Only until the first try do cutlets in a frying pan seem banal and familiar. The recipe for preparing fresh, aromatic portions with filling and an appetizing crust leaves no one indifferent. Once you start preparing this incredibly tasty meat dish, only a lazy person would not come to the kitchen waiting for the opportunity to take a sample of the first cutlets. In addition, it is not only nourishing and tasty, but also fast. Moreover, this is the most convenient and 100% successful semi-finished product, which you can prepare with a reserve when you have time.
How to freeze cutlets?
You can cook fresh cutlets fried in a pan as often as you like. The recipe for proper freezing and thawing will help preserve the taste, juiciness and benefits of this treat. Many cooks prepare preparations for the whole week, when there is time for this. Then all that remains is to fry and enjoy a hearty meal.
How to freeze cutlets?
Prepare minced meat for cutlets in a frying pan, the recipe for which you like best from those suggested below. Add all recommended spices, egg, mix well. Sprinkle a cutting board, plate, or other flat surface with flour, or better yet, breadcrumbs. With wet hands, form oval-shaped patties. Place the pieces on the board so that they do not touch each other.
Place the board with semi-finished products in a plastic bag and tie the edges. Place the board in the freezer. Once the cutlets are frozen, transfer them from the board to a bag. Tie the ends and store in the freezer. This way you can store the semi-finished product for about 3-6 months.
Before frying minced meat cutlets in a frying pan, it is worth knowing the recipe for proper thawing. Place portions on a board greased with sunflower oil. You can also sprinkle it with flour or breadcrumbs. Place as many cutlets on the board as you think necessary. Place the board with semi-finished products in the refrigerator to thaw. This can be done at night or in the morning before work with the expectation that you can fry it in the evening.
How to choose the right frozen cutlets
Long gone are the days when semi-finished products were products of dubious quality, stuffed with chemical dyes and preservatives. Nowadays, frozen cutlets are practically in no way inferior to homemade ones, if, of course, you choose them correctly.
- A high-quality minced meat product will indeed be not much different in appearance and taste from those cutlets that you make yourself - these are just sold already shaped and frozen.
- Be sure to pay attention to the composition of frozen cutlets in the supermarket. A high-quality product will not contain anything in its composition except natural ingredients - onions, meat, spices and herbs. Because when frozen, minced meat does not need any additives; it is already perfectly stored.
- Check the shelf life of the product. Frozen cutlets made from natural meat will not last forever - their shelf life is not that long and usually does not exceed 3-5 months, six months is the maximum for such a dish. Anything that lasts longer is an unnatural and dubious semi-finished product.
- Price matters too. Natural cutlets cannot be too cheap - they are based on meat, and it has its own price. Therefore, do not buy frozen meatballs that are too cheap, so as not to end up with a dish that could well harm your health.
Pork and beef cutlets in creamy sauce
Pork and beef are considered the most popular. Many housewives use it to prepare cutlets in a frying pan. A recipe with this combination of meat will delight you with a good balance. The fatty pork is perfectly balanced by the leaner beef. As a result, the cutlets are juicy and tasty. Spices and sauce add additional flavor accents.
For minced meat:
- 2 tbsp. l. breadcrumbs;
- 400 gr. Beef pulp;
- 300 gr. Pork pulp;
- 1 tbsp. l. butter;
- 1 onion;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 1/3 tsp. ground allspice;
- salt and freshly ground white pepper;
- 1 tbsp. l. Worcestershire sauce;
- 1 egg;
- Sunflower oil for frying.
For the gravy:
- 2 tbsp. l. flour;
- 2 tbsp. l. butter;
- 1/4 cup heavy cream;
- 1/2 cup milk;
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce;
- salt and freshly ground black pepper;
- 5-10 sprigs of fresh parsley (optional)
Pork and beef cutlets in creamy sauce
Cooking plan:
- Prepare minced meat for cutlets in a frying pan. Prepare the recipe using a meat grinder. Grind the meat into a deep bowl. Grind the onion in a meat grinder and mix with the meat.
- Peel the garlic. Press it down with a knife, chop it finely, add it to the bowl.
- Measure out the recommended amount of allspice or a little more. Add salt, sauce, breadcrumbs and butter, at room temperature.
- Mix thoroughly, beat the minced meat. During the beating process, it is saturated with oxygen, the mass becomes looser and more tender.
- Heat a frying pan with sunflower oil. Before cooking the cutlets in a frying pan, the oil can be flavored. To do this, add 1-2 cut cloves of garlic, a sprig of thyme, bay leaf or rosemary. Leave until a pleasant aroma begins to be released, then remove. The cutlets are fried in fragrant oil on both sides until golden brown.
- Fry all portions of the prepared minced meat. Place them back into the pan. Add ½ cup of water, cover and simmer over moderate heat for 7-10 minutes.
- While the cutlets are stewing, prepare the gravy for the cutlets fried in a frying pan. Prepare the recipe in a saucepan or frying pan.
- Heat the pan, measure out the flour.
- Add butter, stir into the paste.
- Add milk, bring mixture to homogeneity and boil.
- Add sauce and cream, spices, heat, stirring, until smooth.
- Chop the parsley and add to the sauce before turning off.
- Serve the cutlets drizzled with gravy or sauce in a separate jug.
Breading secrets
By the way, about breading. It is needed so that the cutlet is covered with an appetizing crust and all the juices remain inside it. You can use breadcrumbs purchased at the supermarket as a coating. However, most chefs do not recommend doing this. It is better to prepare them yourself by grinding white bread in a blender. You can also roll the cutlets in regular flour, adding a little salt to it. Some people prefer to bread semi-finished meat products in semolina or sesame seeds, but these are already controversial options.
But breading in lezone is a normal restaurant practice. The strange word “leison” hides what our housewives are accustomed to calling “batter.” Leison is made quite simply. You need to beat 3 eggs with 2 tablespoons of milk (or water) and a pinch of salt. There is no need to add flour to the lezon. But the cutlets must be rolled in it, and then dipped into the resulting mixture and sent to a hot frying pan.
Beef-chicken cutlets
If you like the taste of freshly fried cutlets with a crust in a frying pan, prepare the recipe using minced meat based on chicken and beef. These types do not require additional stewing, so they can be served straight from the pan. Everyone will be delighted with such a treat: adults and children.
For minced meat:
- 300 gr. Chicken fillet;
- 300 gr. Beef pulp;
- 1 onion;
- 1 tsp. ground nutmeg;
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper or a mixture of peppers;
- 1 egg;
- A pinch of turmeric;
- Salt to taste.
Beef-chicken cutlets
Cooking plan:
- To get a good minced meat consistency, grind the beef and chicken in a meat grinder with a fine-mesh grid. If you use a blender to shred chicken, the meat will become a mass. As a result, the portions will turn out dry.
- Before frying minced meat cutlets in a frying pan, add chopped onion to the minced meat recipe. Also pass the onion through a meat grinder.
- Add the egg and the specified spices. Pour 1/3 cup of water, mix the minced meat thoroughly so that the spices are evenly distributed.
- Heat a frying pan with about 3-4 tbsp of oil. l.
- Form into patties and place on a hot surface. It is important that the oil gets very hot. Then reduce the heating intensity to moderate.
- Fry the pieces on both sides. Can be served without additional stewing.
Valuable advice
The cutlets will be tastier and juicier if the meat is minced twice. This is especially important if the meat used is stringy. By the way, it is not necessary to add eggs to minced meat. But you definitely need to beat an egg into the fish cutlet mixture. It will bind the mass and the cutlets will not fall apart during cooking.
Crushed ice or cold water will help add juiciness. Yes, yes, don't be scared. The ice will melt during heat treatment. If you add additional liquid to the mince, it will evaporate during frying. But the meat juice will remain. But the main thing here is not to overdo it with water, because the goodies will simply fall apart.
Well, and you, my dears, how do you cook cutlets? Be sure to share your signature recipes. And I wish you a pleasant cutlet-eating and say: bye-bye!
Sincerely, Olga Steshkina
Silver carp cutlets in a frying pan
Not only sea fish, but also silver carp make amazing cutlets in a frying pan. Prepare a delicious dish recipe following the recommendations. Their taste will conquer even those who avoid fish dishes. Rest assured, even children will like them.
Prepare:
- 500 gr. Prepared silver carp fillet;
- 1.5 chicken fillet;
- 1 large onion;
- 4-5 tbsp. l. soy sauce;
- 2 eggs;
- 3-4 cloves of garlic;
- 1 carrot (can be ignored);
- Ground pepper, salt, nutmeg.
Silver carp cutlets in a frying pan
Cooking plan:
- Separate the fillet from the fish carcass. Remove the skin, trying to remove all the bones.
- Grind the fish in a meat grinder. Use a mesh with small holes. Pass the mince through the meat grinder a second time to ensure that any bones you may not have noticed are crushed. Skip the second time with minced fish and chicken fillet.
- Before frying the minced meat cutlets in a frying pan, continue the recipe by preparing the onions and carrots.
- Peel and rinse the vegetables.
- Heat a frying pan with sunflower oil.
- Chop the onion into small cubes, grate the carrots on a fine grater.
- Sauté the onions and carrots until almost done.
- Place the sautéed vegetables on a plate to help them cool faster.
- Add the cooled onions and carrots to the minced meat.
- Add spices, eggs, soy sauce.
- Peel the garlic, pass through a press into the minced meat.
- Mix the minced meat thoroughly into the cutlets. Don’t rush to cook the recipe in a frying pan right away. Leave at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. During this time, the fish meat will be saturated with the aromas of spices.
- Fry portions of cutlets in a frying pan with well-heated oil on one side. Turn over to the second side, fry under the lid until cooked.
Varying the minced meat
— To taste, the recipe can include bread soaked in milk
replace with black bread (without crust and it also needs to be soaked in milk), semolina, crushed crackers from white bread or potato starch - 5-6 tablespoons, rolled oats or bran - 4-5 tablespoons. You can also use grated potatoes (2 medium potatoes) or zucchini (1 small) instead of bread. - You can make cutlets without eggs - eggs are added, for the most part, to easily form the cutlets and to help them hold their shape. To keep the shape of the cutlets without eggs, just put the formed and breaded cutlets in the freezer and keep there for about 20 minutes. By the way, even if you freeze the cutlets, the breading will not be covered in oil. — You can make cutlets from mixed minced meat, for example, combine minced pork with turkey, pork with chicken, pork and beef. — Instead of vegetable oil, for frying cutlets you can use butter (instead of each spoon of vegetable oil - 3 tablespoons of butter) or meat and poultry fat (instead of each spoon of vegetable oil - 3 tablespoons of fat) - it should be finely chopped and heated in a frying pan. — If you use lean meat, you can make the cutlets juicier by adding a little chopped lard to the minced meat. — Onions can be ground into minced cutlets in a meat grinder, chopped, grated and then blended in a blender. It is believed that cutlets with onions chopped in a blender are softer and airier due to the air that saturated the onions during beating.
Chopped chicken cutlets
Are you tasked with preparing a delicious dinner? Easily! Prepare the ingredients recommended below, complete the simple preparation and in just a few minutes delicious, tender and juicy chopped chicken cutlets will appear on your table. Even children will not refuse these. Since they cook quickly, prepare the side dish before you cook the cutlets in the pan and keep it hot.
Prepare:
- 500 gr. Chicken fillet;
- 1 onion;
- 1 tsp. salt;
- ½ tsp. nutmeg;
- ½ tsp. ground turmeric;
- 4 tbsp. l. flour;
- 1 egg;
- 3 tbsp. l. sour cream.
Chopped chicken cutlets
Cooking plan:
- Cut the fillet into small cubes. It is more convenient to do this when the breast is frozen.
- Peel the onion, finely cut into cubes. Add onion to fillet.
- Add salt, spices, flour, egg. Mix well.
- Add sour cream (or mayonnaise) and stir. Leave the minced meat on the counter or in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. During this time, the chicken fillet will be soaked and marinated well.
- Fry the cutlets in a frying pan according to the recipe. To make the portions brown nicely, use sunflower oil.
Pork cutlets with mushrooms
The combination of meat and mushroom flavors is considered a classic. Their tandem is tasty and aromatic, and almost everyone likes it. And if you want to diversify your menu, prepare cutlets with mushrooms inside. This dish is appropriate for a family dinner; it will perfectly complement the holiday menu.
Prepare:
- 700 gr. Pork pulp (shoulder);
- 2 onions;
- Salt, pepper to taste;
- 1-2 sprigs of basil;
- 3 tbsp. l. breadcrumbs;
- 1 egg;
- 350 gr. Champignon mushrooms.
- Sunflower oil.
Pork cutlets with mushrooms
Cooking plan:
- Rinse the spatula and peel the onion to prepare minced meat for cutlets fried in a frying pan. The recipe can be prepared with another part of the pulp that is available. The main thing is to choose meat that is not too fatty.
- Pass the meat through a meat grinder, then one onion.
- Add breadcrumbs, egg, salt and spices.
- Chop basil leaves and add to meat.
- Stir, beat the minced meat, set aside until use.
- Wash the mushrooms and chop finely.
- Chop the onion into cubes.
- Heat a frying pan and fry the mushrooms.
- Add the onion and fry the filling ingredients together.
- Transfer the mushrooms from the pan to a plate to cool faster.
- When the mushrooms have cooled, add chopped dill or parsley if desired. Divide the minced pork into equal portions. Measure about 2-3 tbsp for one. l.
- Spread a portion of minced meat into a flat cake.
- Place 1-1.5 tsp in the center. mushroom filling. Bring the edges together to form an oval portion.
- Form all the pieces before cooking the cutlets in the pan. Place portions on a greased board.
- Heat a frying pan with sunflower oil.
- Cutlets dipped in breadcrumbs on both sides or in sesame seeds turn out tasty and interesting. For an additional flavor accent, use breading with aromatic herbs.
- Fry the cutlets on one side, turn them over to the other, and fry covered on the other side.
How many minutes does it take to fry pork cutlets in a frying pan?
With pork, things are a little more complicated. Parasites are often found in this type of meat, and therefore it requires a more careful approach.
Of course, you shouldn’t fry pork cutlets for too long - they will turn out extremely dry, so the optimal frying time is 20-25 minutes.
For the first 5 minutes, the cutlet is fried over high heat on both sides, then the pan is covered with a lid and the product is simmered over low heat for another 15-20 minutes.
By the way, adding minced pork to the so-called assorted minced meat imposes the same conditions for frying it as when using the pork product in its pure form.
