Perfecting breaded cutlets: Secrets for crispy success

Meat with breading, especially a pork cutlet, is one of our favourite, classic dinners. It's quick, easy, and seems like it should always turn out well. Yet, sometimes the breading causes problems. That's why it's worth knowing these tricks.

The key to success is the proper preparation of the meat. Marinating pork in milk with aromatic spices is a proven way to make the cutlets juicy. You can also add onion, garlic, allspice, and bay leaves to the milk, further softening the meat and preventing it from drying out during frying.

Don’t have time for soaking and want the meat to hit the pan as soon as possible? The rule is the same. Before you start breading it, you must dry it thoroughly. Breading won't hold on to moist meat. On dried meat, it attaches perfectly, and the cutlets will fry evenly. Another very important rule concerns frying. When the oil is properly heated, the meat should be placed in the pan. If the pan is too cold, the breading is likely to fall off.

And what about the breading itself? Traditionally, it uses only three ingredients: flour, egg, and breadcrumbs. Not much can be changed here, but one trick is adding salt and oil to the egg. This ensures better adhesion. If you want perfectly crispy breading, you can also add a pinch of baking soda.

Our grandmothers had another trick for the breading. They added a little buckwheat flour to the breadcrumbs. This gave the cutlets a unique flavour and exceptional texture. What else is important? There shouldn't be too little or too much breading. It seems simple, yet it takes to fry the cutlets at least several times to get the amount right. Master chefs also advise not to press down on the cutlets while frying. This causes the breading to come off and doesn't speed up frying.