What is the meaning of the term "to butterfly" in cooking?

[ReadmeByAmy]

In terms of cooking the term "to butterfly" is a technique of cutting any kind of thick meat like pork chops, beef steaks, chicken breasts and even seafood like big shrimps. You will slice the thick meat in the middle or halfway without cutting its both ends. And when the meat is already halfway opened it looks like a butterfly. Most cooks are doing this method of cutting so that the meat will be cook evenly.

Is there anyone here who can still give additional and more detailed explanation with regards to this cooking term?

 

[Rosyrain]

You basically summed it up in you explanation, but butterflying is also done when you want to make a meat log out of whatever meat you are cooking or when you wish to stuff it. This method thins the meat out so that it can either be stuffed or just to cook it more quickly.

 

[cookwaresets]

You all covered the butterflying. When we use to do Cordon Bleu from veal, we would butterfly the meat, by cutting from one end but stop short before you get to the other end. Open the top slice of meat and place it over the side of the first piece, so you see 2 matching meats like butterfly wings in front of you. Now we placed a slice of ham, a slice of cheese followed by one more slice of ham on top of one of the meat wings. Now you place the other meat back to the way it was, so your filling is now in the middle of the meat you butterflied. Ready to be crumbed.

 

[winterybella]

I thank you honestly for teaching me this. Now I am going to show off with my friends that I am going to butterfly this or that. Is that the way you say it? I have done this several times and never knew I had 'butterflying' in the kitchen. This was missing from Classic33's 24 list!!!!
You got it right ReadmeByAmy.
Straight from the net 'Definition. To split food such as shrimp, steak, or pork chop through the middle without completely separating the halves, then spreading the halves to resemble a butterfly. The food cooks more quickly because twice as much surface area is exposed to heat.'

 

[ReadWriteLearnLove]

This is just a little bit off topic but it is a funny story...as a kid, my grandpa used to make butterflied pork chops for us. Because his food was always fried, or cooked in butter, I always assumed he was making "Butter Fried Pork Chops" and grew up thinking butter fried was the real terminology.

 

[Berties]

With well done steaks it was always deemed to be polite to ask the guest if they wanted to have the meat butterflied