Instructions

1. Place the meat in a disposable plastic zippered food storage bag.

2. Close the zippered bag almost completely, leaving it open 1/8 inch on one end to allow air to escape. The plastic bag will allow you to pound the meat without making a mess of your hammer or your kitchen.

3. Pound the meat gently with a hammer until you have reached the desired thickness called for in your recipe. Use gentle tapping motions of the hammer moving around the meat for uniform thickness being sure not to tear the bag as you pound the meat.

4. Check the thickness of the meat by holding a ruler up to the plastic bag if necessary. A close approximation is fine but keep in mind that the cooking time or preparation (such as rolling the meat or poultry) is dependent upon the thickness of the meat as called out in the recipe.

5. Remove the meat from the plastic bag and discard the bag when you're finished hammering all the meat or poultry to the desired thickness.

6. If necessary, wash hammer and ruler with hot soapy water.