Baking soda for meat tenderising

PARlance

I had been watching quite a few stir-fry videos/recipes lately and got an urge to cook one last night. Rather than make a trip to town, there was some stewing beef in the fridge that I said I would try to tenderise with (the seemingly common method of using) baking soda.

Has anyone had success doing this before?

Let's just say that last night was not a success and it ended up a veg stir fry. I followed a simple marinade that included a small amount of baking soda but as soon as it hit the wok, the smell floored me.

I did a bit of digging afterwards and there were some suggestions of washing the meat after using the baking soda, but most seemed to say that the marinade would hide any slight taste.

The marinade I did was oyster sauce, soya sauce, and sesame oil. The only thing I can think of is that something acidic got into the marinade to make it smell more like a science experiment rather than a stir-fry.

Wouldn't be inclined to try it again but would be interested to know if anyone uses this method?

Explosive_Cornflake

I've used a 50:50 mix of baking POWDER and salt to crisp chicken up before roasting. It's Kenji's method. Theory is the salt pulls the moisture out, and the baking soda keeps it drier.

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121381027#Comment_121381027

I was worried that I mixed up soda and powder and that that may have been the cause but the recipes called for soda.

leck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121381027#Comment_121381027

You mention both baking powder and baking soda in your comment. Baking powder is bicarbonate of soda while baking powder is made from that and tartaric acid.

The Hill Billy

Stewing beef won't suit a stir fry regardless of whether it was tenderised or not. It usually is a lot tougher than other cuts and has more connective tissue. Low and slow cooking is the best way to cook stewing beef.

Use baking soda on thin strips of rump steak may work if you are looking to use cheaper cuts of beef.