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Major rule about cooking meat turns out to be wrong

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Re: Major rule about cooking meat turns out to be wrong

#221

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You just set the oven super low and cook it until it’s a certain amount under (I forget, maybe 30F under). It’s honestly probably easier to overcook by your method. You get an even better crust because all the surface moisture has evaporated in the oven before it hits the pan.

Surface moisture from the fat on the steak is what actually produces a good sear IMO

Surface moisture refers to water (moisture is water, not fat).

Re: Major rule about cooking meat turns out to be wrong

#222
post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How long does the steak generally stay in the pan to sear? Have to ever tried reverse searing instead (which I believe is just oven first)?

About 5-7 minutes, tops. I haven't tried the reverse sear, I'd worry about overcooking.

I'd highly recomend you give reverse sear a go. It definitely works best with thick steaks but a nice low oven temp 120C (250F) and pull when the steak is 40C (120F), then into a ripping hot pan with oil in it gives a fantastic sear.

I'm not suggesting it's better than your method or anything but well worth trying imo!

Re: Major rule about cooking meat turns out to be wrong

#223
it's funny watching cooks and amateur chefs come to the same conclusion that professionals reached over one hundred years ago, I assume nobody asked, but with steak for example you use resting in a controlled environment to ride the temperature up to chosen doneness, nobody has ever (to my knowledge) thought it to do with preserving juices.

and another delicious L for James Lopez.

Re: Major rule about cooking meat turns out to be wrong

#224
There is an entire realm of culinary science which actually goes into stuff like this and has actually been demonstrating these things for years rather than pretending sous chefs are raised on mysticism and folk lore.

Unfortunately most of that is undone by self proposed experts on cooking shows, blogs, tiktok, ...

Re: Major rule about cooking meat turns out to be wrong

#225

The article actually doesn't refute the idea of resting meat to retain the juices. In fact, it supports it. It just provides a reason for why this works which is perhaps different than conventional wisdom. Retaining the juices in the meat has to do with the temperature at which the meat is cut. Resting allows the temperature to drop, which creates less pressure, so the juices aren't forced out of the meat nearly as s…

>The title is click-bait.

Click-bait!? On HN's frontpage? Oh, say it ain't so!

Re: Major rule about cooking meat turns out to be wrong

#227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Real cooks know the point of the sear is to create browning (maillard). Anyone who says otherwise either doesn't understand or is just speaking to a basic audience

the flavor enhancement of the maillard reaction does not mean that searing is not also sealing the meat. I'm not saying it is either, just, saying your statement is not an answer to his question, as anyone can see. almost anyone.

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Re: Major rule about cooking meat turns out to be wrong

#228

I cook (and eat) a lot of steak. Probably 3-4 per week, 1.5" thick ribeyes. For me, resting has always been about temperature normalization. I like to sear my steaks in a cast iron skillet. I use an induction cooktop and tend to start at medium-high and ramp up to as hot as the stove will get. I think the ramp-up is important to render some of the fat without just letting it all evaporate. I turn the steaks over freq…

Aren't you worried about the health impacts of eating steak that frequently?

It is actually the reverse. Keto & carnivore(with only fatty read meat) is the best. If you have diseases like diabetes/epilepsy/mental-illness/food-addiction/etc it (may) help a lot. I eat 6-7 days/week red meat.

Source: I do ketovore for 2.5+ years.

Re: Major rule about cooking meat turns out to be wrong

#229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That depends on the heat applied. Which brings up another good counterexample: knowing this, someone could cook longer at a lower temp to get a juicer edge for the same juiciness center.

I'm talking about the method in that example, which was cooking as fast as possible.

Yes, my example is unrealistic when you apply your own unrealistic constraints on top of it.

But when you remove your unrealistic constraints, it is absolutely realistic. There is a wide temperature band where a cut of meat will reach a given center temp faster than carryover cooking with a difference to edge temperature that is trivial enough that someone is unlikely to notice.

Re: Major rule about cooking meat turns out to be wrong

#230

"Searing the meat seals in the juices" -- every chef on every cooking show. Can we do a study on that too? hmmmmm. I want to grill two steaks, the same size, and to the same internal temperature on the same grill. Let one rest for ten minutes in a pie pan and cut the other into 4 pieces letting it also rest for ten minutes in a pie pan. Probably also wrap them in tinfoil. Then weigh the released juices at the end. Th…

> "Searing the meat seals in the juices" -- every chef on every cooking show.

This was debunked a long time ago. You do want to sear the meat, but only to give it a nice and tasty brown crust due to Maillard reactions. Searing does not seal in any juices.

I can recommend the book Cooking for Geeks, it has some nice scientific explanations about this and some other stuff too.

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