On 1/7/2015 3:15 AM, dsi1 wrote:

> You can use breadcrumbs to save a little money but it also gives
> meatloaf and meatballs a tender texture. No crumbs in meatloaf makes it
> a meat brick. I have used oats in meatloaf, and it sounds like it might
> be a great idea but it makes for a strange, gummy, loaf. People that
> enjoy a green bean casserole might go for something like that in a big
> way. :-)

Overworking the meat will make it be a brick also. The mixing of the
meat, especially with added salt, extracts the myosin from the meat and
makes it stick together. You need a little of that to form a loaf or
burger patty, but too much makes it hard.