Ever tried baking soda as meat tenderizer?
I’ve heard my father say that papaya leaves are natural meat tenderizers. I tried it once, it didn’t work and I never tried again. I never was able to find out if it was just a myth or whether I didn’t pound the leaves sufficiently to extract the juices. At any rate, I really didn’t see any reason to use meat tenderizers so long as I chose my meat with care. But there was a discussion recently about adding baking soda to meat to tenderize it. It’s something I’ve heard and read before but never tried until a few days ago. And it really works.
I haven’t as yet determined the correct proportions (if there is such a thing) as in how many teaspoonfuls of baking soda for half a kilo of meat. I’ll get to that eventually but here are some of my initial assessments:
1. Cut the meat (beef, in my case) into the desired size first. If you intend to use the meat to make a stir fry, for instance, cut across the grain into strips. Why not cut later? Because after treating it with the baking soda solution, the meat will be so tender it might break apart during cutting. So, just to be on the safe side, cut the meat first.
2. If the meat is wet (usual if the meat was frozen and thawed), just sprinkle the baking soda and work it into the meat with your hands.
3. If the meat is dry (the normal condition if it has never been in the freezer), make a paste by mixing baking soda and a little water together. Add the paste to the meat, mix and massage well.
4. Place the meat in a covered container and place in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
I tell you, this little trick with baking soda works wonders. 
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Hi Connie,
I’ve tried this before and like you was not able to get the correct proportions. I’m not sure, but i think i got this idea way back when the Pinoycook forum was still active or the comments section way back. I haven’t tried it again, it’s been more than a year already. Sayang kasi, i hardly could eat what i did before…in my case i added too much and couldn’t mask the flavor already. The many uses of baking soda!
happy new year connie!
at what point did you add salt or pepper or other seasoning to your meat…together with the baking soda, or after several hours/overnight?
thank you for the wonderful tip!
I took a class on dimsum dishes and this is what they add to the spareribs in “steamed spareribs” which is why the ribs look kinda pale and are very tender and less greasy.
peterb, and there’s a flour-y sensation in the mouth when there’s too much baking soda.
Susan, I added seasonings after, about 10 minutes before stir frying the beef.
Bernice, any tips on the proportions? How much baking soda per kilo or half kilo of meat?
I found an old traditional chinese recipe for beef steak which uses baking soda to tenderize. The recipe calls for 600 gms of beef tenderloin and 1/2 tsp of baking soda. The baking soda is mixed with the marinade of 2TB light soy sauce, 3TB corn starch, 1/2 c water and 3 TB sesame oil. I’ve tried it many times and it always tenderizes the beef wonderfully – just like in the Chinese restaurants. The Chinese bbq sauce for the beef steak is a mixture of ketchup, worcestershire sauce, water, sugar, chinese cooking wine, cornstarch paste (to thicken the sauce), soy sauce, salt and pepper.
I’ve heard about this but havent really tried it. So just for clarification Connie, you don’t wash the baking soda off the meat before cooking after storing it for several hours?
Kung wala akong pressure cooker pwede kayo to sa nilagang baka?
The proportion is 1 tsp baking soda for 1 kilo of meat. I read somewhere that baking soda tenderizes food but the trade off is that it decreases the nutritional value of the food.
The juice extracted from shredded green papaya also works wonders. Just be sure to dip the meat in the juice only a few minutes before cooking. I once marinated tapa with the papaya juice, when I fried the tapa, it literally turned into paste.
Brenda, the baking soda will the absorbed by the meat so you really can’t wash it off. I know it’s a technique used to make inexpensive cuts of meat okay for stir fries. Am not sure with larger cuts.
Maricel, green papaya? The fruit, not the leaves then? I can make achara with the papaya and use the juice as tenderizer.
Is it correct that this is only for beef that will be stir-fried?
Well, so far that’s what I tried it for. Will post results once I’ve tried it with stewing beef.
make sure you wash the meat before you cook because the excess baking soda will react to any acid that you add to the dish and it will taste like firing a fire extinguisher into your mouth.
Many chinese restaurants use baking soda extensively in meats and also to make vegetables green.
I remember making bistek pilipino with baking soda. as soon as a added calamansi juice…… DISASTRO
This technique is best for stir fries and other quick cooking dishes. About meat tenderizers. There are two basic ingredients to meat tenderizers. papaine from papaya and bromelian from pineapples. papaine is very common and effective. Kaya nga may Tinolang manok whick is actually the rooster that lost in the cockfights hence tinola from the word tinalo or looser. These roosters are quite tough and with the addition of papaya they get tenderized. You can score the skin of a green papaya and use the milk. A word of coution be sure to consume the meat rigjt after cooking as some of the papaine does tenderize even after the meat is cooked.
hi,connie!!!! try using baking soda when making lechon kawali and fried chicken.same friend of mine who advised me to use baking soda on crispy pata said that it also works wonders for d 2 food items that i mentioned.
i did try it with d crispy pata, WITH SUPER EXTRA CAUTION!!!!(remember my burn marks story?),lechon kawali and fried chicken.added just a teaspoon of baking soda while boiling d pata,lechon kawali and d chicken prior to frying.d meat did come out tender,d skin crispy.
thanks again,connie!!!!!
wow, so the juice from papaya and baking soda really works? To think that I rejoiced when I chanced upon Mccormick’s powdered tenderizer.
Re: papaya juice-perhaps this is why when I cook ginataang chicken with green papaya, the chicken becomes so soft, too soft actually.
A friend of mine used to mix peanut butter into BBQ marinade, as tenderizer.
peanut butter is a myth. the bottled meat tenderizer actually has bromelain in it. you can check the ingredients. try soaking the meat in pineapple juice (without the baking soda, malamang) before frying pork chop. the pineapple juice is mild and doesn’t overwhelm the taste of the dish.
that’s why adobo with pineapple works great.
I still say papaya leaves mashed and left for certain period – is effective as a natural tenderizer.
ohter fruits that can do as well are pineapple & Kiwi.
Yogurt or buttermilk (good for chicken) You get a moist tender chicken. Flavour the yogurt or butter milk with dried onions & garlic & paprika. Later remove the marinade, dip the chicken in flour and eggwash, then in seasoned flour & fry.
You could even try whole milk. In fact I use milk to remove blood from liver.
Kiwi works, too. Kiwis have natural enzymes to break down meat.
Baking soda does wonders:
The amount to use for tenderizing meat or degas beans:
Usual and normal amount usually adds up to 1/16th the of a tea spoon. however if you are looking for exact amount you should know this trick:
Start adding about 1/16th of of a teaspoon; the meat or beans will start foaming; keep adding until the foaming stops.
As rule of thumb, you have to remember that if you ad too much baking soda, it may change the taste of your food so always remember not to exceed more than 1/8th to 1/4th of a teaspoon
per 1 gallon (3.78 Lit) volume of food.
Another point to consider is that if the food is hot rather than cold, the baking soda will foam more; so it kind of depends on the temperature as well.
What helpful ideas! Baking soda I always have in the cupboard, and yes, also have a 1/8th measuring teaspoon for salt-sensitive dishes for my husband. Thanks for sharing, Connie!