"Andy" > wrote in message ...
> George Leppla said...
>
>>
>> "bob edwards" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> My ladyfriend occasionally makes a meat loaf for me but it falls apart
>>> when I try to slice it. What should she do to make it hold together
>>> better? Use less fluid, use less lean meat, what?
>>
>> The meat is probably too lean and she doesn't have enough bread crumbs.
>>
>> Tell her to try using 80/20 ground chuck, add about one raw egg per
>> pound and enough bread crumbs to hold it together. As it cooks, some of
>> the fat and juices are absorbed by the bread crumbs and that, along with
>> the eggs, helps bind things together.
>>
>> I don't use recipes much, but here is how I made the last meatloaf...
>>
>> 2.5 pounds of 80/20 ground beef
>> 1 large onion diced small
>> 2 eggs
>> bread crumbs (I'm guessing about a cup +/-)
>> Salt (I used Lawreys)
>> pepper
>> parsley flakes
>> I can of diced tomatoes, thoroughly drained.
>> Catsup for the top.
>>
>> This is a pretty basic recipe but then, my Grandma was a pretty basic
>> cook. Over the years I have tried adding different things to the recipe
>> but I always seem to come back to the basics. It is my family's version
>> of comfort food.
>>
>> George L
>
>
> George L,
>
> Excuse me but...
>
> How UNSPECIFIC can a recipe get.


Well....... for the Anal Retentive among you, I will try to be more
specific:

> One large onion... give us grams!

Sorry, I stopped weighing things in grams back in 1968... or I think it was
'68. Parts of that year are hard to remember and that has to do with what I
was weighing.

Dice up some onions and throw in two handsfull. That is one large onion.
One handful is a small onion. If you have tiny little girlie hands, add
extra.

> 2 Eggs... which size?

The eggs should be slightly smaller than the chicken's asshole.

> Salt... how much?

Did you ever go swimming in the ocean? Not that salty.

> 1 can diced tomatoes... how large a can?

Get one that is big enough so that if you threw it at someone, you would put
a dent in their head but not kill them. Grandma could throw one about 15
feet with amazing accuracy. That range covered the whole kitchen.


> Catsup for the top... how much?

About 88 cents a bottle when it is on sale.

> No cookbook would be that vague.

Agreed, but then, I'm a cook, not an author. The best way to learn how to
cook anything the way I do it is to come down to Shreveport and watch me do
it. The door is always open and visitors are welcome.

George L