Hi! I write more about the English muffins in this article (https://food52.com/blog/23880-easy-classic-meatloaf-recipe-5-ingredients-big-little-recipes), copied below:
"In The Food Lab, J. Kenji Lopéz-Alt describes bread crumbs as 'perhaps the most important ingredient of all when it comes to improving the texture of a meatloaf.' Not only do they help retain moisture, but they increase tenderness, too. Some cooks use other starchy ingredients, like rolled oats or even puffed rice cereal, but we’re going to use English muffins. Unusual, yes, but stick with me: In a meaty situation like this, I prefer blitzing up my own fresh bread crumbs versus using dried. But the catch with fresh bread? Its crust is often too hard to blitz, so recipes will tell you to ditch it. But the catch with ditching the crust? It’s full of flavor. Because English muffins are individually shaped, they have an even higher ratio of crust, and, because they’re pre-packaged, the crusts are soft and blitz-able. They’re also reliably flavorful, with sourdough-esque vibes. And I always have them in my freezer."
If you don't have English muffins on hand, you can swap in your go-to bread. Just don't use dried bread crumbs, which are too different in texture for a one-to-one substitute in this recipe.
Ken, I can see why you wouldn't want to buy a whole package of English muffins for this meatloaf, but keep in mind that they do freeze well. I'm guessing you'll want to use the rest in the future, making this meatloaf again.
I don't remember the last time I bought English muffins, but based on Kenji's compelling recommendation, I'm planning on buying some for test driving this.
I'm glad you raised this, as I probably would not have known about it otherwise. The science is quite interesting! ;o)
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"In The Food Lab, J. Kenji Lopéz-Alt describes bread crumbs as 'perhaps the most important ingredient of all when it comes to improving the texture of a meatloaf.' Not only do they help retain moisture, but they increase tenderness, too. Some cooks use other starchy ingredients, like rolled oats or even puffed rice cereal, but we’re going to use English muffins. Unusual, yes, but stick with me: In a meaty situation like this, I prefer blitzing up my own fresh bread crumbs versus using dried. But the catch with fresh bread? Its crust is often too hard to blitz, so recipes will tell you to ditch it. But the catch with ditching the crust? It’s full of flavor. Because English muffins are individually shaped, they have an even higher ratio of crust, and, because they’re pre-packaged, the crusts are soft and blitz-able. They’re also reliably flavorful, with sourdough-esque vibes. And I always have them in my freezer."
If you don't have English muffins on hand, you can swap in your go-to bread. Just don't use dried bread crumbs, which are too different in texture for a one-to-one substitute in this recipe.
I just read the "For Better Meatloaf..." article.
I don't remember the last time I bought English muffins, but based on Kenji's compelling recommendation, I'm planning on buying some for test driving this.
I'm glad you raised this, as I probably would not have known about it otherwise. The science is quite interesting! ;o)