How to tenderise beef (velveting beef)

What tenderised beef tastes like - Tenderised beef has a "velvety" texture. The fibres are softened so you get less "meaty" texture, which is why I only use this technique to tenderise strips of meat and not cubes or steaks.

The flavour of the tenderised beef will only be as good as the cut you use. But the beauty of stir fries is that there's always a flavourful glossy sauce!

1. Beef cuts - Use this for stewing cuts and to improve the tenderness of economical steaks.It will work with any cut of beef but is obviously wasted on expensive beef like tenderloin or high quality, well marbled fillets and rib eyes.

Tenderising timediffers for different cuts of beef. Here's the general rule of thumb I've come up with based on all the beef I've tried:

Chuck beef, gravy beef, oyster beef and other traditional stewing beef - 30 minutes Economical steak cuts (eg. cheap rump, hanger) - 20 minutes Blade, bolar blade - 40 minutes Brisket - the only cut I don't recommend, haven't been 100% happy with outcome

If you're unsure for your cut of beef, go for 35 minutes. Even when I under or over tenderised, it was still tender and juicy. You'll quickly figure out the best marinating times for your preferred cuts of beef - just adjust up and down by 10 minutes at a time.

2. Baking soda, also known as bi-carb or bi-carbonate soda. Do not use baking POWDER, not strong enough.

3. Cutting against the grain - The best way to cut beef to make every bite tender. Look for the direction of the fibres of the beef. Then cut 90 degrees across them as best you can. See here for illustrative image.

4. Only use slices and bite size pieces -This method of tenderising beef is suitable for sliced or small bite size pieces of beef, not a whole steak. The baking soda is too strong and will over tenderise the outside before the inside is tenderised.

To tenderise a whole steak, use a Steak Marinade.

5. Nutrition assumes beef chuck is used. Calories will be lower if a leaner beef is used.