Original Ann Landers Meat Loaf Recipe | CDKitchen.com (2024)

FAQs

Why are there pink spots in my meatloaf? ›

Yet under certain conditions it may still be pink in color. You're right, this may be caused by the presence of other foods - particularly those containing nitrites. Nitrites may come from cured products such as bacon or ham, which are sometimes included in meatloaf recipes.

By free-forming a meatloaf—not cooking it in a loaf pan—we get maximum surface area exposure, and therefore maximum flavor. So not only does it make it easier to slice and guard against sogginess, but mounding your meatloaf instead of panning it also makes your meatloaf literally tastier.

History. Meatloaf is a traditional German, Scandinavian and Belgian dish, and it is a cousin to the meatball in Dutch cuisine. American meatloaf has its origins in scrapple, a mixture of ground pork and cornmeal served by German-Americans in Pennsylvania since colonial times.

To help your meatloaf stay together add things such as eggs, bread, crushed croutons, oatmeal, crackers, and breadcrumbs, these are all key ingredients that help meat stick together. I hope that this helps to answer your question. What are the secrets to a firm, sliceable meatloaf that slices and won't fall apart?

In essence, it boils down to a few simple steps: Combine ground meat, eggs, breadcrumbs, and other flavorful ingredients of your choice. Put this mixture in a lightly greased loaf pan and bake it until it's cooked through.

The oven temperature is typically set at 350 degrees F for making meatloaf. That's the temperature you want to be sure to use so the meatloaf cooks and doesn't dry out. Too high, and the outer crust will burn before the interior is cooked all the way, too low and you don't get that delicious crust.

Should I cook my meatloaf covered or uncovered? The meatloaf can be cooked uncovered. However, if you are concerned about it burning, you can cover the meatloaf with foil for the first 45 minutes and uncover it for the final 15 minutes to allow the meatloaf to brown on top.

If the meatloaf is over 160°F, or 165°F if you used chicken or turkey, it's fully cooked and safe to consume even if it's still pink inside. The reason your meatloaf may still be pink in the middle when fully cooked is nitrates.

Because glass is an insulator, rather than a conductor, it's slow to heat but, once hot, retains that heat for longer. This can result in uneven baking: By the time the interior is baked through, the exterior is often overcooked, dry, or dark.

Nonstick pans typically have a coating that prevents food from sticking, making them an excellent choice for cooking meatloaf and other dishes that have a tendency to stick to the pan.

Is meatloaf better on a sheet pan or loaf pan? ›

Not only does sheet pan meatloaf bake up faster than its traditional loaf-shaped cousin, it also has more surface area, meaning every bite is laden with that deliciously caramelized topping.

Overall, ketchup adds a touch of sweetness and acidity to the meatloaf, so when you're looking for substitutions, you will want to use something that captures one or both of those tastes to really round out your dish.

Meatloaf in America can be traced back to scrapple, a dish created by German immigrants in colonial Pennsylvania. These immigrants brought the idea of making a cooked mixture of ground meat and spices from Europe, where the ancestor of meatloaf was born.

Though modern meatloaf is an American innovation, its ancestry spans the globe, and centuries. In his cookbook, De Re Coquinaria, Roman gastronome Apicius features chopped meat combined with spices, bread soaked in wine and pine nuts and formed into a patty.

Should I cook my meatloaf covered or uncovered? The meatloaf can be cooked uncovered. However, if you are concerned about it burning, you can cover the meatloaf with foil for the first 45 minutes and uncover it for the final 15 minutes to allow the meatloaf to brown on top.

Eggs are an ingredient in nearly every meatloaf, and they have two distinct roles. Egg yolks, which are mostly water but contain a good amount of protein and fat, add flavor, richness, and moisture. They also help bind the meat together and get the loaf to set in a stable form without the need to overwork the meat.