Meatloaf. The easiest way to ruin perfectly good ground beef.
Whoever thought that adding breadcrumbs and ketchup to meat and then baking it for an hour was apparently running out of “creative” dinner ideas.
I think I’ve had meatloaf in the past, but I don’t have any positive memories of it. And I don’t want to have it ever again.
1. The texture
Overcooked meatballs anyone? That’s what meatloaf is. If you don’t want to kill anyone with your dish, parts of your meatloaf are going to be so well-done you wouldn’t notice if someone substituted it for some damp cardboard.
2. The taste
No worries, the ketchup is inside your hamburger. Hopefully, no one has ever said that to you, but that’s essentially what meatloaf is. You mix all the toppings in and then cook it. If you ask me, that’s just wrong. I’m all for a nice steak and some mashed potatoes but I really just can’t imagine enjoying a meal where the entree and side both have the consistency of something that someone else already ate.
3. Cooking it
Please don’t torture your cooking utensils and oven to a meatloaf. In order to properly cook that monstrosity, you’re going to need to set aside several hours. There’s a reason hamburgers and meatballs exist.
4. Leftovers
There is no way to eat an entire meatloaf in one sitting. It’s just not possible. So unless you torture your friends with it and then send them home with the leftovers, you’re gonna have to face your mistakes again. Meatloaf is dry to begin with, so your options are either to eat it cold, or to try to reheat it and have a plate full of extra-dry cardboard. I’ll take Option C please.
In case you need further convincing, here are 30 ground beef recipes, none of which are meatloaf. I also warn you against making a lasagna.