Italian Meatballs Question

Lisa Ann said:

Okay, I googled here to get ideas on making Italian meatballs, planning to
put them in spaghetti sauce after cooking them. No problem, they tasted
pretty good.

My question is this...how do you get them uniformly browned in the skillet?
It's bad enough that my kitchen floor is uneven (so naturally my stove is
too), but I'd go to try to brown another side....and because they were now
browned and flattened on the first side, they just kept trying to roll back
over.

I gave up, and ended up finishing them in the oven. I have no talent,
apparently, for cooking round things.

Lisa Ann

I always brown them in the oven and finish them in the sauce. I'm gonna
make a couple of pounds of meatballs tomorrow, roast them, and freeze them.

Bob

Okay, I googled here to get ideas on making Italian meatballs, planning to
put them in spaghetti sauce after cooking them. No problem, they tasted
pretty good.

My question is this...how do you get them uniformly browned in the skillet?
It's bad enough that my kitchen floor is uneven (so naturally my stove is
too), but I'd go to try to brown another side....and because they were now
browned and flattened on the first side, they just kept trying to roll back
over.

I gave up, and ended up finishing them in the oven. I have no talent,
apparently, for cooking round things.

Lisa Ann

Okay, I googled here to get ideas on making Italian meatballs, planning to
put them in spaghetti sauce after cooking them. No problem, they tasted
pretty good.

My question is this...how do you get them uniformly browned in the skillet?
It's bad enough that my kitchen floor is uneven (so naturally my stove is
too), but I'd go to try to brown another side....and because they were now
browned and flattened on the first side, they just kept trying to roll back
over.

I gave up, and ended up finishing them in the oven. I have no talent,
apparently, for cooking round things.

Lisa Ann

zxcvbob wrote on 27 Jan 2006 in rec.food.cooking

Quoted message said:

Lisa Ann said:

Okay, I googled here to get ideas on making Italian meatballs,
planning to put them in spaghetti sauce after cooking them. No
problem, they tasted pretty good.

My question is this...how do you get them uniformly browned in the
skillet? It's bad enough that my kitchen floor is uneven (so
naturally my stove is too), but I'd go to try to brown another
side....and because they were now browned and flattened on the first
side, they just kept trying to roll back over.

I gave up, and ended up finishing them in the oven. I have no
talent, apparently, for cooking round things.

Lisa Ann

I always brown them in the oven and finish them in the sauce. I'm
gonna make a couple of pounds of meatballs tomorrow, roast them, and
freeze them.

Bob

I make up the fixins, spread them in a squarish glass casserole dish and
draw lines thru the hamburger to ensure equal sized cubes of meat. Roll
each of the cubes into balls and bake till almost cooked in the oven on a
cookie sheet with a rack. Then finish them off in whatever sauce I'm
using. I go the 'little cube method' way due to getting impatient and
getting too much size difference in my meat balls.

I fine cooking them to medium rare in the oven and finishing them off in
the sauce gives the sauce a flavour boost and I get better textured meat
balls, as they haven't cooked to mush.

--
The eyes are the mirrors....
But the ears...Ah the ears.
The ears keep the hat up.

zxcvbob wrote on 27 Jan 2006 in rec.food.cooking

Quoted message said:

Lisa Ann said:

Okay, I googled here to get ideas on making Italian meatballs,
planning to put them in spaghetti sauce after cooking them. No
problem, they tasted pretty good.

My question is this...how do you get them uniformly browned in the
skillet? It's bad enough that my kitchen floor is uneven (so
naturally my stove is too), but I'd go to try to brown another
side....and because they were now browned and flattened on the first
side, they just kept trying to roll back over.

I gave up, and ended up finishing them in the oven. I have no
talent, apparently, for cooking round things.

Lisa Ann

I always brown them in the oven and finish them in the sauce. I'm
gonna make a couple of pounds of meatballs tomorrow, roast them, and
freeze them.

Bob

I make up the fixins, spread them in a squarish glass casserole dish and
draw lines thru the hamburger to ensure equal sized cubes of meat. Roll
each of the cubes into balls and bake till almost cooked in the oven on a
cookie sheet with a rack. Then finish them off in whatever sauce I'm
using. I go the 'little cube method' way due to getting impatient and
getting too much size difference in my meat balls.

I fine cooking them to medium rare in the oven and finishing them off in
the sauce gives the sauce a flavour boost and I get better textured meat
balls, as they haven't cooked to mush.

--
The eyes are the mirrors....
But the ears...Ah the ears.
The ears keep the hat up.

Mr Libido Incognito said:

I make up the fixins, spread them in a squarish glass casserole dish and
draw lines thru the hamburger to ensure equal sized cubes of meat. Roll
each of the cubes into balls and bake till almost cooked in the oven on a
cookie sheet with a rack. Then finish them off in whatever sauce I'm
using. I go the 'little cube method' way due to getting impatient and
getting too much size difference in my meat balls.

OK, then how do you get all the squares the same size (and
thickness)?

Just eyeball your balls. No reason to get all obsessive
-compulsive about it. I never heard of anyone having much of a
problem with them, as long as they're close.

I guess some people are just meatball-challenged.

-sw

Mr Libido Incognito said:

I make up the fixins, spread them in a squarish glass casserole dish and
draw lines thru the hamburger to ensure equal sized cubes of meat. Roll
each of the cubes into balls and bake till almost cooked in the oven on a
cookie sheet with a rack. Then finish them off in whatever sauce I'm
using. I go the 'little cube method' way due to getting impatient and
getting too much size difference in my meat balls.

OK, then how do you get all the squares the same size (and
thickness)?

Just eyeball your balls. No reason to get all obsessive
-compulsive about it. I never heard of anyone having much of a
problem with them, as long as they're close.

I guess some people are just meatball-challenged.

-sw

Hee hee, Lisa, for you to have that much of a problem with the
meatballs, with the floor, and stove not being level, I was wondering if
your living in the Leaning Tower of Piza? :-)

Really Lisa, for you to spend that much time, ensuring that every square
centimeter on the meatballs are browned, by then I would think they
would be overcooked?

They don't have to be perfect, just cook them enough, so that they have
some browning on them. The main purpose is to cook them a little bit in
the pan, so they don't disintegrate when they're put into the sauce.

If you overcook them, they'll most likely be better suited for golf,
rather than for eating.

My meatballs usually consist of a mixture of beef, and pork, chopped
garlic, egg, a little chopped parsley, and some water soaked, and
squeezed out italian bread broken up, never breadcrumbs, and never milk
in them. (essentially my grandmothers method, and she was from Italy)

On occasion, a little bit of Pignoli nuts-seeds might find its way in
too. Mark

Hee hee, Lisa, for you to have that much of a problem with the
meatballs, with the floor, and stove not being level, I was wondering if
your living in the Leaning Tower of Piza? :-)

Really Lisa, for you to spend that much time, ensuring that every square
centimeter on the meatballs are browned, by then I would think they
would be overcooked?

They don't have to be perfect, just cook them enough, so that they have
some browning on them. The main purpose is to cook them a little bit in
the pan, so they don't disintegrate when they're put into the sauce.

If you overcook them, they'll most likely be better suited for golf,
rather than for eating.

My meatballs usually consist of a mixture of beef, and pork, chopped
garlic, egg, a little chopped parsley, and some water soaked, and
squeezed out italian bread broken up, never breadcrumbs, and never milk
in them. (essentially my grandmothers method, and she was from Italy)

On occasion, a little bit of Pignoli nuts-seeds might find its way in
too. Mark

Mark D said:

My meatballs usually consist of a mixture of beef, and pork, chopped
garlic, egg, a little chopped parsley, and some water soaked, and
squeezed out italian bread broken up, never breadcrumbs, and never milk
in them. (essentially my grandmothers method, and she was from Italy)

Why not soaked in milk? Have you tried them side by side with water?
I did, and I preferred them soaked in milk, but I'd be interested in
your observations.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

Mark D said:

My meatballs usually consist of a mixture of beef, and pork, chopped
garlic, egg, a little chopped parsley, and some water soaked, and
squeezed out italian bread broken up, never breadcrumbs, and never milk
in them. (essentially my grandmothers method, and she was from Italy)

Why not soaked in milk? Have you tried them side by side with water?
I did, and I preferred them soaked in milk, but I'd be interested in
your observations.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

"Reg" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Mark D said:

My meatballs usually consist of a mixture of beef, and pork, chopped
garlic, egg, a little chopped parsley, and some water soaked, and
squeezed out italian bread broken up, never breadcrumbs, and never milk
in them. (essentially my grandmothers method, and she was from Italy)

Why not soaked in milk? Have you tried them side by side with water?
I did, and I preferred them soaked in milk, but I'd be interested in
your observations.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

My Italian mother always adds milk to her meatball mix...when compared to
mix made without milk, the milk ones tend to be much more tender, and less
of the chewy or golfball variety

me...I tend to be time-challenged, and often toss the meatballs straight
into the sauce without browning, they cook and add a lovely heartiness to
the sauce as well (you also don't have to season the sauce as much, as some
comes from the meatballs)

Cheers
Maria

"Lisa Ann" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Okay, I googled here to get ideas on making Italian meatballs, planning to
put them in spaghetti sauce after cooking them. No problem, they tasted
pretty good.

My question is this...how do you get them uniformly browned in the

skillet?

Quoted message said:

It's bad enough that my kitchen floor is uneven (so naturally my stove is
too), but I'd go to try to brown another side....and because they were now
browned and flattened on the first side, they just kept trying to roll

back

Quoted message said:

over.

I gave up, and ended up finishing them in the oven. I have no talent,
apparently, for cooking round things.

I use a measuring cup to portion out the meat mixture. That way they are
all nicely the same size. You can roll them in fresh bread crumbs if you
like. I cook them in muffin tins a la Alton Brown in the oven - 400F for 20
minutes. I serve them as a main course, on a bed of sauce with a large
dollop of ricotta and plenty of parmesan. You want them to be very tender,
moist and juicy. The oven method is ideal for this.

Paul

On Sat, 28 Jan 2006 05:04:02 GMT, "Lisa Ann" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Okay, I googled here to get ideas on making Italian meatballs, planning to
put them in spaghetti sauce after cooking them. No problem, they tasted
pretty good.

My question is this...how do you get them uniformly browned in the skillet?
It's bad enough that my kitchen floor is uneven (so naturally my stove is
too), but I'd go to try to brown another side....and because they were now
browned and flattened on the first side, they just kept trying to roll back
over.

If they become flattened on one side, they are too soft. They should
hold their shape. Cut back on the number of eggs or add more bread
crumbs (or whatever).

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

Lisa Ann said:

It's bad enough that my kitchen floor is uneven (so naturally my stove is
too).

Everyones floor is uneven, that's why stoves have leveling legs...
adjust the leg scews until your stove is perfectly level (check across
the burners and the oven racks), most all appliances have leveling
legs; fridge, dishwasher, clothes washer, clothes dryer... if
applainces are not properly leveled they won't operate properly, their
life will be shortened, and a dangerous situation can ensue... not
being level your stove is dangerous.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Lisa Ann said:

Okay, I googled here to get ideas on making Italian meatballs, planning to
put them in spaghetti sauce after cooking them. No problem, they tasted
pretty good.

My question is this...how do you get them uniformly browned in the skillet?
It's bad enough that my kitchen floor is uneven (so naturally my stove is
too), but I'd go to try to brown another side....and because they were now
browned and flattened on the first side, they just kept trying to roll back
over.

I gave up, and ended up finishing them in the oven. I have no talent,
apparently, for cooking round things.

Lisa Ann

FWIW, if your stove is a slide-in, it should have leveling feet.
Browning them in the oven completely is a fine plan, btw -- no need to
turn and misshape them.

A friend of mine doesn't brown the meatballs, just drops them into her
vat of spaghetti sauce for cooking there.
--
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com, updated 1-27-2006, The Best Dead Spread Yet

In article <[email hidden]>,

zxcvbob said:

I always brown them in the oven and finish them in the sauce. I'm gonna
make a couple of pounds of meatballs tomorrow, roast them, and freeze them.

Bob

And I do mine in the microwave around the perimeter in a glass pie
plate. Maybe 2-3 minutes for a load. I don't care if they don't get
brown because they're going to pick up a coating of whatever sauce I
serve them in, anyway.
--
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com, updated 1-27-2006, The Best Dead Spread Yet

Melba's Jammin said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Lisa Ann said:

Okay, I googled here to get ideas on making Italian meatballs, planning to
put them in spaghetti sauce after cooking them. No problem, they tasted
pretty good.

My question is this...how do you get them uniformly browned in the skillet?
It's bad enough that my kitchen floor is uneven (so naturally my stove is
too), but I'd go to try to brown another side....and because they were now
browned and flattened on the first side, they just kept trying to roll back
over.

I gave up, and ended up finishing them in the oven. I have no talent,
apparently, for cooking round things.

Lisa Ann

FWIW, if your stove is a slide-in, it should have leveling feet.
Browning them in the oven completely is a fine plan, btw -- no need to
turn and misshape them.

We have a slide-in and it does have leveling feet and an anti-tip
bracket. Both are important. Our free standing range also has leveling
feet so the OP should check to see if her model has them. It will make
cooking a little more enjoyable.

Temp and timing please? I've always browned meatballs in a fry pan.
The oven methods sounds easier and would free up the time it takes them
to brown to do other prep work. Do you use a casserole dish, sided
cookie sheet? Do you use any kind of rack to allow any grease to drip
away from the meatballs?

Quoted message said:

A friend of mine doesn't brown the meatballs, just drops them into her
vat of spaghetti sauce for cooking there.

We like meatballs with different sauces so I make up a huge batch and
freeze them. Then we can use the sauce of choice when desired. It can
be a real time saver on busy nights to take out frozen meatballs, toss
them in sauce, then top noodles. I'd say along with a tossed salad and
a bread of some sort, you could have a nice meal on the table in well
under 30 minutes. Rachel Ray would love it 🙂

Lisa Ann said:

My question is this...how do you get them uniformly browned in the skillet?

You don't.

Oven baking is probably easiest at home and the method used by most
restaurants but large commercial operations typically brown/cook meat
balls with a deep fryer (usually a conveyer type), browns perfectly
evenly, no flat spots, no sticking, and it's fast.

When oven baking meatballs the more shallow the pan the better they
brown... jelly roll pans work fine.

Sheldon