Your Stand Mixer Is The Key To Better Salisbury Steak

You may already know that Salisbury steak isn't actually steak at all; it's more like a cross between meatloaf and a hamburger patty. Salisbury steak has made its mark as an American microwaveable TV dinner classic. But don't doubt its potential: Salisbury steak also works great as an easy and tasty homemade weeknight meal. Just turn to your stand mixer for some help, and your Salisbury steak will come out quicker and better than you ever expected.

By using a stand mixer, you'll have a kneaded, evenly folded meat mixture with the perfect hamburger patty-like texture. You also get to skip the mess by avoiding digging in with your fingers to mix everything by hand. Use the paddle attachment, also known as the flat beater. Just as the flat beater effortlessly combines frostings and cake mixes, it'll pound up the ground meat, onions, egg yolks, and seasonings smoothly and evenly. Just make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you mix.

Though you're not cooking a real steak here, it doesn't mean the kind of meat you use isn't important. The grind and quality of your ground beef can help create a smooth mixture and a resulting juicy texture for your Salisbury steak. Look for medium ground beef, ideally with a blend of 80 percent ground beef and 20 percent fat. This grind size and blend maintain lots of the meat's moisture, so it's great for making meatloaf, burgers, and, of course, Salisbury steak. Coarse ground beef or beef with less fat may separate too much and result in a crumbly steak, regardless of how well your stand mixer performs.

Just as we want moisture in the cut of ground beef itself, added moisture helps all the ingredients stick together. Of course, the egg yolks and occasional ketchup and mustard found in classic Salisbury steak recipes help to season and moisten the meat, but even incorporating soaked bread pieces instead of bread crumbs can make a big difference in binding the meat mixture. You want it to have more of a springy texture that's easily moldable instead of crumbly and dry. This moisture also ensures your stand mixer can more smoothly glide through when folding up your Salisbury steak mixture instead of whipping it into pieces.

Quality ground beef will make for a mouthwatering Salisbury steak, but you can't count out the seasonings, either. Common Salisbury steak seasonings like garlic powder and onion powder set the tone for a strong, savory steak. Some even recommend using a seasoning packet from packaged onion soup, making measuring spoons irrelevant and cleaning up a breeze. You can sauté some onions for the base of the gravy for your Salisbury steak, but don't count out mixing in some raw diced onions if you enjoy a crunch for contrast in each meaty bite.

If you want to make sure you've got thoroughly seasoned steaks, you can take a small piece of the mixture and fry it up in the pan, cooking quickly so you can taste. If you've got your desired flavor balance, form up the steaks, making sure they are about ½ inch to ¾ inch thick. Once you cook them up in a skillet with your gravy, you'll have juicy, flavorful Salisbury steaks with half the hassle and a high-quality taste and texture thanks to your stand mixer. You'll never see these "steaks" the same again.