You'd be hard-pressed to find a food that looks and tastes more like home than meatloaf. But the next time you're hankering for a taste of this ultimate comfort food, try adding some new techniques to your favorite recipe. These tips will help you take your loaf from homey to heavenly.
- Use a light hand when mixing; overworking the mix makes for tough meatloaf.
- Moisten your hands lightly with a thin coat of oil when mixing so the meat doesn't stick to your fingers.
- Check seasonings by frying up a small patty of the mixture and tasting it.
- You can make meatloaf either in a loaf pan or free-form. Free-form meatloaves have a crust all around; loaf-pan meatloaves have a more "steamed" texture. It's strictly a matter of preference.
- Let your meatloaf rest for about 10 minutes after it comes out of the oven; it will hold together better when slicing.
