What Are Beef Cutlets?

Breaded beef cutlets are a great choice if you’re looking for a quick, tasty dinner. Although it goes by different names, it is a common dinner item in most of the world. Similar food known as Milanesa de Res, or Milanese Steak, is prepared in Argentina by breading thinly sliced beef and frying it in hot oil. The end result is meat that is tender and meaty on the inside. The dish resembles chicken fried cutlets or the Austrian Wiener schnitzel. You can quickly prepare a filling dinner by serving these crispy cutlets with a side of green beans or mashed potatoes.

Types

For veal, pork, or lamb cutlets, the meat is typically taken from the leg or rib section, whereas chicken and turkey are taken from the breast. Pork is an easy meat to use to make cutlets because the shape of the loin allows for the production of thin cuts that are consistent in size and shape.

Veal cutlets may also be labeled as “scallops” or “scallopini. You may come across cutlets referred to as schnitzel on restaurant menus or in cookbooks. Schnitzel is a traditional Austrian dish in which cutlets are dredged in flour, then covered in egg and breadcrumbs before being fried. Weiner schnitzel is made from veal and is typically made from center cuts from the leg muscle. The meat is tender, but it must still be handled carefully to remove any connective tissue that might become chewy when cooked. Conversely, the already tender chicken and turkey breast is used to make cutlets.

Creation

Pounding the meat to an even thinness is what distinguishes a cutlet from other types of meat. When the cutlet is pounded flat, it cooks more quickly, which is advantageous because the meat is typically from a tougher part of the animal and shouldn’t be cooked for any longer than is necessary to avoid becoming chewy and inedible.

To make cutlets out of thick cuts of meat, simply sandwich the meat between two pieces of parchment paper on a cutting board. Pound the meat evenly and over the entire piece with a meat mallet or other tool, such as a rolling pin, to achieve a uniform thickness.

Cooking

Cutlets cook quickly due to their thinness, regardless of the type of meat they are. You can simply season the raw cutlets and cook in the oil or butter, as opposed to following the majority of recipes’ instructions to dredge in flour or coat in breadcrumbs before pan-frying. After the cutlets are done, the recipes frequently call for making a sauce in the pan, as with dishes like veal saltimbocca, lemon chicken with mushrooms, and simple lemon caper sauce. A breaded cutlet called veal (or chicken) Milanese is frequently topped with a salad.

Despite not being as popular, cutlets can also be roasted, broiled, or simmered in a sauce.

Misconceptions

For some reason, the term “cutlet” is occasionally used to describe what is actually a “croquette,” which is made of mashed potatoes or rice combined with other ingredients, formed into shapes, then dredged in flour and fried. Thus, the only similarity between these two dishes is their dredging and frying. But rather than being dredged in flour and fried, a cutlet is defined as being made from a thin slice of meat.

While beef is not one of the meats used to make cutlets, it is occasionally used to refer to the beef cube steak used to make chicken-fried steak or Swiss steak. Typically, a thin piece of beef round primal is used to make cube steak, which is then put through a mechanical tenderizer to give it the distinctive cube-shaped marks.

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FAQ

What is beef cutlet used for?

Cutlets are thin meat slices that are ideal for quick cooking techniques like sautéing, air frying, or deep frying. These less expensive, but less tender cuts of meat can be made into cutlets to make them appear more tender when cooked.

What part of the cow is the beef cutlet?

The Round Steak Cutlet comes from the beef round primal. The meat is a thinner cut that has been twice tenderized to help lessen toughness.

What is the best cut for cutlets?

Veal cutlets can be made from almost any solid muscle, but they are typically cut from either the Boneless Leg [(BHS) Bottom / Hip / Sirloin] or the Cap-Off Top Round. The top round is the most tender muscle for slicing.

What is considered a cutlet?

In the culinary world, the term “cutlet” refers to a boneless, thin cut of meat, usually pan-fried, that can be either chicken, veal, pork, or lamb. Most cutlets are made by pounding the meat until it is uniformly thin, and they are frequently floured or breaded before cooking.