Forget Ordinary Crackers - Giada De Laurentiis Uses This Snack For Better Meatloaf - Tasting Table

"For example, a classic meatloaf recipe employs breadcrumbs. These bind the meat and vegetables together and absorb the other ingredients' moisture but also hold it, creating a loaf that's dry enough to stay together but moist enough to be tasty. However, many people have realized crackers work better than breadcrumbs - they enhance the finished meatloaf with an airier, lighter crumb texture, and have a saltier crunch."

""I don't add crackers, but I have been known to add taralli, which are like crackers. They're Italian olive oil crackers. They're sometimes with fennel, they're very dry." You'd recognize taralli for their ring shape - hailing from Italy's Puglia region, they look like little bagels and are denser, crunchier, and more flavorful than your standard saltines or water crackers. They give meatloaf more texture and flavor complexity."

Crackers can replace breadcrumbs in meatloaf to produce an airier, lighter crumb texture and a saltier crunch. Taralli are Italian olive oil crackers from Puglia that are ring-shaped, dry, and sometimes flavored with fennel. Taralli are denser, crunchier, and more flavorful than standard saltines or water crackers. Using taralli in meatloaf adds texture and flavor complexity while still providing binding and moisture absorption. The dryness and olive oil in taralli help absorb moisture without weighing the loaf down, creating a lighter, more flavorful finished meatloaf.

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