt 3/4 tsp, mixture of peppers (to taste)
• vegetable oil 50 ml
• wheat flour or ground crackers

Preparation:

1. Cut the bread into pieces; the crusts can be removed. Fill the crumb with lukewarm milk. Leave for 10-15 minutes so that the bread is saturated with liquid.

2. Peel and finely chop the onion

3. We use ready-made minced pork. Add onion, bread crumb, and beaten egg to the minced meat. Add salt and spices. Mix everything thoroughly and beat the minced meat.

4. Make small cutlets. Roll them in flour or crushed breadcrumbs.

5. Place a few pieces at a time in hot oil. Fry over medium heat on one side. Once the crust appears, turn the cutlets over to the other side. Fry until cooked and then let it steam for 3-5 minutes, with the lid closed, adding a little liquid 3-4 tbsp.

6. The cutlets are ready. Help yourself to the recipe.

Bon appetit!

5. Minced chicken cutlets

Ingredients:

• Chicken fillet – 500 g
• Onions - 1 pc.
• Bread - 100 g
• Hard cheese (grated) - 2 tbsp.
• Breadcrumbs - 4-5 tbsp.
• Chicken egg - 1 pc.
• Cream 10% - 2-3 tbsp.
• Salt - to taste
• Pepper, h.m. - taste
• Vegetable oil - 3-4 tbsp.

Preparation:

1. Place minced chicken, bread, cheese in a deep bowl, add egg, cream, salt and pepper, and onion.

2. Stir the minced meat for the cutlets until smooth, let it sit for 10 minutes.

3. With wet hands, form cutlets and roll in breading.

4. Fry the cutlets in a heated frying pan on both sides until cooked.

5. Place the finished cutlets on a paper towel to drain excess oil.

6. Serve the finished cutlets with your favorite sauce and side dish.

Bon appetit!

6. Ground turkey cutlets

Poultry cutlets are especially tender and airy. When prepared correctly, they are also suitable for dietary nutrition.

Ingredients:

• Turkey fillet 0.5 kg
• onion 1 pc.
• sour cream 2 tbsp
• garlic 1 pc.
• egg 1 pc.
• starch 2 tbsp
• salt, pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Wash the fillet and cut into small cubes. The smaller the pieces, the more tender the finished cutlets will be.

2. We also finely chop the onion and pass the garlic through a press.

3. All these ingredients, along with the rest that are indicated in the recipe, are transferred to the prepared turkey. After mixing, place the mixture in the refrigerator to infuse.

4. Place the meat cakes formed with wet hands on a greased baking sheet.

Juicy turkey cutlets are baked in the oven for about 45 minutes at 200 degrees.

Bon appetit!

7. Video - Cutlets with gravy

The word “cutlet” came into Russian from French; la côtelette is a piece of meat on a rib. So in ancient times it was much more convenient to eat it with your hands. With the advent of cutlery, the need for bones disappeared. Pieces of meat were removed from them. And the cutlet began to change. They began beating the meat to make it softer and breading it to maintain its juiciness. This process took place throughout Europe. Today, only the Kiev cutlet, which is often made with a bone, reminds us of the old days.

Meat selection

For cutlets, you can use a piece of brisket or shoulder; chopped goulash is also suitable. But keep in mind that market traders may sell you bad meat. Therefore, when purchasing, you should ask to see the piece from all sides.

Cutlets are best made from chilled meat, not frozen.

The most delicious cutlets are made with the addition of fatty meat - pork or even lard.

Meat for cutlets should not be lean, take it with fat - then the cutlets will be juicy.

It’s good to make cutlets from two or even three types of meat. You can combine beef and pork, you can add poultry to them.

Ground meat

Be sure to add onions to the minced meat. It is rolled together with the meat or chopped very finely. Onions cut into slices should be placed in a meat grinder between pieces of meat.

It is advisable to prepare cutlets only from freshly prepared minced meat. If you do make minced meat in advance, do not put bread in it, do not add salt or spices.

The minced meat must be kneaded by hand. You can even beat it with your palms - this way it will turn out tender and soft.

You need to knead the minced meat for a long time, you can beat it with your palms, throw it from one hand to another, or hit it on the table. All so that the meat mass is saturated with oxygen and becomes more viscous and homogeneous.

A couple of tablespoons of ice water added during kneading will add juiciness to the minced meat. You can also add a spoonful of vegetable oil.

A cube of cold butter added at the end of kneading will make the cutlets juicy and more airy.

Photo: Shutterstock.com

Bread

To prevent the cutlets from falling apart, add bread to them.

You need to soak dried bread; fresh bread does not release the amount of gluten needed to “glue” the minced meat together.

Reduce calories

Instead of bread, you can add finely grated zucchini to the minced meat. It will give the cutlets juiciness, but its taste will be almost noticeable.

You can also add grated carrots, pumpkin, beets to the cutlets - all these vegetables will add juiciness to them.

Instead of bread, you can mix stiffly beaten egg white into the minced meat. It will connect the minced meat and prevent the cutlets from falling apart. But perhaps it will make them a little tougher.

Modeling

It is best to cool the minced meat for half an hour before modeling.

To make it easier to divide the minced meat into portions, you need to wet your hands with water.

Try to make cutlets of the same size.

When making a cutlet, pat it with your palms and try to make it uniform, without seams. This way she won't release her juice.

Breading

In regular flour

In breadcrumbs (both white and rye)

In crushed nuts

In ground sesame

Frying

Place the cutlets on a hot, but not overheated frying pan. It is desirable that it has a thick bottom.

The cutlet is fried over high heat for 1-2 minutes on one side, then the heat needs to be reduced and simmered on the same side for another 3-4 minutes. And then turn it over and repeat the process.

When frying, cutlets need to be turned over minimally. Then their crust will not collapse and their juiciness will not disappear.

You can bring the cutlets to readiness in the oven or under a tight lid over low heat. This will take 7-10 minutes.

The sauce is poured after the cutlets are fried and covered with a lid. You can simply use sour cream, or you can prepare something more complex.

Do not add water to the sour cream to make more sauce, this will spoil the cutlets and kill their own juice.

Photo: Shutterstock.com

How to determine readiness

The cutlet needs to be pierced; if the juice comes out clear, it is ready.

If you fried the cutlet for about 20 minutes, of which 5-7 minutes under the lid, then this is enough for it to be ready.

If you want to get confused

Cutlets are best made from minced meat. Only then you will need to knead the minced meat better so that it does not fall apart.

Basic cutlet recipe

400 g pork goulash

2 medium onions

1/4 white loaf

1 glass of water

salt and pepper to taste

2-3 tbsp. l. flour

1 cup sour cream

Step 1. Cut the loaf into large pieces and add water.

Step 2. Rinse the meat, peel the onion and cut into 4 parts. Grind the meat and onions through a fine grinder.

Step 3. Turn it a second time. Salt and pepper. Mix well and knead the minced meat a little, like dough.

Step 4. Divide the minced meat into 3-4 parts and beat each with your palms for at least a minute.

Step 5. Remove the crust from the loaf, squeeze out the bread and add to the minced meat.

Tip: If the minced meat seems a little dry, you can add a little milk, or water and vegetable oil.

Step 6. Form cutlets. Roll them in flour.

Tip: During the sculpting process, you can beat the cutlets a little more with your palms, patting them.

Step 7. Heat a frying pan with oil. Place the cutlets and fry over high heat for half a minute (until a crust forms).

Step 8. Reduce heat and fry over low heat for another 2-3 minutes.

Step 9. Turn the cutlets over and fry first over high heat and then over low heat as described in steps 7 and 8.

Step 10. Leave the pan on low heat, close the lid and leave the cutlets to fry for about 7-15 minutes (depending on the size of the cutlets).

Tip: At this stage, you can pour sour cream over the cutlets to create a sauce. Just do not add water under any circumstances, otherwise the cutlets will turn into a rag.

Step 11. Remove from heat, pour in sour cream, sprinkle with herbs, serve hot.

Fried cutlets are one of the pillars of home comfort. But inexperienced cooks often have problems with cutlets. Most often they complain that the cutlets turn out too tough or fall apart right in the pan. It's very easy to fix the situation. Let's look at the basic recipe for perfect cutlets and several variations on the cutlet theme from amateur chefs and real professionals.

Classic minced cutlet

If you use third-rate meat for minced cutlets, you shouldn’t count on excellent results. Bad meat means bad cutlets. So don’t be greedy, but choose good pork and beef at the market, and at the same time buy onions if you already have spices, salt and milk in your house.

For a kilogram of meat you will need a couple of small onions, four cloves of garlic and 1/3 of a city roll (loaf). Salt and spices are added to the finished minced meat to taste, but it is recommended not to be too zealous so that the cutlets do not turn out too salty. As for meat, you can use only veal or not too old beef for cutlets, or take equal parts of beef and pork. Cutlets made from just pork may turn out to be too fatty, which will not please your pancreas.

The loaf (preferably a little stale) is placed in a container with milk or water, the onion and meat are cut into pieces, and together with garlic and pieces of the soaked loaf, they are scrolled in a meat grinder. Some are content with scrolling once, while others consider it correct to scroll the meat two or three times. This is a matter of taste: there are people who generally accept only chopped cutlets, and do without meat grinders, with just a knife and sleight of hand.

To prevent the cutlets from losing their shape, many people add an egg or semolina to the minced meat as a binding agent. You shouldn’t do this: the cutlets will turn out a little tough. And to prevent the cutlets from turning out crumbly, be sure to beat the finished minced meat! In order not to stain all the walls and ceiling of the kitchen, take a deep saucepan. Raise the portion of minced meat higher and forcefully plop it into the pan. Repeat this for at least three minutes. Well-beaten minced meat does not need eggs or semolina - the cutlets will turn out even, smooth, and will never fall apart when frying. These cutlets are dredged either in flour or breadcrumbs.

If possible, make more minced meat. It is convenient to freeze it, dividing it into portions. But then, within a week, it’s enough to get another package of minced meat in advance, and you’ll be guaranteed fresh cutlets for dinner.

Poultry cutlets

Everyone loves chicken cutlets except vegetarians, but even those love them, they just don’t admit it. Tender, creamy, crispy - these cutlets will decorate any table. The most delicious chicken cutlets are Pozharskie. In an old cookbook published back in Soviet times, Pozharsky cutlets were prescribed to be prepared this way. Remove the skin from a good, weighty chicken, separate the meat from each bone and grind it through a meat grinder. This minced meat is mixed with white bread, previously soaked in milk, and passed through a meat grinder again. The most delicate substance that you have obtained should be salted, seasoned with oil and stirred thoroughly, preferably with a wooden spoon. Form cutlets, carefully roll them in finely ground breadcrumbs, and then fry in hot oil on both sides until golden brown. After the cutlet, either place it in a preheated oven for 5 minutes, or close the lid and leave on low heat for the same time. The ratio of chicken meat and white bread is 10 to 1 (that is, for 1 kg of meat, take 100 g of bread). Don’t even think about throwing away chicken bones – they will come in handy for the broth.

Turkey cutlets are prepared in much the same way, only onion and garlic are added to the minced meat, and a tablespoon of sour cream is added for softness. The fried turkey cutlets should be kept in the oven longer - about twenty minutes.

Standard fish cutlets

For fish cutlets, you will have to buy ready-made fillets or fresh fish, which will need to be cleaned, gutted and boned. There are no special preferences for the breed of fish intended for cutlets. It could be the simplest pollock, cod, hake, pike perch - anything, as long as it’s not too bony.

The fillet is passed through a meat grinder with white bread soaked in milk. Experts advise adding fried onions there, as they give the fish cutlets a special aroma. But then the minced meat may turn out watery. No problem - add flour or a little semolina to it. Don't forget to season the minced fish with salt and pepper. It’s better to turn the minced meat twice – it will be very tender. Breaded fish cutlets in breadcrumbs. Such cutlets should be fried shortly before serving, and before serving, simmer for 5-7 minutes in the oven.

Fish cutlets can be steamed perfectly and immediately put in the oven for 20 minutes - it will still turn out delicious.

As always, my advice is to experiment. Try adding vegetables when making minced meat - this gives the cutlets extra juiciness. Cabbage, zucchini, potatoes, carrots and even all these vegetables together are best suited for this task. Combine types of meat for minced meat, do not be afraid of too fatty pork - it perfectly balances tough minced beef. And hide your grandmother’s manual meat grinder away: it’s much more fun to make minced meat using a modern electric one.

Any housewife knows how to cook cutlets. Of course, many have their own secrets on how to make cutlets tender, fluffy and juicy. However, a few more tips on how to cook fluffy cutlets will certainly not be superfluous.

General principles for preparing fluffy minced meat cutlets

Firstly, fluffy minced meat cutlets are obtained if this minced meat is prepared by you and from the right ingredients.

Meat should be taken from the front of the carcass: sirloin, tenderloin, etc. However, you can expect especially tasty and fluffy cutlets if the minced meat is made from different types of meat. For example, pork goes well with chicken or turkey, beef with turkey, etc.

Additives to minced meat. When thinking about how to make fluffy cutlets, do not forget that minced meat consists of more than just meat. Bread, vegetables, eggs, spices and spices, butter or sour cream are also added to it.

Bread soaked in milk is by no means the best addition to minced meat. Bread adds extra stickiness, and milk adds density. It is better to replace the bun with a potato or a piece of zucchini. Then you will really get juicy and fluffy cutlets - the vegetables will give juice, and it will not curdle like milk protein.

Your unconditional ally in making fluffy minced meat cutlets is onions. Just don’t turn it together with the meat, but rub it finely on a grater. Put on your swimming goggles and get going.

Many chefs, when asked how to make fluffy cutlets, advise not to add an egg. But there is an opinion that the yolk will still be appropriate in the minced meat, but set the white aside: it will be useful for breading.

Fats will certainly make the dish more tender and fluffy, it’s just important not to overdo it. A little butter, sour cream, mayonnaise, lard - not all at once, but just one - will help you prepare delicious cutlets.

And finally, spices and seasonings (dry herbs, nutmeg, cinnamon, garlic) will highlight the taste of the meat and complete the bouquet.

Secondly, the product must be correctly formed and breaded. To get juicy and fluffy cutlets, you need to ensure that the juice does not flow out of the product. This means, firstly, the cutlets should not be too small. You should put a piece of butter inside the cutlet. It wouldn’t hurt to dip the finished cutlet in lightly beaten egg white. You can cook cutlets in batter or in a potato “coat”. The breadcrumb coating is definitely not the best of the bunch. However, if you prefer it, under no circumstances use store-bought crackers, but only freshly crushed homemade ones.

Thirdly, it is important not to lose juice during cooking. Cutlets steamed or baked in the oven will be juicier than fried. But even in this case, you can cheat. Place the cutlets in a hot frying pan with oil and fry very quickly on both sides. Then reduce the heat to low and cook covered, making sure that the juice does not leak out. If you see juice coming out, turn the cutlet over. Do not overcook the cutlets - they will become tougher.

And now that we have figured out how to cook fluffy cutlets, let’s turn to the recipes.

Recipe 1. Lush minced meat cutlets with vegetables

Ingredients

Pork with fat – 350 g

Chicken (for example, breast fillet) – 350 g

Potato – 1 decent size

A piece of zucchini or zucchini - comparable in size to a potato

Onion – 2 medium-sized onions

Mayonnaise – 2 spoons

Eggs – 2 (white and yolk separately)

Garlic – 3-4 cloves

Dill, parsley, celery, cilantro (fresh herbs) - to taste

Salt, ground black pepper

Cooking method

Prepare minced meat and poultry, put zucchini and potatoes in a meat grinder. Finely grate the onion or chop it with a knife, also chop the garlic and herbs. Put vegetables, mayonnaise and yolks into the minced meat, add salt and pepper, mix everything thoroughly and beat, throwing the minced meat on the table with some force.

Form into medium-sized round patties. Beat the egg white lightly (not into foam, but just so that it is not too viscous). Dip each cutlet in egg white and place in a hot frying pan with oil. Fry quickly on both sides, reduce heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Recipe 2. Lush poultry cutlets with tomato and sauce

Ingredients

Chicken fillet – 500 g

Turkey fillet – 250 g

Pancake flour – 3 heaped spoons

Carrot – 1 root vegetable

Onion – 1 head

Butter – 100 g

Eggs – 2 large

Tomato paste – 2 tablespoons

Sour cream 20% – 200 g

Dill and (or) parsley - half a bunch

Pickled cucumbers – 2-4 pieces, depending on size

Horseradish - a couple of teaspoons

Salt, pepper - to taste

Cooking method

Finely chop the chicken and turkey with a knife. Grate the carrots and onions and lightly fry with the addition of vegetable oil. Cool and pour the contents of the pan into the minced meat. Add tomato paste and pancake flour, then a couple of spoons of sour cream, two yolks, salt and freshly ground black or white pepper, finely grated (or chopped) frozen butter.

Knead and beat out the minced meat. Form it into fairly large oblong cutlets, dip each one in the protein and fry: first a couple of minutes on each side without a lid over high heat, then 10 minutes under the lid over very low heat.

Mix the remaining sour cream with horseradish, add pickled cucumber and green stuff, chopped in any way. Whisk the sauce with a fork and serve over the cutlets.

Recipe 3. Lush minced meat cutlets in a potato “coat”

Ingredients

Pork (piece with fat) – half a kilo

Potatoes – 5 potatoes (or more, depending on size)

Onion - 2 large onions

Dry bun without crust – 4-5 pieces

Kefir - about a glass

Eggs – 3 (separate the yolk from the white)

Wheat flour – half a cup

Soda - teaspoon

Mix of dry herbs, salt, pepper

Cooking method

To make minced pork, it is better to mince it twice. Break the bun into small pieces and soak in kefir. Separate the yolks from the whites and add them to the minced meat. Also stir in the finely grated onion, the soaked bun with the remaining kefir, a spoonful of soda, salt and pepper. Knock the minced meat on the table several times.

Grate the potatoes very finely and mix with flour, salt and dry herbs. Beat the egg white and combine with the potatoes. Beat two more whites separately with a fork.

Form round or oval cutlets, wrap them in egg white, and then in potato batter. Fry quickly in a frying pan on both sides and finish in an oven heated to 180 degrees.

Recipe 4. Fluffy cutlets “To your health!” (baked in the oven)

Ingredients

Beef – 500 g

Beef liver – 100 g

Pork lard – 100 g

Onion – 1 head

Zucchini or zucchini – 300 g

Frozen corn and peas - about 150 g in total

Any greens (dill, cilantro, parsley, celery, spinach...) – a bunch

Eggs – 3 pieces

Cinnamon and nutmeg – a little bit

Tomato paste - as much as needed

Salt, pepper, garlic - to taste

Cooking method

Pass the beef (it is better to take a piece of tenderloin or brisket, only lean) through a meat grinder along with the liver and lard. Grate the onion and zucchini, chop the greens with a knife.

Mix all the vegetables and herbs with the minced meat, add the yolks, herbs and spices. Mix everything and knock it out on the table. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Form large cutlets and dip them in egg white. Place in a mold that has been pre-greased. Bake at 170 degrees.

Mix tomato paste with hot water (a spoon in half a glass of water), add salt, pepper, chopped garlic. After 10 minutes, take out the form with the cutlets and pour the tomato sauce into it. Bring to readiness.

Recipe 5. Lush minced meat cutlets with “Nests” cheese

Ingredients

Chicken fillet – half a kilo

Onion – 1 large head or 2 small ones

Potatoes – 2 tubers

Smoked cheese (can be sausage) – 300 g

Smoked sausage – 100 g

Eggs – 2 pieces

Frozen French fries – 400 g

Soda - small spoon

Salt pepper

Cooking method

Chop the chicken fillet. Grate the onion and potatoes. Fry the onion until golden brown, mix with chicken and potatoes. Finely grate the pre-frozen smoked cheese and cut the sausage into small cubes. Separate the yolks. Mix all this into the minced meat, and then salt (don’t overdo it: the cheese and sausage are salty!), soda and pepper. Form into medium-sized round patties.

Beat the egg whites with a fork and moisten the fries with it. Lay out the fries in the form of nests, and place a minced meat cutlet in the middle.

Bake in the oven until done. You can add a little water to the pan if you are afraid that the cutlets will burn rather than bake.

Recipe 6. Fluffy cutlets in puff pastry

This fun recipe for fluffy cutlets is suitable for both a holiday table and a snack on the run.

Ingredients

Beef – 300 g

Pork – 300 g

Onion – 1 large

Carrot – 1 small root vegetable

Zucchini – 200 g

Cheese – 200 g

Eggs – 2 pieces

Salt, curry, sweet paprika powder

Puff pastry – 600 – 800 g

Cooking method

Grate the carrots and onions and lightly fry them in a frying pan. Pass the meat and zucchini through a meat grinder. Grate the cheese, separate the yolks from the whites. Mix the yolks, minced meat, fried and cooled carrots and onions, cheese, herbs and spices in one bowl. Knock the minced meat on the table and let it sit for 15 minutes. Form cutlets.

Roll out the puff pastry and cut into strips. Wrap the cutlets in these strips, trying to do it neatly and beautifully. Place the products on a baking sheet lined with parchment and brush the top with whipped egg white.

Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes at 180 degrees.

Recipe 7. Lush cutlets from two types of fish

Ingredients

Red fish (pink salmon, coho salmon, etc.) – 300 g (boneless fillet)

Catfish (can be halibut) – 300 g (also fillet)

Onion – 1 piece

Eggs – 3 pieces

Butter – 100 g

Pancake flour – 5 tablespoons

Potato – 1 large

Sweet red pepper - half

Dill – 5-6 sprigs

Salt, white pepper or curry

Cooking method

Pass fish fillets, peppers, onions and potatoes through a meat grinder with a coarse mesh grid. Mix egg yolks, spices, herbs and flour into the minced meat. Let sit well (10 – 15 minutes).

Grind the dill in any way (knife, blender, food processor), mix it into the minced meat. Beat the whites.

Form cutlets, make a dent and put in a small elongated piece of butter. Seal the cutlet so that the oil is inside. Wrap the products in egg white and place in a heated frying pan with a sufficient amount of vegetable oil (any kind, as long as it is odorless).

Quickly fry the cutlets over high heat without a lid, then cover and reduce the heat. So bring it to readiness. If you wish, you can finish the cutlets in the oven at 170 degrees.

It is best not to grind the meat in a meat grinder, but to chop it finely with a knife. This especially applies to poultry cutlets. But if you still decide to turn the meat, it is better to use a coarse mesh grill.

Is the meat too tough? You cannot make very soft cutlets from very tough meat. An acceptable result can be achieved if, on the contrary, you take the finest mesh grate and turn the meat twice. The use of various additives will also help somewhat: for example, semolina instead of bread, sour cream, chopped champignons, etc.

For a quick and easy way to grate butter or smoked cheese, freeze it in the oven.

Try serving the cutlets not with potatoes or pasta, but with vegetables, salad, and mushrooms. You can also serve sauce: white, tomato, sour cream with horseradish, mushroom... The dish will become healthier and better digestible.

Bake a boiled quail egg or a whole slightly cooked champignon inside the cutlet - and you will get a fun dish, suitable for a holiday.

Cutlets are a universal dish that can be served for a regular family lunch or a gala dinner. Moreover, they can be meat, fish, vegetables, and cereals. The essence of this dish is that any products are first crushed, then an oblong or round piece is formed from the minced meat and it is then fried in a frying pan. It seems nothing complicated, but many housewives complain that their cutlets turn out dry and not tasty. Now we will tell you how to prepare juicy and appetizing cutlets so that you won’t be ashamed to treat your guests with them.

• Any meat that you are going to cut into cutlets should be moderately fatty. It is the fat that releases the main juice, which gives the cutlets juiciness. If you get lean meat, then put fresh lard into the meat grinder with it. Proportions 3/1 (meat/fat).
• Use only fresh, chilled meat for cutlets. If you take meat from the freezer, when defrosted, all the juices will flow out of it, which will make it very tough.
• The presence of white bread soaked in milk will also add juiciness to the meat cutlets. Crushed, it will then work in the minced meat like a sponge and collect the liquid that is in the meat. Take two- or three-day-old bread or loaf. If you take a fresh baked product, then instead of crumbs in the bowl there will be a mass reminiscent of thick jelly. Be sure to trim off the rind before soaking in milk. For 1 kg of minced meat, add 300 g of bread.
• Many cooks add vegetables to minced meat instead of bread. Grate raw potatoes or fresh zucchini. Squeeze out excess moisture from the vegetable mass, but not to the point of dryness. For 1 kg of minced meat, place 2 medium potatoes or 1 small zucchini. Making cutlets from such minced meat is a little more difficult than from minced meat with bread. To prevent the meat pieces from falling apart in your hands, add one tablespoon of potato starch to the minced meat along with one egg. Such cutlets will not only be juicy, but also fluffy.

• While grinding the minced chicken, add one quarter of the chicken fat to it. If you are going to buy a whole chicken, then take a large one - cut off the fat near the hole through which the chicken was gutted. If you are going to make cutlets from chicken fillet, then buy separately fresh chicken fat, which is sold in the meat department.
• Chicken cutlets turn out very tasty and juicy if you add a little softened butter to it at the very end of mixing the minced meat. For 1 kg of meat, 100 g of butter is enough. Soften it to a very thick sour cream. To prevent the oil from leaking out during frying, add a little “Tender” oat flakes to the minced chicken. They will absorb the oil and the cutlets will remain juicy.

• To make the cutlets juicier, add more onion and lard, twisted through a meat grinder, into the minced fish. For 1 kg of fish, take 2-3 onions and 200 g of lard. To prevent fish cutlets from falling apart, beat an egg into them and add a quarter cup of dry semolina.
• You can replace the lard in fish cutlets with butter or high-quality margarine.

• The vegetables themselves are juicy, so their cutlets always turn out great. To bind chopped vegetables, use semolina, raw egg or starch.
• Vegetable coletas turn out to be very tasty and juicy if they are made from a mixture of boiled and raw vegetables (1/1).

• To prevent juice from leaking out of the cutlets, fry them in a hot frying pan. This will quickly form a crust, which will close the pores through which liquid can leak. If you make the cutlets thick, then if you quickly fry them, they may turn out to be raw inside. To avoid this problem, after frying, keep the cutlets in a hot oven for 10 minutes - they will “cook”.
• The breading for the cutlets is also designed to prevent juices from leaking out. Usually, crackers crushed almost into powder are used for this. If you are going to fry cutlets this way, then cook them at once - when storing fried cutlets in the refrigerator, the breading becomes damp and acquires an unpleasant aftertaste.
• Instead of breadcrumbs, use a well-beaten white of a raw egg. It will perfectly close the pores, and during storage the cutlets will not become soggy, but will remain crispy and appetizing.
• In any cutlets, especially if you are preparing them for a holiday table, add a piece of butter before frying. Firstly, the oil will give the cutlets additional juiciness, and secondly, it will enrich the taste of the cutlets. Prepare the butter for the filling as follows: soften it, add salt, mix with finely chopped herbs and place in a long sausage on cling film. Wrap the sausage in film and place it in the freezer. Free the frozen butter from the film and cut it with a sharp knife into pieces the size of a small walnut.