Meat tenderizer seems like an odd thing to stock up on, unless you can figure out other ways to use it!  If you decide to stockpile meat tenderizer, here are 5 different ways you can use it!

USE#1 – Meat Tenderizing – This one is obvious. You can use a meat tenderizer to make more meat more tender. Use it on cheap meat to improve it!

As a substitute for brute strength and all that pounding with a mallet, meat-tenderizing powder uses basic biochemistry to help even the toughest of meats become more tender. No hammering necessary! Meat gets tough when the elastic fibers, which hold the strands of muscle tissue in meat together (made up of a protein called collagen), are in abundance. Papain, which is found in papaya, and bromelain, which is found in pineapple, are two very common anti-collagen enzymes used in many of the tenderizing powders you can buy in the grocery store, and they break down the collagen, which results in more tender and edible meat.

USE #2 -Relieve Bug Bites/Stings – oddly enough, meat tenderizer can offer some relief from itchy and painful insect bites and stings. It is a staple in some prepper medicine cabinets much like a staple in the prepper pantry.  It’s an analgesic of sorts with pain-numbing powers.  Just mix it with water, and make a paste if you are bitten or get stung.  It’ll help soothe the irritation while calming inflammation. The Journal of the American Medical Association(JAMA) states “This proteolytic enzyme [of meat tenderizer] probably breaks down the venoms and kinins injected by the insect. ”

USE #3 – Burn Remedy – Meat tenderizer helps heal burns. To use meat tenderizer to heal burns, make a soothing paste out of it using water. Meat tenderizer is the instant relief that’s just sitting in your pantry but belongs in your medicine cabinet.

USE # 4 -Stain Remover – get out tough stains using meat tenderizer. Just avoid using meat tenderizer on both silk and wool.  You could ruin the fabrics. But, you should be able to tackle blood stains, perspiration stains, and milk stains using it!

USE #5 – Muscle Aches – Interestingly enough, the ingredient bromelain in meat tenderizer is a plant compound and an antifibrotic enzyme that breaks down scarification in muscles to help with muscle tension and pain. It can help soothe aching and sore muscles!

Meat tenderizer isn’t for everyone though! People who have allergies, such as bee allergies or latex allergies, or other sensitivities, should follow their normal protocol and discuss its use with a physician before using a meat tenderizer for first aid. Likewise, if you have issues with sodium, refrain from using meat tenderizers as they typically have a high-
sodium content.

If you don’t have any meat tenderizer and need to handle a more chewy piece of cheap meat, try baking soda!  This is a great alternative, however, having both on hand is my suggestion.