Tenderizing meat is easy enough. Just pound on your meat with a mallet (or this Infinity Gauntlet meat tenderizer) and you should be able to break down the collagens enough to soften it for easier cooking (and eating). Of course, it’s easier said than done, as adequately tenderizing meat can take a bit of time and a heck of a lot of elbow grease, so it doesn’t exactly make for a fun time in the kitchen. The Tendacube looks to ease your food prep for these tough cuts of meat.
Designed to tenderize and marinate meat at the same time, the device lets you repeatedly pound meat by simply turning a lever, sparing you from the messy and laborious business of having to strike a piece of flesh on the cutting board over and over. It’s easier, cleaner, and, since you can marinate the meat while tenderizing it, a lot more efficient, making this an extremely useful tool for those who frequently spend a lot of time hammering the toughness out of their favorite meat cuts.
The Neocookin Tendacube consists of a clear plastic container and a lid housing the mechanical components that enable the tenderizing action. Basically, you put your meat on the container, along with any marinades or rubs you want to put on it, then put on the lid and turn the lever continuously to perform the tenderizing process. It comes with two swappable stainless steel strike plates, by the way: one with flat nails for more efficient tenderizing and one with pointed nails to make the seasoning enter the meat faster. Use the first one when you want to tenderize the meat fast and use the second when you want to make sure it properly absorbs whatever marinade you put in.
The clear container can accommodate meats up to 40mm in thickness, so you don’t have to slice your meats really thin for use in the device. The lid, on the other hand, is equipped with powerful springs that deliver the force necessary to push the plate towards the meat, so you can turn the lever gently while still generating enough force to properly produce a tenderizing effect each time out.
The Neocookin Tendacube’s clear container also comes with a storage lid, allowing you to use it as a storage container if you want to refrigerate the meat for a bit after tenderizing without having to move it to a different container. You can also purchase multiple containers with covers separately, in case you want to tenderize multiple cuts and keep them in the same receptacle.
How much faster can you tenderize meat using this compared to using a mallet tenderizer? A bit faster, probably, since this lets you pound the entire slice in one go, instead of having to go from one section to another. More importantly, it spares you from having to perform those hammering strikes yourself, which can get extremely tiring. Add in the fact that you can marinate your meats right on the same container (no mess, since it’s fully-covered) and it’s just a very efficient food prep device.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for the Neocookin Tendacube. You can reserve a unit for pledges starting at $39.