One of the most versatile ingredients you can keep on hand for fast, easy weeknight meals is pork tenderloin. It's well suited to high-heat preparations that allow the meat to retain its moist tenderness as it cooks quickly.

We offer four general approaches: whole-roasted tenderloins; medallions; cutlets; and small strips and cubes. Roasting a one-pound tenderloin at 400 degrees or higher takes just over 20 minutes. Sliced and pounded into cutlets, or trimmed into cubes and strips, pork tenderloin cooks quickly in the pan, browned and crusted outside yet juicy inside.

The mild-flavored meat lends itself to both subtle and robust flavors, and this cut can easily stand in for chicken, beef, and even fish in many recipes. Pork provides a twist on chicken Parmesan in Spicy Pork Parmesan Cutlets, for instance, and replaces the more traditional veal in Pork Schnitzel with Noodles and Browned Cabbage. When you don't have enough time to marinate the meat, glazing, coating, or stuffing the tenderloin adds ample flavor. A quick stir-fry and a fast fajita dinner also showcase this delectably adaptable supper standby.

Essential Pork Techniques

Strips and Cubes
To cut pork tenderloin into uniform smaller pieces, first cut it lengthwise—into even strips. To cube evenly, line up several strips and cut across.

Butterflying
Slice the tenderloin in half lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, the other side. Open the two sides up as you would a book, and place the filling on the "binding" or hinge. Depending on whether your filling is bulky, you may need to lightly pound the tenderloin beforehand to create more surface area to accommodate the filling.

Trimming Tips
However you prepare pork tenderloin, you'll need to trim off the "silver skin," or thin membrane on the meat's surface. First, slip the tip of a sharp paring or boning knife beneath the silver skin. Slice smoothly along the membrane as you pull it up and away from the meat. (View our step-by-step photograph guide.)

Cutlets
Place 1-inch-thick slices between two sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound them to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small, heavy skillet. Use pork cutlets the same way you might use pounded chicken breasts. Thin cutlets cook quickly, which makes them ideal when you need dinner ready in just minutes.

Contributor Marge Perry is a syndicated columnist and cookbook author.