Cooking Meatloaf: Kitchen Q&A

This week’s Kitchen Question & Answer is all about meatloaves: what the internal temperature should be when meatloaf is done, how long to cook it, how to make a meatloaf less greasy and more.

Cooking Meatloaf: Tipnut’s Kitchen Q&A

You Can Speed Up The Cooking Time By Making Individual Mini-Meatloaves

1. How long do you cook a meatloaf? It depends on the size of the meatloaf (especially how deep it is) and the cooking temperature, but a good rule of thumb for a standard loaf size (between 1 and 1.5 pound meatloaf) is between 50 to 70 minutes (and about 75 to 90 minutes for a two pound meatloaf cooked in a 375° oven). You’ll know when the meatloaf is properly cooked when the middle is no longer pink and the temperature is 160°F. (see below).
2. What temperature should meatloaf be when it’s done? The internal temperature of a ground beef meatloaf should be at least 160°F. Anything higher will result in a drier meatloaf, anything lower may not be hot enough for food safety.
3. How to make meatloaf less greasy? Here’s a tip: instead of cooking a meatloaf that’s packed into a loaf pan, select a larger baking pan and then shape the meat mixture into a loaf that will fit in the middle of the pan with at least 1″ space between all sides of the meatloaf. This gives more room for the grease and your meatloaf won’t be swimming in it from top to bottom. Also lay a single layer of sliced bread on the bottom of the pan before filling with meat mixture, this will absorb a lot of the grease.
4. What are some good filler ingredients to “beef up” a meatloaf? You could use cracker crumbs, bread crumbs (seasoned or plain), quick cooking oats, corn flakes, mushrooms, garlic or seasoned croutons, Stove Top Stuffing and even rice or chopped/grated veggies like carrots. See 10 Tasty Meatloaf Tips & Tricks for more meatloaf helpers.
5. Can meatloaf be frozen? You can cook the meatloaf then freeze it or shape the raw meat mixture into loaves, wrap the uncooked loaf well and freeze. Just take the meatloaf out of the freezer and it’s ready to cook. I’ve also mixed up all the ingredients, taken out the amount needed for one loaf and packed it in a ziploc bag (without forming into a loaf first). Squish all the meat in from side to side, top to bottom to force out all the air and to make the package really flat. Seal then freeze, it’s a real space saver in the freezer since you can stack the flat packs one on top of the other. All that’s needed is to shape into loaves once the meatloaf mix has thawed. From 10 Tasty Meatloaf Tips & Tricks listed above.
6. Is it better to bake meatloaf on top or bottom rack? Cook meatloaf like you would any other dish unless it’s noted differently in the recipe: cook on the center or middle rack of the oven.
7. Is there a way to cut cooking time and make meatloaf fast? Sure! Instead of making one loaf out of the meat mixture, make several mini-loaves by filling muffin tins and cooking between 20 and 30 minutes at 375°F (just until the internal temperature is 160°F. and the middle is no longer pink).
8. Should meatloaf be covered when cooking? It depends on whether or not you prefer a crusty meatloaf or a moist/soft exterior. Cooking with a cover on will “steam” the meat as it cooks and results in a moister meatloaf (with some difference in texture). Either way is fine (covered or uncovered) or you could do both: cover for the first half and remove cover for the last half of cooking time. What’s my pick? I prefer cooking without a cover, I like a crusty outside.
9. My meatloaf always sticks to the bottom of the pan and falls apart when I try taking it out of the pan, any tips? If you give the meatloaf a chance to settle and absorb its juices for about 20 minutes after removing from oven (and before cutting), this will solve that problem. You could also try laying a strip or two of bacon on the bottom of the pan before filling it with meat mixture, this will help prevent the sticking as well as add more flavor.
10. Can meatloaf be mixed ahead of time before cooking? You can mix all the ingredients the night before or the morning of cooking, just make sure to refrigerate until you cook it.

Ready for some tempting meatloaf recipes? Check out this whopper of a list: 25 Meatloaf Recipes.

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• 10 Tasty Meatloaf Tips & Tricks
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