Uneven chicken breasts are one of those small kitchen frustrations that’s easy to fix and easy to ignore. The thick end is still raw while the thin end has gone dry and rubbery, and the fix isn’t a fancier recipe, it’s just pounding the meat to an even thickness before it hits the pan.
The KitchenAid Gourmet Multi Sided Meat Tenderizer is a straightforward aluminum mallet with two working faces. One side is textured with rows of raised points designed to tear through connective tissue, which is what you’d use directly on a tougher cut like flank steak to help it tenderize and take on a marinade better. The other side is smooth and flat, meant for pounding cutlets and chicken breasts down to an even thickness rather than tenderizing them.
Beyond meat, it doubles as a decent tool for cracking shellfish, nuts, and whole spices like peppercorns, so it’s not strictly a one-purpose gadget. The handle has a hole built in for hanging storage, and at under 11 ounces and roughly 9.5 inches long, it’s light enough to use for a few minutes of pounding without your arm getting tired.
It’s hand wash rather than dishwasher safe, which is worth knowing before it goes in with the rest of the dishes. Aside from that, it’s about as uncomplicated as kitchen tools get: aluminum head, two sides, does the one job it’s built for. If chicken breasts cooking unevenly is a recurring problem at your stove, this is the kind of inexpensive fix that solves it outright.
