How do you make a meatball soft but not squishy?

Mine are always too dense. Every time I set out to add more crumbs or grated potato or whatever, I think I'm going overboard but they always come out the same. lol

What would you say a good ratio is, of ground meat to bread/or whatever? Mom is in love with meatball sandwiches from Subway and I promised to duplicate them for her.

The crushed ice helps the meat resist overworking, which is the biggest cause of dense meatballs. It also gives them bulk while raw, but leaves small, moist voids when cooked. The ice steams them from the inside as it cooks off to steam.

I'd never have thought of that. Thanks, Stinky!

The Subway meatballs aren't anything special except they are the ball park of what I need to do.

I think they make the meatballs too dense. I save bread ends and dry them until they're hard. When I'm making meatballs I saturate the dried bread with water, squeeze out the water then add the mushy bread to the meat mix. I judge how much of the mushy bread to use by the feel of the mixture. If the mix is soft the meatballs are too. This has always worked well for me.

and that is giving extra moisture inside the meatball that will keep the meat proteins from shrinking and compacting around the filler.

I've used matzoh meal but I've soaked it first.

It was Tyler, the TV chef, traveling to Italy and watching several home cooks make their meatballs, working alongside and asking lots of questions.

All of them soaked stale bread in milk or water, squeezed the liquid out, and added the wet crumbs to the meat. They also used more eggs than I normally use, and also a mixture of meats -- beef, veal, and or pork. Minced parsley, some grated cheese. That was generally the way. Maybe you could find that episode at the new Food Channel web site.

When I make meatballs, I put some of the marinara into the meat. A cup, perhaps, for two pounds of meat. I do the parsley, grated cheese, bread crumbs, etc., and also a plop of olive oil. Some herbs and garlic, sometimes some minced fresh spinach.

I've tried the three meat combo a few times and it's very good. Most of the time I use ground chuck because that's what I have in the freezer.

Maybe that's the problem.

It's easy to over mix...

soak dried bread chunks in milk
add some sausage for extra fat
parsley, parm, an egg,
and maybe onion and garlic, lemon rind to brighten, a pinch of nutmeg or mace for warmth

mix gently, roll into balls (I press a few golden raisins into the center of each), and bake 15 min @400

adding to the meat mixture. It help them hold together better and keeps them moist. I do the same with meatloaf. The ratio I use is 1 slice bread to 1 pound of ground meat and enough milk added to the bread to make a sort of paste.

I usually cheat and use Progresso Italian Bread Crumbs but I wet them with a hefty chug of milk. I've heard of Stinky's ice trick and find it interesting. I bet that works well too. I've always used the milk so that's what I know.

Thanks, everybody! :hi:

..... I've long heard of using milk in meatballs, but have never, ever tried it. I learned the ice trick in school, but for meatloafs, pates and such, not meatballs. I adapted it to meatballs way back then (we used more brontosaurus chuck than beef chuck) and have used it ever since.

Makes it nice and moist, but you have to be careful not to overdo it.

(made with dry bread soaked in liquid) use the drippings to make a pan gravy. Put the meatballs back in the gravy and cook on low, covered, for half an hour.

and let them cook in it. I don't use bread crumbs in them, but use parmesan cheese instead with the egg and seasonings. I think they come out just right...not too dense not to mushy. I hate a mushy meatball.

My gran used to fry hers but she also used milk in them and hers were delicious. When my dad and his siblings were kids, she almost couldn't get them fried and into the pot of sauce fast enough for them to stop eating them out of the skillet.

I make mine similar to you hippywife. I don't precook the meatballs but place them in warm organic basil tomato soup and let them cook. They do come out very moist. Don't stir them frequently, cook on low and they won't break up. The last time I made these they were the best meatballs I ever made.