My meatloaf was swimming?

[Magnatolia]

Hi guys,

First time making a meatloaf and I did it in a normal baking pan rather than a loaf pan as I prefer it that way. When it came out the pan was half full of liquid which I drained but this resulted in the bottom half being very mushy.

The ingredients were:

1kg regular beef
1 egg
1tsp olive oil
1 cup wholemeal bread crumbs
1/2 cup cheese
2 shredded zucchinis
1 shredded carrot

Someone suggested the vegetables were stewing and that caused the liquid?

I cooked it on 200C for about 40 minutes although the liquid i think caused the meat to not cook through fully...

Thanks!

 

[letscook]

might be due to the zucchini. before adding that did you squeeze out the liquid good. after I shred it I put it on a towel and press out the liquid.

I also switched from cooking in a loaf pan to just baking on a low sided baking pan.

 

[mysterychef]

I agree with ''lets cook'' on both counts. Remember zucchinis can be small to large and the size might be causing so much liquid that it steams. I shape mine and cook it on a sheet pan also, so it bakes instead of steams. Might try grating veggies first instead of shredding

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I sauté all veggies before putting them in meatloaf to avoid this problem.

 

[Hoot]

You might try using a small wire rack under the meatloaf to keep the bootom out of any juices produced. We get some rendered fat from our meatloaf. We use the fat to make gravy for the mashed potatoes we generally serve with meatloaf.

 

[JMediger]

I sauté all veggies before putting them in meatloaf to avoid this problem.

This is what I do as well, especially with zucchini.

 

[Oldvine]

Lotsa veggies, lotsa juice. I agree with Princess.

 

[Dawgluver]

+1. Yup.

 

[Steve Kroll]

You might try using a small wire rack under the meatloaf to keep the bootom out of any juices produced. We get some rendered fat from our meatloaf. We use the fat to make gravy for the mashed potatoes we generally serve with meatloaf.

This is what I normally do, too.

I don't use my wire cooling rack, because I found out the hard way it's not oven proof rolleyes, but I have a rack that came with my roasting pan that works well for suspending meatloaf above the drippings.

 

[GotGarlic]

Meatloaf is pretty dense. My recipe uses 1.5 pounds of meat, so I bake it for 1.5 hours. As well as the comments above, I suggest using an instant-read thermometer to make sure the meat is cooked through.

 

[CWS4322]

I sauté all veggies before putting them in meatloaf to avoid this problem.

I do the same. I "drain" the zucchini for about 1/2 hour before I add it to the meat.

 

[Mad Cook]

Perhaps it was the fat content of the minced (sorry, ground) meat. Best to buy low fat mince. The problem with ready ground meat is that you don't know what's gone into it and it's often a repository for lots of fat.

Make friends with your butcher, flutter your eyelashes and ask him to mince/grind a particular cut of beef while you wait. (Don't, of course, make this sort of request when the shop is heaving with customers and there is a long queue behind you!) I use chuck but I'm English and I don't know what it's called in the US - it's a stewing grade cut from the top part of the beast's shoulder.

 

[mmyap]

This is why I'm anti-vegetables in meat loaves. Except onion, of course. Just my opinion. Veggies on the side at my house.

 

[RPCookin]

I sauté all veggies before putting them in meatloaf to avoid this problem.

Not to mention that sauteing brings out more flavor than just roasting them in the loaf. It also allows you to add a little seasoning directly to the veggies for even more pop.