as I would a sausage mix with the paddle attachment on my stand mixer, but the result was too much springiness Handforming is the way to go Flavor Exchange Next question: how to cook the meatballs once they’re formed? While a large meat loaf can cook just fine in the oven, developing some nice browning on its exterior as it slowly cooks through, this is not possible with meatballs Because of their small size, they end up hopelessly overcooked by the time any browning occurs That’s why meatballs are traditionally cooked with a two-stage process: frying and simmering A quick fry in a hot skillet will brown their exterior, adding texture and flavor (shallow-frying in a layer of oil gets you a more even layer of browning than sautéing), while simmering them in a pot of sauce will not only allow them to cook through to the center, but also add plenty of meaty flavor to the sauce A little give and take, if you will For the sauce, I kept things simple, going with a basic marinara flavored with oregano, red pepper flakes, and garlic, all sautéed in a mixture of oil and butter (for more on marinara sauce, see here) But there’s one problem that more astute readers might have caught—we have two separate but conflicting goals here Long simmering is good for the sauce—it helps build in meaty flavor—but it’s bad for the meatballs—they end up hopelessly overcooked Those long-cooked pasta sauces where the meatballs simmer on a back burner all day may sound like a good idea, a romantic idea, even, but it’s not the best way to go if tender meatballs are your goal A meatball’s interior shouldn’t ever get too far north of 160°F, which means about 10 minutes of gentle simmering at the maximum But if you’re not simmering your meatballs in the sauce, how are you ever going to develop good rich meaty flavor in there? Ten minutes is not nearly enough time! The solution? Take a few raw meatballs and brown them in a Dutch oven to build a flavorful base for the sauce from the get-go Allowing the sauce to simmer for an hour with ... their exterior, adding texture and flavor (shallow-frying in a layer of oil gets you a more even layer of browning than sautéing), while simmering them in a pot of sauce will not only allow them to cook through to the center, but also add... sauce will not only allow them to cook through to the center, but also add plenty of meaty flavor to the sauce A little give and take, if you will For the sauce, I kept things simple, going with... But if you’re not simmering your meatballs in the sauce, how are you ever going to develop good rich meaty flavor in there? Ten minutes is not nearly enough time! The solution? Take a few raw meatballs and brown them in a Dutch oven to build a flavorful base for the sauce from