Classic Meatloaf Recipe...just like Mom used to make. |The Best Meatloaf Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to a great meat loaf? ›

Clever cooks get deliciously rich texture by adding milk to seasoned breadcrumbs and allowing all the liquid to be absorbed. This time-honored tradition for making the most succulent meatloaf creates a flavorful binder that evenly distributes moisture throughout the loaf.

Eggs Add Structure

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.

Is it better to add milk or water in meatloaf? Without question, it is better to use milk in meatloaf. The added fat adds richness and moist texture to the meatloaf, and the added milk proteins encourage additional browning reactions (which means more flavor).

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.

The Basic Meatloaf Formula

All recipes for meatloaf start with the same basic formula: 2 pounds of ground meat and a “panade” made of bread or crackers soaked in milk. Along with a few eggs, this panade helps to hold the ground meat together and adds some essential moisture to the mix.

Q: Why does my meatloaf always crack while cooking? A: Meatloaf usually cracks when the outside has cooked much more quickly than the inside. When meat cooks, the proteins contract and bind together; when it doesn't cook evenly, the outer proteins tighten up, leaving cracks in the top of your meatloaf.

Onions, garlic and celery do pose one problem though: they don't cook down easily. Little bits of crunchy onion or celery or potent, hot garlic will spoil the comforting aspect of eating meatloaf.

Another common reason meatloaf is mushy is too much filler, like breadcrumbs, bread, and oatmeal.

If you don't have any bread, you can substitute it for breadcrumbs, crackers, cereal grains, oatmeal, instant rice, instant barley, or even potato flakes! However, bread is still the best choice of all the potential options.

Why did my meatloaf come out mushy? ›

Too Much Liquid

One of the most common reasons meatloaf is watery is an overabundance of liquid ingredients. Adding broth, milk, or eggs can enhance flavor and moisture, but too much can lead to a soupy consistency. Use these ingredients sparingly, and consider adding breadcrumbs or oats to absorb excess moisture.

The meat will firm up as it cooks, of course, but if you have a loose, wet, sloppy mixture, it will be a sort of soggy, loose meatloaf. If it's really dense and tight, that's what the meatloaf will be. So, if you added too much milk and the meat mixture seems too loose, tear up some more bread and add it.

Overmixing will make a meatloaf dry and dense. Start by stirring the wet ingredients together. Then add the sautéed veggies. Now, before starting to mix it all together there like a mad man, just stop.

When this happens, it's because you didn't use enough. Next time, try adding in an extra egg and/or some more breadcrumbs. Alternatively, rice, barley, corn flakes, crackers, and dried soup mix can also stand in as binding ingredients as well. Including larger quantities of these items should help solve the problem.

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.

A neat trick to soak up the grease under your meatloaf is to line the bottom of the pan with bread slices. The bread soaks up the grease as the loaf bakes. When the meatloaf is done, you can either throw out the bread or bake it to make some truly indulgent toast.

However, overmixing can cause meatloaf to become springy, rubbery, and too dense. If that myosin network gets built up too much, it's bad news for the texture of your loaf. So, don't mix it too heavily.