Is there anything better than a crispy, golden-brown, breaded and fried cutlet? We'll answer that for you: No.
Get it right, and you're blessed with a crust that's light and crunchy. But get it wrong, and you're faced with breading that's inedibly soggy, slides right off the meat before you can get it on your fork, or worst of all, bland and under seasoned. Quelle horreur! Associate food editor Rick Martinez doesn't want you to suffer these terrible fates, so he gave us the intel on how to get it right—and what to avoid, so you don't get it wrong. These are the most common mistakes people make when breading and frying their cutlets. You're not making any of them…right?
1. Not Trimming the Fat and Sinew
"Pounding a cutlet breaks down the protein fibers in the meat," explains Martinez, which, in turn, makes the meat tender. But it's not as simple as whacking it a couple of times with a meat mallet and tossing it into a pan of flour. First, you'll have to remove any sinew, fat, or silver skin from the meat. These all act as rubber bands, holding the meat together tightly. Cutting them out with a sharp knife allows the meat to really expand and become thin and flat—which is exactly what you want in a cutlet.
If the meat is on the thick side (about one inch), use the tip of a knife to score both sides of the cutlet in a cross-hatch pattern before pounding it. It will expedite the process. While it's not necessary, skipping the crosshatch on thick cuts of pork or beef means your arm will get tired long before you've pounded the meat to the perfect thinness. If you're preparing chicken breasts, remove the thin strip at the back of the breast (sometimes called the tenderloin). If you leave it on, it'll get smushed, rather than flattening out nicely. Just cut it off, and bread and fry it separately, as chicken strips. Martinez likes to think of them as "chef snacks."
2. Not Seasoning the Meat
"There is nothing sadder than under-seasoned fried food," says Martinez. "I want to eat it because it's fried and crispy, but it really just tastes like nothing." So, season early and often. Once you've pounded your cutlet, season it generously with salt and pepper, and let it sit for half an hour, so the flavor can work its way into the meat. You'll be seasoning the rest of the breading components, too, but don't skip this step. After all—the meat is the main event.
Pork Tonkatsu with Shiso. Photo: Aya Brackett
3. Going Too Basic With the Flour
First things first: The breading process must go as follows: flour, egg, crust. The flour step gives the egg something to adhere to. Without it, the breading would slide right off the meat. But plain old all-purpose flour does not a delicious cutlet make. Martinez likes to cut it with cornstarch, as in this recipe for Chicken Fried Steak. Cornstarch cooks up crispier than flour, making for a cutlet with serious crunch.
But don't stop there. You'll also need to season the flour with salt and pepper at the minimum. It may sound like a lot, but aim for one tablespoon of salt per each cup of flour. Keep in mind that you won't be eating all of that salt; it's just enough to make sure it's well-distributed throughout. This is also a perfect opportunity to use granulated onion, garlic powder, smoked paprika, chile powder, or dried hearty herbs, like rosemary or thyme. "This sounds gross, but I taste the raw flour to make sure it's flavorful enough," says Martinez.
4. Not Thinning the Egg
You'll also need to thin the egg; it should be liquidy, not gelatinous in texture. But wait! Don't just add a stream of tap water. If you're going to add a liquid component, you might as well add something that adds flavor. (Remember: Season early and often.) Some ideas to get your creativity flowing: Tabasco, vinegar, buttermilk, or even beer.
5. Phoning In the Crust
The crust component is your chance to really bring it home—so don't play is safe. The most basic option is breadcrumbs. You can make your own—use crustless stale bread and a food processor—but we're also fans of panko, Japanese breadcrumbs that are widely available and super crunchy. You'd better believe the crust should be seasoned with salt and pepper, but why stop there with flavor? "If you can crush it to the size of panko, you can use it as the crust," says Martinez. This means that everything from potato chips to tortilla chips to pretzels to nuts are fair game. Martinez also says he never met an oyster crusted in saltines with Cajun seasoning that he didn't like.
