HOW TO SLICE MEAT THIN WITH EASE

Have you ever tried an exciting meat recipe that didn’t turn out perfect because you couldn’t cut your meat thin enough? Have you ever found yourself struggling with a piece of meat for a long time, only to cut them up in ugly chunks?

Even with a sharp knife, slicing meat into thin and fine pieces can be a challenge. The reason for this is because meat has some muscles attached to it. The more the muscles are, the tougher the meat will most likely be.

You don’t have to be a master Chef to cut your meat thinly - you just need to know what is required. Here are a few things to know about slicing your meat thinly with ease:

1. USE THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT

Cutting meat into thin slices requires certain basic equipment, which help to make the process easier and faster. This equipment include:

Knife

Knives are important for meal prep for cutting, and therefore the most important equipment to slicing your meat.

The best types of knives for slicing meat into thin pieces with ease are:

  • Chef knife:
    Chef knives are versatile and are used for most cutting tasks in the kitchen and are therefore suitable for slicing meat into thin pieces. They come in different sizes in order to make slicing, chopping and mincing easier.

  • Slicing Knife:
    Slicing knives are mainly used for slicing already cooked meats. A slicing knife comes with a long blade and different tips depending on the sizes and make. Slicing knives help to prevent meat from tearing during the process of slicing them into thin pieces.

A Cutting Board:

A cutting board is a kitchen board on which different foods can be placed to be cut. Kitchen cutting boards are made of wood, plastic or even metal and come in various sizes.

Because meat is dense, and requires effort and pressure to be cut, having a strong cutting board comes in handy as it makes the meat slicing process easier by providing full support while you slice. It is advised to use a separate board for meat, especially when raw.

A Freezer Wrap/Plastic bag:

Freezing is a great way to reduce the toughness of the meat. However, placing meat in the freezer unwrapped is not hygienic. Freezer wraps or plastic bags are the ideal materials for freezing meat as they help to properly protect your meat from contaminants.

2. CHILL YOUR MEAT SLIGHTLY

Wrapping your meat in a plastic wrap or freezer bag and then chilling in the freezer for 15- 20 minutes helps make the meat firm and easy for cutting. This keeps your meat firm enough to run your knife through it easily and evenly.

However, you have to be careful not to leave it in the freezer longer, as you don’t want your meat freezing up.

3. SLICING AGAINST THE GRAIN

Meats are made up of muscle fibers which are arranged parallel to each other and a meat grain is the muscle fiber direction in a piece of meat. Slicing the meat along the length of the fibers only increases its toughness but slicing against the grain helps to separate the meat muscles, making the meat more tender, softer and chewable.

To slice meat against the grain, you have to check the direction of the muscle fiber and then cut against it.

How to slice your meat

Now that you know the techniques to cutting your meat thin and easy, here how to slice your meat in a few steps:

  • Place the slightly frozen meat on a cutting board
  • Locate the grains of the meat and as earlier suggested, cut against the meat grains
  • Place knife at an angle against the side of the meat furthest from you
  • While applying pressure, pull your knife across the meat to make a slice
  • Continue till the entire meat chunk has been made into suitable thin slices
  • You can wrap the meat in a plastic bag and place in the freezer

Slicing meat might not be an easy task, but with constant practice, the right equipment and knowing the meat-slicing steps will having you slicing your meat thinly like a pro!