Chef Essential Or Deadly Weapon? It's All In How You Swing It Baby!
Written: Jan 26 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Perfect size, two sides to choose from, inexpensive, versatile.
Cons: Hurts like hell if you hit yourself, potential breeding ground of bacteria if_not cleaned well.
The Bottom Line: If a juicier cut of meat is what you are after, give it a few whacks with this metal monster!
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| Freak369's Full Review: Oxo 9-in. Black-Handled Meat Tenderizer |
I guess that if you dig long enough, you’ll find some strange things buried deep in the bowels of this site. If you weren’t bored into submission with the plethora of Lego reviews, dulled and drained from the Crayola reviews – you might just survive the next wave – Freak369’s kitchen gadgets.
Some people might think that a meat tenderizer is a completely useless tool – something that gets used once a month then shoved in the back of the silverware drawer. Not in this house – mine hangs from an overhead rack and gets used on almost a daily basis. Next to my knife set and food processor, this is one of the most used things in my kitchen.
Who Needs A Tenderizer?
If you prepare meat on a regular basis you should have one of these little helpers in your kitchen arsenal and that goes double if you barbeque. Lets take chicken for example - if you like to marinade it overnight or use a dry rub – I can almost guarantee that if you use a tenderizer your finished product will absorb more of the marinade thus giving you a juicer piece of chicken. Now, if you use a dry rub you should really trim back the fat a little, give it a few whacks with the tenderizer then apply the dry rub. If not, you’ll have the spices flying everywhere and trust me on this; it’s not fun if you wear contact lenses.
OXO’s Meat Tenderizer
This is a fairly heavy piece of kitchen equipment, weighing in at about two and a half pounds it gives you the ability to really do some damage to pieces of meat that aren’t exactly prime cuts. Now, generally speaking, you shouldn’t destroy the cut of meat – especially chicken – unless you are going to cut up the pieces for a salad or taco.
The black soft handle features a slight groove which makes it easy to hold on to if your hands are wet or you are working with a liquid marinade. This isn’t exactly attached to the metal, but rather stretched over the surface so if you notice it slip back a little while you are cleaning it with hot water, don’t get alarmed. Once the plastic cools off it will go back to its normal position.
This is a two-sided tenderizer – the first side is flat which is great for pounding out chicken breasts [boneless works best], preparing flank steak or smashing the occasional walnut. The reverse side is a spiked or textured surface featuring 64 metal triangles [8 x 8 rows] that are guaranteed to make any piece of meat simply mouth watering. This is also great for breaking down meats for jerky. The spiked side can really hurt if you are clumsy or not paying attention to that target. I’ve nailed myself a few times and let me say – it does hurt like a mother.
Rolling in at almost nine inches in length, this isn’t something that you just shove into a silverware drawer – I highly suggest hanging this in an out of the way spot and giving it a good wash before you use it. You never know what might be hiding in those spikes. This really is the perfect length – anything shorter and you can’t get up enough force to pierce the meat and anything longer and you lose control of the strike.
All in all, this rests nicely in your hand and has a very comfortable feel to it. It may take a little while to get used to using a tenderizer – especially the amount of force to use with different types of meat – but with a little practice you’ll be swinging it like a pro.
Care & Cleaning
The manufacturer states very clearly that this should not be cleaned in a dishwasher. The heat can and will warp the handle resulting in a potentially dangerous situation. Imaging whacking away at a piece of meat and having the tenderizer fly out of the plastic handle. I try to add as many suggestions in my review but this one is almost a direct order – if you are using the spiked side of any tenderizer you must clean the prongs completely. I use an old toothbrush, hot water and an antibacterial dish soap to ensure that all the meat is removed from the grooves. You could use a stiff finger brush, but the toothbrush is easier to maneuver.
This should be one of the first things that you take care of after preparing your meat – if you allow the meat to dry on the spiked side of the tenderizer you’ll have a tough time getting it clean. The handy hole on the end of the handle allows this to be hung while air-drying or to keep it out of harms way. This isn’t the kind of thing you want to keep in the kitchen drawer since it does take up a fair amount of space.
I have had this particular tenderizer for about three years now and have had no trouble with it. My only complaint is that the blunt side does get dented if it’s used on meat with a bone – especially pork chops. I’ve gotten used to covering the meat with plastic wrap then throwing a kitchen towel over it to prevent further damage to the surface.
Above all else, this is something that will be coming in contact with raw meat and it needs to be cleaned completely in order to avoid cross contamination or harbor any type of bacterial growth. Both sides of the tenderizer need to be submerged in hot water, scrubbed and rinsed – skipping or skimping could result in food poisoning or salmonella
Warranty
OXO provides the buyer with a full, lifetime warrant against manufacturing defects. This does not include misuse of the tenderizer such as using it as a hammer, breaking lobster claws or killing small rodents. Don’t laugh, people have tried to return them to OXO after they broke the handle, damaged the spikes or warped the handle. If your product shows any sign of weakness you can send it to OXO for a replacement or refund. I haven’t had to use this guarantee so far so I cannot comment on how they handle these types of incidences – but if the situation ever arises I’ll be sure to update this review.
Bottom Line
No kitchen should be without a tenderizer. Your final product choice should center on size, density and end use. If you do a large amount of cooking you may want to go to a larger sized face, the same goes for those that cook small meals – buy the smaller 25 spiked tenderizer. This particular tool has served me well, withstood many accidents and has shown very little wear and tear. For a $10.00 investment I’ve gotten a lot of use out of this and with the way it looks now – it will be serving me for years to come.
Stats
Product Name: OXO Meat Tenderizer
Weight 2.5 pounds
Size: 9 inches
Head 3.5 inches
Material Aluminum, steel [body] and plastic [handle]
Dishwasher Safe No
Warranty: Yes, lifetime against defects
Price Range: $9.99 - $12.99
Rating 9 out of a possible 10
Manufacturers Website: https://www.oxo.com/catalog/index.html
As always, thanks for the read!
^V^ Freak ^V^
Recommended:
Yes
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