HOW TO...MAKE MINCE BY HAND

A useful technique if we ever lose electricity...

Meat minced by hand: look closely and you can see chicken, pork & bacon

Back in the day when kitchens did not have food processors and blenders,  cooks often made their own mince.

Sure, it was a bit of a faff.  

But the simple technique of bashing fillets of meat and then chopping them -- over and over again -- was very effective.  And believe me, you have not lived until you have seen a Chinese chef mincing meat with a cleaver in each hand.

Chinese Cleaver, Chinatown supermarkets
prices according to choice

A Chinese cleaver or any other solid knife with a good sharp blade (say, a cook's knife) is essential but basically it's pretty low tech.  Arm muscles will be given a good workout that may help banish bingo wings.  

Mincing your own meat makes the best Coarse Country Terrine but is also useful if you don't have a food processor or blender. 

Note:  This technique is not suitable for cooks with a low level of knife skills or lacking in confidence in the kitchen.  First:

• remove any children from the kitchen 

• have a well-stocked First Aid Kit nearby

(Instead, if you can, coarsely mince the meat in a food processor)

****

1.  Remove any tough sinews from the meat ; slice into thick fillets; cover with cling film and bash with a rolling pin or meat mallet. Remove cling film. 

 (The photos show chicken thighs)

2.  Hold the knife/cleaver firmly by the handle and slam it, sharp side down into the meat, in repeated closely spaced strikes; the meat will take on a striped appearance

3.  Continue chopping the meat, moving the blade in different directions until the meat begins to take on a mince-like texture.  

4. Mentally divide the meat in half and fold the right side over the left.  Continue chopping and folding until the meat takes on the desired consistency.

B Lee/Bright Sun Enterprises accept no liability for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.