Keeping firm meatballs

[monkeyboy]

Sounds odd I know

when heating in sauce secrets to keepin them firm?

 

[FredinFL]

Boil them first.

 

[SandrA9810]

I would assume water would make it fall apart, as that's what helps make it crumble when you need it to. Weird.

I always use breadcrumbs in the mixture before forming and frying them up before mixing in the sauce. I use a bit of olive oil in the bottom or cooking spray, on low heat, with a lid on top to make it steam better.

 

[JimR24]

I use breadcrumbs too. But I moisten them with water and then mix them into the meat. I sometimes bake them but most times just fold them into the sauce and cook all day.

 

[AKL_Megs]

I always brown them first.

 

[CowboyCO]

Make sure to use eggs and bread crumbs as a binder. The person who suggested browning them is a good suggestion, too.

 

[tlbwriter]

Boiled meatballs?

I bake mine before I add them to sauce and they stay together. They're fully cooked before I put them in the sauce. Oh, and I use panko in mine.

 

[FredinFL]

Yes, boiled meatballs. You boil them until they float, scoop them out and put them in the sauce. They bind, the grease comes out, and they taste good. At least mine do.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

I always brown them first.

Me too....also make sure you have something to bind them. Breadcrumbs or panko really make them stay together.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I'm not going to judge some of the meatball abuse just revealed in this thread and will only say that meatballs should be treated with love. I don't know if these are home-made or store bought we're talking or how you cook them but fried are tastier and definitely sturdier than baked or any other form, but less healthy. Do not drop uncooked meatballs straight into the sauce, it won't end well, you'll get mounds of mush... I'm thinking that might be what you are doing, or your recipe might be too high in fluids which will make mush no matter what you do with them. Poor sad little mushy meatballs. Fried meatballs are the ones that can sit in a big pot of gravy all day and still be fine and everything else will turn to mush under the stress of the liquid heat. If you are having 'healthy' meatballs which were previously frozen or baked or made from non beef then just drop them into the gravy 10-15 minutes before you eat so they can heat through. No matter what kind you make be careful not to manhandle them while you stir the sauce. Take them out of the pot gently and put them into their own bowl then ladle out the sauce separately. Mangia bene!

 

[goofyernmost]

Personally, I make a large batch ahead of time. I include panko, but only recently. Before that I just made them up with garlic, onion, hamburg (of course), crushed unsalted soda crackers as filler, salt, pepper and one egg per pound of hamburg. Form them and bake on a cookie sheet. After they cool they go in the freezer until I need them.

When I need them, I put them in the microwave to thaw and heat and then add to the sauce. Never had a problem with them crumbling.

 

[goofyernmost]

I'm not going to judge some of the meatball abuse just revealed in this thread and will only say that meatballs should be treated with love. I don't know if these are home-made or store bought we're talking or how you cook them but fried are tastier and definitely sturdier than baked or any other form, but less healthy. Do not drop uncooked meatballs straight into the sauce, it won't end well, you'll get mounds of mush... I'm thinking that might be what you are doing, or your recipe might be too high in fluids which will make mush no matter what you do with them. Poor sad little mushy meatballs. Fried meatballs are the ones that can sit in a big pot of gravy all day and still be fine and everything else will turn to mush under the stress of the liquid heat. If you are having 'healthy' meatballs which were previously frozen or baked or made from non beef then just drop them into the gravy 10-15 minutes before you eat so they can heat through. No matter what kind you make be careful not to manhandle them while you stir the sauce. Take them out of the pot gently and put them into their own bowl then ladle out the sauce separately. Mangia bene!

That actually does sound like what might be happening. They need to be cooked before going into the sauce.

 

[njmom47]

Fried meatballs are the ones that can sit in a big pot of gravy all day and still be fine

This is how my mom did them and how I do them. IMO, they are just as awesome before they're thrown into the pot!

 

[Wishing on a star]

Boiled ground meat????????

Brown them a little first, just on Med. just to 'set'...

Believe me, if one is eating meatballs, the dab of vegetable oil that one might end up getting from pre-browning really is NO difference in whether they are healthy or not.

 

[Not My Fault!]

If you want a firmer meatball you simply roll it tighter (more compact). You do that at the risk of better flavor, however.

 

[JimR24]

I'm not going to judge some of the meatball abuse just revealed in this thread and will only say that meatballs should be treated with love. I don't know if these are home-made or store bought we're talking or how you cook them but fried are tastier and definitely sturdier than baked or any other form, but less healthy. Do not drop uncooked meatballs straight into the sauce, it won't end well, you'll get mounds of mush... I'm thinking that might be what you are doing, or your recipe might be too high in fluids which will make mush no matter what you do with them. Poor sad little mushy meatballs. Fried meatballs are the ones that can sit in a big pot of gravy all day and still be fine and everything else will turn to mush under the stress of the liquid heat. If you are having 'healthy' meatballs which were previously frozen or baked or made from non beef then just drop them into the gravy 10-15 minutes before you eat so they can heat through. No matter what kind you make be careful not to manhandle them while you stir the sauce. Take them out of the pot gently and put them into their own bowl then ladle out the sauce separately. Mangia bene!

Wow, didn't know Mario Batali had a DIS account. I have dropped uncooked meatballs into sauce on many occasions and they came out perfectly fine. Always home made and no mush.

 

[snapppyd]

I mix onion, garlic, bread crumbs, parsley and a beaten egg into the meat. I bake them in the oven on a cookie sheet until golden brown and then freeze them (I make enough for a few meals at one time). Then just put the frozen meatballs into the sauce when you are ready to heat and eat - mine have never fallen apart or gotten mushy.

 

[TwingleMum]

We must all be on the same wave length. I bought everything to make meatballs tomorrow. There is a great recipe for meatballs on the food network Throwdown with Bobby Flay. A guy near where I live beat Bobby and he posted his 100 yr old Grandma's recipe to share.

 

[monkeyboy]

The meatballs where fine it's just when simmered in gravy they started falling apart.

 

[kathymc]

I microwave mine for like 7-8 minutes and it gets alot of the fat out and firms them up to simmer for another couple of hours.