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Is it necessary to use Breadcrumbs in Meatballs?

Unless the meat being used is very lean, the use of breadcrumbs in a meatball mixture serves no other purpose than to bulk the mixture out making the recipe more economical. However, it will slightly change the texture of the finished meatball.

Is it necessary to use eggs in Meatballs?

It is not usually necessary to use eggs in a meatball mixture unless the meat is very lean and the added ingredients make for a dryer than usual mixture.

Preparation of ingredients

One of the main problems associated with failed meatballs is that they fall apart. Although this can happen because the mixture is too dry, it is more likely to occur because the ingredients haven't been chopped finely enough.  To avoid meatballs falling apart:-

	Grate onions or process in a food processor until almost smooth. Remember, it's the flavour you want, not the texture
	Very finely chop other vegetables being used or process in a food processor until almost smooth including chillies

Making up the Meatballs

Once all the ingredients have been prepared, it is simply a matter of mixing them all together until well blended. This is best done in a large mixing bowl using your hands to mix and squash the mixture together. Unless the recipe specifically calls for it, avoid using a food processor to blend the ingredients together as over-processing can cause the mixture to become too soft and more pâté like.

Once the mixture is well blended, form into balls about the size of a large walnut.  Don't flour your hands as this will just result in the meatball becoming stodgy.  When forming the meatballs, try to compact them as much as possible by squeezing the mixture firmly before rolling them between the palms of your hands.

Have a large platter of flour ready and place the meatballs on the flour, but don't roll to coat them until you have finished rolling all the meatballs. The reason for this is that the meatball mixture will immediately start to moisten the flour and you could end up having to roll them all in flour again. 

Once all the balls have been formed, then roll each one in flour to coat on all sides.

Cooking Meatballs

Meatballs can be placed straight in a hot oven (about 180C, 350F, Gas Mark 4) and baked for about 20  minutes. However, the usual method is to heat about 12mm/½-inch of oil in a large frying pan until very hot. Remove any excess flour from the meatballs then add the meatballs to the hot oil and fry on all sides until browned and sealed. This should take about 5 minutes. Allow the side which is frying to brown for at least 1 minute before attempting to turn them otherwise they will stick to the pan and break up.

It is important not to overcrowd the pan when frying meatballs. Each meatball should have  at least 12mm/½-inch space all around it, so if necessary, fry the meatballs in batches or use more than one frying pan.

Once all the meatballs have been sealed you can  

	continue frying them in one layer over a reduced heat for a further 10-15 minutes, turning from time to time
	transfer to a shallow ovenproof dish in one layer and bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or
	transfer to a shallow pan containing the sauce of your choice and "poach" them for a further 10-15 minutes. When using this method, the sauce should only come about three-quarters of the way up the meatballs, and you should baste the meatballs with the sauce several times during the cooking period but avoid actually turning them.

Freezing Meatballs

Meatballs can be frozen raw or cooked, with or without the sauce.  However care should be taken to keep the individual meatballs separate to avoid them breaking up once they have defrosted.  When freezing raw meatballs freeze separately from any sauce and keep them well spaced out.

Meatballs will keep for about 3 months in the freezer.

Meatball Recipes

Although the above information should be enough to set you on the road to creating your own meatball recipes, below is a link to the many meatball recipes on this site.

When making up your own recipes, don't forget to add different seasonings and flavourings to make them even more tasty. Here are some suggestions:-

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