Q-Whenever I make meatloaf, using eggs and bread crumbs plus the usual ingredients, the loaf crumbles and will not keep its shape. A-Meatloaves most often crumble when they contain too many bread crumbs or too few eggs or when they have not cooled partially in the fat-filled loaf pan in which they were baked.
If you haven't used too much bread, crumbs, or oats in there, it'll be fine without the egg. It'll just be somewhat denser and meatier.
What are the best subs for breadcrumbs?
- Oats. Oats are the perfect substitutes for breadcrumbs in meatballs or meatloaf.
- Crushed Chips.
- Nuts.
- Pretzels or Crackers.
- Crushed Cereal.
The ratio of meat in a meatloaf is critical to the final texture. The main cause of a mushy meatloaf is too much bread and milk for the amount of meat. To fix the issue, try reducing the amount of bread and milk by half. Another fix is to double the amount of meat.
Cover a single large meatloaf with a piece of aluminum foil during cooking to keep it moist, but uncover it for the last 15 minutes of baking. "Meatloaf is highly suited to being either frozen raw for cooking later or cooked and frozen to reheat." Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
According to the cooking experts at Kitchn, the breadcrumbs in your meatloaf act as a binding agent for the meat. Additionally, Kitchn recommends soaking your breadcrumbs (or stale bread) in milk before mixing with your meat to improve the moistness in your finished dish.
The binder gives a meatloaf it's tender texture and helps it retain moisture. The best binder for making a meatloaf is whatever you already have in your kitchen. It is an excellent use for stale bread and crackers, old breadcrumbs, oatmeal, unsweetened cereal and even leftover potatoes.
Pulse garlic, onion, celery, carrot, and parsley in food processor until finely chopped. Add to breadcrumbs. Add meats, egg, 1/4 cup ketchup, the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; mix together using your hands. Transfer mixture to a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan.
How to make meatloaf
- Use high-fat meat. The leaner the meat, the dryer and grainier the meatloaf.
- Add moisture at every step. Don't skip adding eggs, ketchup, tomato paste, mustard, Worcestershire, barbecue sauce or some combination of wet seasonings.
- Use soaked crustless bread.
- Sauteed vegetables are key.
The function of breadcrumbs in meatloaf is to absorb and retain the juices so you have a moister loaf. Meat by itself will simply drain away the juices and end up dry. Especially if you are using leaner meat, you may want to soak your breadcrumbs in a little milk or stock before adding them to the meatloaf.
Place meat mixture on prepared baking sheet, and form into a loaf about 9 inches long and 4 to 5 inches wide. Bake, brushing twice with remaining 1/4 cup ketchup during baking, until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees, 45 to 55 minutes. Let meatloaf rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Press mixture in ungreased 8-inch round (1 1/2-quart) glass baking dish. Bake at 350°F. for 65 to 75 minutes or until thoroughly cooked in center and meat thermometer registers 160°F. Let meatloaf stand 5 minutes.
A 2-pound meatloaf will reliably cook in about an hour — try not to overcook or the meat will start getting tough and crumbly. The best way to know when a meatloaf is done is by checking its internal temperature; as soon as it hits 155°F, you can pull it from the oven.
You can also try using a disposable foil bread pan with holes punched in the bottom. Place the pan on a cooling rack set inside a baking sheet; fill with your meat mixture and bake. The grease will drain out of the foil pan and away from the meat.
The ideal internal temperature for meatloaf is 160 degrees. While the USDA doesn't have a determined cooking temperature for meatloaf as it does for whole meats, it does recommend cooking ground beef to 160 degrees.
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Step 5: Spread a small amount of butter or cooking oil in your loaf pan or baking dish, and pack your meatloaf mixture in the pan or dish. Step 7: Bake the meatloaf at 375 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° convection or 375° conventional.
- Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and transfer to baking dish. Like all meatloaf, do not over mix.
- Mix topping and spread over meatloaf then bake for approx 1 hour. Until an internal temp of 165°.
- Drain or remove from pan for serving.
Mix all ingredients together, form into a loaf, and place on a roasting pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 1 1/2 hours.
For breads, cakes, and other desserts, the rule of thumb for convection oven conversion is to reduce the temperature by 25°F and keep the time constant. For example, if a conventional oven recipe calls for the bread to be baked at 325°F for 1 hour, then in a convection oven you should cook it at 300°F for 1 hour.
Do you have to put milk in meatloaf? Milk is the preferred liquid for meatloaf, but there are some great substitutes if you do not want to use it. The reason milk is added in meatloaf is that it soaks the bread crumbs which add needed moisture to the meatloaf.
Lightly grease two 8 x 4 loaf pans. Place ground beef in a large mixing bowl and make a well shape in the center. Place finely chopped and grated vegetables on top of the meat, keeping the well in the center. Press meat mixture into prepared loaf pans.
