Hey all you meatloaf makers

[Cosmos]

In the winter meals thread, several people mentioned meatloaf.

 

Here's my problem with meatloaf -- it's so cold to mix all the ingredients together. I've tried using utensils, but it doesn't work nearly as well as hands. As I've gotten older, I find that my hands really ache when they get too cold. So making meatloaf is actually kind of painful.

 

I cook a ton and handle lots of cold and hot foods without a problem. But mixing meatloaf is just the worst. SO COLD. Is it just me or do other people have this problem?

[olan719]

I understand. It hurts! I zap the beef in the microwave for maybe 30 seconds to knock the chill off before I add the ingredients and mix. Then I have warm (but not hot) water already running while I mix it so I can stick my hands in and wash immediately afterward. Hope this helps!

[KungFuPanda]

I mix it in my kitchenaid! Go gently so you don’t end up making gyros, but it does the job without freezing your hands.

[Beth S]

I have a friend who mixes everything with her hands--but I don't usually like touching food that way!

I just use a heavy wooden spatula (one of the few PChef utensils I own).

[OhioMomof3]

Making meatloaf today...and I'm NOT looking forward to mixing it. Yes, it makes my hands ache for a couple of minutes. You're not the only one!

[unsinkable]

In the winter meals thread, several people mentioned meatloaf.

 

Here's my problem with meatloaf -- it's so cold to mix all the ingredients together. I've tried using utensils, but it doesn't work nearly as well as hands. As I've gotten older, I find that my hands really ache when they get too cold. So making meatloaf is actually kind of painful.

 

I cook a ton and handle lots of cold and hot foods without a problem. But mixing meatloaf is just the worst. SO COLD. Is it just me or do other people have this problem?

For mixing ground meats for meatloaf and meatballs, I take them out of the refrigerator about an hour or so before I plan on mixing it, especially in winter. Summer, I might take them out 30 minutes before bc the kitchen is warmer.

[Robin M]

I use my Cuisinart stand mixer now but when I used to to do by hand I'd let the meat defrost for a couple hours so didn't freeze my hands off.  

[Seasider]

I mix it in my kitchenaid! Go gently so you don’t end up making gyros, but it does the job without freezing your hands.

Not sure about the KA, but my Bosch has cookie dough paddle attachments. They're good for meatloaf mixing.

[Elizabeth86]

Kitchen aid stand mixer

[unsinkable]

So I make a Cook's Country recipe...And it take me soooooo long to get it in the oven! And I skip a step!

 

I saute onions and garlic, make a zesty glaze, grind up the crackers, measure out everything else...They want me to make a panade and then put that and the meat in the food processor. I skip that part. Ain't nobody got time for that. I just mix it all in the bowl.

 

Then I broil it, put on some zesty glaze, broil it again, put more zesty glaze...then finally bake.

 

Simultaneously, the plow going by causes the garbage can to fall over, the dog spills his water in protest bc I'm not giving him raw meat, DH is calling...

 

And it's an hour before the meatloaf is finally baking.

[Cosmos]

I mix it in my kitchenaid! Go gently so you don’t end up making gyros, but it does the job without freezing your hands.

 

 

I use my Cuisinart stand mixer now but when I used to to do by hand I'd let the meat defrost for a couple hours so didn't freeze my hands off.  

 

 

Not sure about the KA, but my Bosch has cookie dough paddle attachments. They're good for meatloaf mixing.

 

I would never have thought of this! Sounds like another good reason to get a stand mixer. I don't have one (or even a hand mixer for that matter), but dh "gave/promised" me one for my birthday in September. I just have been dawdling about picking out a model and color. Time to make my decision!

[Cosmos]

So I make a Cook's Country recipe...And it take me soooooo long to get it in the oven! And I skip a step!

 

I saute onions and garlic, make a zesty glaze, grind up the crackers, measure out everything else...They want me to make a panade and then put that and the meat in the food processor. I skip that part. Ain't nobody got time for that. I just mix it all in the bowl.

 

Then I broil it, put on some zesty glaze, broil it again, put more zesty glaze...then finally bake.

 

Simultaneously, the plow going by causes the garbage can to fall over, the dog spills his water in protest bc I'm not giving him raw meat, DH is calling...

 

And it's an hour before the meatloaf is finally baking.

 

My ds once made meatloaf and it took him three hours to get it in the oven. It did not even involve sauteeing onions or anything fancy. He just was cruising around at 12-year-old speed with major hormonal brain fog. I was dying inside, even though it really didn't affect me. OMG so slow. 

 

He cooks other things but he has never made meatloaf again. :lol:

[PeterPan]

I put my meat through the food processor, easy peasy. If you have a dishwasher, it's no trouble. 

 

Do you have a young one to do the mixing for you? My ds is usually pretty enthusiastic.

 

I only use ground turkey for meatloaf anymore. Maybe your body is quietly telling you it wants to move on from beef? Like some kind of weird reflexology response or something? 

[Pippen]

I use disposable vinyl gloves.

[MedicMom]

I use a large wooden spoon to mix it in the bowl. I don’t like touching raw meat.

[Annie Elle]

I use a sturdy bamboo spoon.

[ktgrok]

I mix it in my kitchenaid! Go gently so you don’t end up making gyros, but it does the job without freezing your hands.

 

Same. 

[ktgrok]

I would never have thought of this! Sounds like another good reason to get a stand mixer. I don't have one (or even a hand mixer for that matter), but dh "gave/promised" me one for my birthday in September. I just have been dawdling about picking out a model and color. Time to make my decision!

 

Oh yes! I use mine all the time. Mixing meatloaf, shredding chicken or pork for pulled meat, mixing up baked stuff, whipping cream for whipped cream, etc. 

[VaKim]

Another vinyl glove user. I wear them any time I am handling icky raw meat. Not because of bacteria, but because I can't stand trying to wash off the nasty, greasy stuff afterward, along with getting it from under my fingernails. Yuck!

[KatieJ]

I was making a large batch of meatloaf on my Bosch one time when a friend stopped over. She was floored. She only thought of it as her bread machine.

 

Use your machines ladies.

 

I would also recommend taking the burger our if fridge at least a half hour before mixing.

[theelfqueen]

Another stand mixer vote

 

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[Scarlett]

For mixing ground meats for meatloaf and meatballs, I take them out of the refrigerator about an hour or so before I plan on mixing it, especially in winter. Summer, I might take them out 30 minutes before bc the kitchen is warmer.

Me too. At 30 min ahead of time. It helps a lot. I also use a pampered chef utensil https://www.amazon.com/Pampered-Chef-Mix-Chop-2583/dp/B0011UFPXU/ref=sr_1_3?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1515288273&sr=1-3&keywords=the+pampered+chef+products

 

To mix it a good deal of the way...but toward the end nothing works like hand mixing. I have a box of cheap plastic gloves I use for this last bit.

 

I also make my meatloaf early in the day and put it in the refrigerator until time to cook. I find making meatloaf exhausting later in the day....making it early is easy and then I just pop it out on the counter half an hour before I cook it.

[Garga]

I don’t use my hands. I use a spoon and fork to mold it into shape.

 

Here’s my recipe, but I have no idea if it’s really good or not becaue I find meatloaf disgusting. My picky ds15 and my non-picky DH say it tastes good.

 

Ground turkey (1/2 pound, because only 2 of us eat it.)

Mushrooms chopped into teeny, tiny pieces

 

Mix those two together with a fork, right in the pan I’ll use to bake it in.

 

Spices—sage, rosemary, basil, and dried onions.

 

Mix that into the meat, with fork.

 

1/4 c fine bread crumbs.

 

Mix that into the meat, with fork.

 

1/4 c beef broth and 1 egg—stir those together.

 

Mix the egg broth into the meat, with fork.

 

My meat mixture is pretty easy to sculpt. If it’s too dry, I add more broth and it’s easier to mix. I sculpt it with the fork and a spoon into a ring shape. 350 for 20 minutes in the oven (my oven runs sorta hot, so someone else’s might take 30 minutes.)

 

 

It’s all done in one pan. I don’t touch the nasty meat with my bare hands. :)

Edited January 7, 2018 by Garga

[Lady Florida.]

I use household disposable gloves when I don't want my hands touching food. The kind like medical gloves but for kitchen use.

 

I tried mixing it in my Kitchenaid once and it changed the texture. We didn't like it.

[Laurie]

Not sure about the KA, but my Bosch has cookie dough paddle attachments. They're good for meatloaf mixing.

 

My KA hand mixer came with dough hooks, and I use those for meatloaf.  

[Cosmos]

I put my meat through the food processor, easy peasy. If you have a dishwasher, it's no trouble. 

 

Do you have a young one to do the mixing for you? My ds is usually pretty enthusiastic.

 

I only use ground turkey for meatloaf anymore. Maybe your body is quietly telling you it wants to move on from beef? Like some kind of weird reflexology response or something? 

 

Is ground turkey less cold than ground beef? Interesting hypothesis. Actually, I've made meatloaf from a variety of meats (beef, pork, and turkey) and find them all equally frigid.

 

Thanks for all the tips, everyone. I will try using gloves, and I will definitely try with a mixer (once I get one).

[6packofun]

Hand potato masher and wooden spoon OR breadmaker.

[Tap]

I use my hands, a Dainsh dough wisk,  or the Kitchenaid.  

 

If I use my hands I wear gloves, but I also break open the meat in the pan and let it stay at room temp for 15 minutes or so it warms a bit. 

 

 

Edited January 7, 2018 by Tap