6 Best Meat Tenderizers for Perfectly Tender Meat

Meat tenderizers might just be the most important tool for a thrifty chef to get the most out of their grocery money. While expensive cuts of meat are renowned for their natural tenderness and ability to sear into succulent perfection, humbler cuts are often just as flavorful — but less prized because of their tougher texture. The solution? Meat tenderizers, of course.

The thing is, there are plenty of types of this basic kitchen tool, and not everyone is appropriate for all the types of meat you might want to tenderize. We’ve combined our professional kitchen experience with a thorough review of meat tenderizers available online to bring you this: Our complete guide to meat tenderizers, with explanations of what they are, how they work, the different types you’ll find, and special considerations to take into account before buying.

Explore more about our recommendations for the 4+ best meat tenderizers here.

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What Is A Meat Tenderizer?

A meat tenderizer’s job is simple: Take a tough cut of meat, and apply plenty of brute force to it to separate the muscle fibers, thereby making for a more tender cut. The most common meat tenderizer style resembles a hammer, allowing you to maximize your leverage and impact with minimal effort.

In a pinch almost any large, heavy object can work as a meat tenderizer — but we wouldn’t recommend using anything that’s not completely metal, such as a wooden rolling pin. The closer a tool is to be one piece and made of metal, the safer it is to use with raw meat without having to worry about cross-contamination.

Why Use a Meat Tenderizer?

One of the main reasons to use a meat tenderizer is for its considerable cost savings. While the most expensive cuts of meat might set you back $30 (or more) per pound, some types of cheap cuts can be had for as little as $5 per pound — but that bargain price certainly doesn’t come with any guarantees of quality or tenderness.

There are plenty of cuts that can be transformed into tender, delicious feasts with just a few minutes spent working them over with a meat tenderizer. The problem is, these cheaper cuts are so tough that they require significantly more cooking time to get the job done — and because there’s no guarantee you’ll have an accurate idea of how long it will take, an entire meal can be ruined as a result.

Tenderizing meat ahead of time solves this problem entirely. You could even buy the cheaper cuts and tenderize them at home without any additional cost whatsoever — if you have a meat tenderizer or two on hand, that is. The same holds for preparing larger quantities of meat, such as for a party or large family gathering.

Types of Meat Tenderizers

Let’s look at each of the three main styles of meat tenderizers in closer detail:

Hammer Meat Tenderizer

Hammer-style meat tenderizers are the tool that most people think of when they say “meat tenderizer“. They strongly resemble a carpenter’s hammer, with a long shaft and a heavy, squared-off head. We have a whole post on “meat mallets” – which are the same thing. They’re great for applying maximum force to a tough cut of meat but can be hard on the wrists and hands if used for long periods.

Paddle Meat Tenderizer

Paddle-style meat tenderizers look like air hockey strikers with an extended handle. They take a little bit more effort to get meat fully tenderized but have the advantage of being extremely easy on the hands, wrists, and elbows. Great for anyone who’s going to be tenderizing a lot of meat.

Bladed Meat Tenderizer

Bladed meat tenderizers are the most recent invention in the category, and are totally unlike the previous two styles. They consist of around 50 super-thin blades housed in a spring-loaded handle, with guards on the sides and bottom. They’re operated just as if you were stamping a letter and can tenderize even the toughest of meat with minimal effort. The downside is that they’re so efficient, that you can sometimes end up with a pulpy and over-processed cut of meat.

How Do You Use a Meat Tenderizer?

There are a few main guidelines to follow when using a meat tenderizer:

• Make sure you’ve got very cold meat to work with, as this will make it easier to separate the fibers.
• Whether you’re working with a hammer-style or paddle-style meat tenderizer, use a straight downward motion and try not to wiggle the tool at all in the meat.
• If you’re using a bladed meat tenderizer, carefully pull out all the blades by the roots when your task is complete so they won’t rust from being exposed to moisture in the air.

Most people assume that the most efficient way to tenderize a piece of meat is to pound it from all angles, but in reality…it’s just beating it to the center.

So the most effective approach is to start with a series of rapid blows targeted directly at the center of your meat, and then move out in concentric circles, elongating each successive circle by about 25% so that you can cover all sides of the meat evenly. You may need to repeat this process up to 3 times for the most solid results.

Before You Buy: Considerations for Choosing A Meat Tenderizer

When we’re making a recommendation for a meat tenderizer to friends, we consider the following three things:

Make It Dishwasher Safe

There’s no compromising on this one: Do not buy any meat tenderizer that’s not dishwasher safe! Working with raw meat requires extra attention paid to sanitation, and even if you don’t have a dishwasher you’ll want to buy a meat tenderizer that’s rated as dishwasher safe. This will ensure that it’s designed to not have any potential crevices or ability to soak up bacteria-producing juices from your meat, and guarantees your safety after a proper wash.

Comfort Comes First

Of the three types of meat tenderizers listed above, each is going to be more appropriate to a certain type of person. If you have a larger frame and healthy wrists, a hammer-style tenderizer will be great — but people with fragile wrists and elbows or smaller frames relative to the weight of the tool should go for a different style.

Don’t Skimp On Price

Even at their most expensive, meat tenderizers will rarely cost more than $20 — but the difference between a $5 tenderizer and a $15 tenderizer in the same style is remarkable. Invest just a little bit more in your meat tenderizer, and you’ll have a kitchen tool that will last for the rest of your lifetime.

Meat Tenderizer Alternatives

It’s not just tenderizing meat that a meat tenderizer is good for — it’s also great to use as a mallet when making chicken piccata or other recipes where you need the ‘pounding’ sensation without actually crushing your food.

So if you’re looking for an alternative to a meat tenderizer, we’d recommend finding a solid rubber mallet that’s dishwasher safe to use in its place. Make sure it has a handle, and you’ll be good to go!

Where to Buy Meat Tenderizers

Now that you’ve got an idea of what type of meat tenderizer to look for, the question becomes where you can go online or in your local grocery store to purchase one. Also, explore our curated list of the best meat tenderizers here.

We recommend purchasing a meat tenderizer through the following channels:

• Williams-Sonoma – Offers very high-quality meat tenderizers, using imported German designs and materials.
• Amazon – Great selection, great prices, plus some of the best consumer protection policies in any retail store.
• Williams-Sonoma will likely be selling the most expensive types of meat tenderizers on this list — but they’re also by far the highest quality. If you love cooking and want a meat tenderizer that you’ll use for the rest of your life, it might be worth the investment.
• Amazon is usually cheaper than Williams-Sonoma but also comes with a few more caveats. Some people have noticed that Amazon’s selection changes over time, so you may not be able to find what you want when you place your order. Similarly, Amazon isn’t always great about handling returns and refunds, especially if the merchant doesn’t have a good return policy themselves.

For most people, Amazon will be a great place to buy a meat tenderizer for their kitchen. There’s no time limit on returns, and the prices are often significantly lower than other retailers. Just keep in mind that your experience may vary slightly from person to person and that Amazon isn’t always the cheapest option.

Frequently Asked Questions