Can someone clarify what they mean by resting uncovered on the fridge?
I remember being told once that food should always be stored covered in the fridge. Is that another myth?
Myths about cooking steak that need to go away (2013)
61–70 of 301 posts
Re: Myths about cooking steak that need to go away (2013)
#62If you haven’t heard the good news about the reverse sear yet, today is your lucky day. https://www.seriouseats.com/reverse-seared-steak-recipe
I do this in a smoker sometimes. Smoke to 100*, rest, and then sear on grill or in pan. Don’t use much smoke.
Can be a really killer way to do ribeyes and porterhouse.
Re: Myths about cooking steak that need to go away (2013)
#63Earlier quoted context omitted.
100%. I've done just about everything you can do to a steak, and for the past year or so my bulletproof standard method has simply been "set toaster oven to 250, cook steak for 20 minutes until it's 110-115, then take it out and sear it". It's better than the circulator steaks.
I too think that sounds shockingly fast, but maybe I should re-visit my approach for oven temp. I throw steaks into a regular oven at 200F and I might wait 70+ minutes for a ribeye to hit 120F.
Seventy minutes?! Turn your oven up. Wow.
Re: Myths about cooking steak that need to go away (2013)
#64Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm cooking to temp, not to time; I pull them when the Thermapen says the steak's near 115. But I set the timer on my toaster oven to 20 minutes (after preheating, starting immediately when the steaks go in) and watch out of the corner of my eye for the display to go blue when the timer expires, which is when I check the steak temp the first time. I guess every once in awhile I end up giving it another 5 minutes, but…
>It doesn't much matter either way, though: the point is, it goes in the oven and comes out when it reads ~115 when I stick it. :) But shouldn't the oven temperature matter? The hotter the oven is, the hotter the outside of the meat will get, even if you pull out the steak at 115 exactly. If you want the steak to be as even as possible, you want the oven temperature to be as low as possible.
If you read Kenji's reverse-sear guide, I think you'll see that I'm right in the middle of his suggested temperature range. I've also triangle-tested steaks against circulator cooks; I'm confident I'm getting even cooks. :)
I just double checked, and not only is my temp right, but my timings are just about his timings too. I'm getting his mid-rare result 5 minutes faster than he does, but again, I'm cooking in a convection toaster oven, and I'm guessing he tested in a "real" oven.
Re: Myths about cooking steak that need to go away (2013)
#65Earlier quoted context omitted.
Having compared the methods in my own kitchen, I'm also coming around to the idea that the reverse sear is a better method than sous vide, because I seem to get a better crust on the steak (likely because the steak is dryer than what I can remove from the s-v'd steak with paper towels). But , I find this only holds true for really nice cuts like filet mignon. If I want to cook a cheaper steak like a NY strip, I think…
A strip is not a "cheaper" steak than a filet. Filet mignon is a fine cut, it's low in flavor but very tender which means that it tastes better when it's extra rare. Well marbled cuts of steak are usually better at mid-rare b/c the fat melts a little. I do like sous vide for very thick steaks with some marbling—so a strip is a pretty decent one for the dip. However, I've found ribeyes come out spongey when you sous v…
I typically see strip steaks for way cheaper than filets per pound at the market (US).
Since it's so tender, I've always felt filet are OK to cook a little more well, and you solve for the flavor with sauce, seasoning, or marinade.
Re: Myths about cooking steak that need to go away (2013)
#66This author is such a treasure. Even if every one of the recipes was awful, it would still be a great site/book just for trying all these things and confirming or debunking them.
Kenji is an absolute legend in the culinary world. I highly suggest you checkout his youtube channel, his wealth of knowledge (backed by his own experiments) is simply unmatched.
In the home cook world I guess? In professional circles he's respected within his niche (making advanced technique accessible to home cooks) but not particularly influential beyond that.
Re: Myths about cooking steak that need to go away (2013)
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
Having compared the methods in my own kitchen, I'm also coming around to the idea that the reverse sear is a better method than sous vide, because I seem to get a better crust on the steak (likely because the steak is dryer than what I can remove from the s-v'd steak with paper towels). But , I find this only holds true for really nice cuts like filet mignon. If I want to cook a cheaper steak like a NY strip, I think…
A strip is not a "cheaper" steak than a filet. Filet mignon is a fine cut, it's low in flavor but very tender which means that it tastes better when it's extra rare. Well marbled cuts of steak are usually better at mid-rare b/c the fat melts a little. I do like sous vide for very thick steaks with some marbling—so a strip is a pretty decent one for the dip. However, I've found ribeyes come out spongey when you sous v…
>A strip is not a "cheaper" steak than a filet.
But objectively speaking a strip steak is cheaper. Based on my observations of supermarket sale prices, the ranking goes:
fillet > ribeye > strip > others that I don't bother with (sirloin/round)
Re: Myths about cooking steak that need to go away (2013)
#68If you haven’t heard the good news about the reverse sear yet, today is your lucky day. https://www.seriouseats.com/reverse-seared-steak-recipe
Having compared the methods in my own kitchen, I'm also coming around to the idea that the reverse sear is a better method than sous vide, because I seem to get a better crust on the steak (likely because the steak is dryer than what I can remove from the s-v'd steak with paper towels). But , I find this only holds true for really nice cuts like filet mignon. If I want to cook a cheaper steak like a NY strip, I think…
I agree with you, and I’m not entirely sure why, because I think it involves more than just the crust. It has something to do with the interior of the meat as well.
I own a small Breville oven, and since it’s PID controlled, I set it at a very low temperature like 160 F and then put a separate probe in the meat to pull it at just the right temperature (takes a few hours). I end up with edge to edge evenness and a nice crust as well. It beats the Joule every time I’ve tried it.
I will say that I haven’t found anything that beats sous vide for chicken and duck though.
Re: Myths about cooking steak that need to go away (2013)
#69I feel like these myths are myths, I've never heard anyone making these claims before.
I was even taught #5 in school.
Re: Myths about cooking steak that need to go away (2013)
#70Can someone clarify what they mean by resting uncovered on the fridge? I remember being told once that food should always be stored covered in the fridge. Is that another myth?
> Can someone clarify what they mean by resting uncovered on the fridge?
From the article:
"Or better yet, salt them and let them rest uncovered on a rack in the fridge for a night or two, so that their surface moisture can evaporate. You'll get much more efficient browning that way." (emphasis mine)
>I remember being told once that food should always be stored covered in the fridge. Is that another myth?
AFAIK that's for food safety reasons.