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Software development with AI is starting to feel like cooking steak

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Re: Software development with AI is starting to feel like cooking steak

#181

Post by QuercusMax »

tstrimple wrote: post #98
MostlyStable wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are protected in two ways: The first, and by far most important is that unlike ground meat, your bacterial concerns are almost entirely on the surface. Unless something very very very wrong has occurred in the processing and transport chain, bacteria will not have penetrated into the meat. And if it's gotten bad enough that they have, you will almost certainly be able to see and smell it. And the surface is cooke…

Great answer. Just to add, this is with red meat where E. Coli is the main concern. That exists in the gut of the animal and that bacteria can travel to the surface of the muscles during the butchering process. Poultry on the other hand is mainly concerned with Salmonella which does live in the muscles of the animal. That's why people aren't ordering rare chicken breast.

"bacteria can travel to the surface of the muscles during the butchering process"

This way undersells what's actually happening: fecal matter from the intestines gets onto your meat. This shouldn't happen with proper practices.

Re: Software development with AI is starting to feel like cooking steak

#182

Post by whythismatters »

cogman10 wrote: post #154
jaggederest wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Coffee is a good metaphor here too, because bad technique can ruin a good steak just as surely as good coffee. "knows how to use a meat thermometer and reverse sear" describes like 10% of the population or less, same with coffee - there are people who use a bad grinder and a not-regularly-cleaned Mr. Coffee with good beans and get gas station coffee, and there are people out there making solidly B+ class coffee using…

Perhaps I'm crazy, but I truly can't taste much of a difference between "good" coffee and "bad" coffee. I can certainly tell the difference between a good steak and a bad one.

Believe me, there's a huge spectrum, from the sweet aroma of freshly ground Brazilian beans to straight up cat piss coffee sold in supermarkets.

Re: Software development with AI is starting to feel like cooking steak

#183

Post by QuercusMax »

ghostbrainalpha wrote: post #115
MostlyStable wrote: post #30

I take the point, but I think the author picked a poor analogy. Cooking even an excellent steak is actually not that hard. In fact, I'd argue that it's among the easiest things to master/make at a top level quality at home. Does it require some modicum of attention and understanding? Sure. But starting with a high quality cut, owning a meat-thermometer, and knowing about reverse searing is about all it takes to relia…

Am I the only one who thinks the "reverse sear" is like cheating? It takes out all of the skill when you move from the pan to the oven, and I lose all of the fun in learning to be chef.

This is like saying that playing guitar while sitting in a chair is cheating, because a proper display of skill is playing while riding a unicycle.

It might be more impressive, but I don't see how reverse sear is cheating.

Re: Software development with AI is starting to feel like cooking steak

#185

Post by nunez »

lizardking wrote: post #118

Cooking a genuinely good steak also requires almost no skill. I can give you a chicken scratch note with 3 bullet points and it will come out nearly perfectly.

Slight disagree, as many will heat their pan too high and burn the steak before it cooks through. Or maybe that was just me when I first learned how to cook steak the right way. ("Medium"/"medium-high" doesn't necessarily correlate to the position of the knob on the burner or whether the pan feels medium/medium-high)

Re: Software development with AI is starting to feel like cooking steak

#186

Post by cogman10 »

nunez wrote: post #173
cogman10 wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps I'm crazy, but I truly can't taste much of a difference between "good" coffee and "bad" coffee. I can certainly tell the difference between a good steak and a bad one.

You'll start to taste the difference once you get that one really-well-made pourover at a place that _lives_ for the love of coffee. There are some coffee beans that have crazy taste profiles when properly extracted with the right water. I had one that tastes literally like a peach and another that tasted like a really nice tea. Or maybe not. Different strokes!

So I can taste differences, but they simply don't matter enough for me. My areopressed coffee with nice fresh locally roasted beans does taste different from a mcdonalds pot. Less harsh, less chemically flavored. But for me those differences don't really matter. They are close enough that I can enjoy both.

But I would say I know I'm also weird in that food temp really doesn't bother me all that much. I enjoy my coffee even as it goes from hot to cold.

A steak for me can be more easily messed up. But then I've not tried instant coffee so maybe I've just never tasted the bottom of the barrel for coffee.

Re: Software development with AI is starting to feel like cooking steak

#187

Post by greengrocer »

inglor wrote: post #163
cogman10 wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps I'm crazy, but I truly can't taste much of a difference between "good" coffee and "bad" coffee. I can certainly tell the difference between a good steak and a bad one.

That likely means that you've only had "bad" coffee. You're one of today's lucky 10,000 - go treat yourself to a decent cup of coffee it tastes completely different. The difference between a good steak and a bad steak is actually a good comparison.

Or perhaps they've only had good coffee, so they should try some instant coffee past its use-by date to compare.

Re: Software development with AI is starting to feel like cooking steak

#188

Post by Ekaros »

criddell wrote: post #171
garbageman wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Salamander broiler would be incredible to have at home. We get decent results from using a cast iron pan thats as hot as we can get it. At most we can sear 2 steaks as it tends to cool off pretty quick even under high heat. Got any better alternatives that a home cook could use?

A blow torch might be worth trying. I'd think it's still not as good as a hot broiler because it's heating a relatively small area.

I feel like I am better off with cast iron or stainless steel compared to slightly bigger torch. Stainless steel allowing some deglazing for sauce. Torch is still too small area and burns more so sears.

Re: Software development with AI is starting to feel like cooking steak

#189

Post by jaggederest »

cogman10 wrote: post #186
nunez wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You'll start to taste the difference once you get that one really-well-made pourover at a place that _lives_ for the love of coffee. There are some coffee beans that have crazy taste profiles when properly extracted with the right water. I had one that tastes literally like a peach and another that tasted like a really nice tea. Or maybe not. Different strokes!

So I can taste differences, but they simply don't matter enough for me. My areopressed coffee with nice fresh locally roasted beans does taste different from a mcdonalds pot. Less harsh, less chemically flavored. But for me those differences don't really matter. They are close enough that I can enjoy both. But I would say I know I'm also weird in that food temp really doesn't bother me all that much. I enjoy my coffe…

Yeah Mcdonalds is, at this point, acceptably C-grade coffee. You have to go to something like a cafe bustelo in distilled water to get the full contrast.

Really, I get it, even bad pizza is still pizza.

Re: Software development with AI is starting to feel like cooking steak

#190

Post by CBLT »

garbageman wrote: post #152
criddell wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've made steak probably 100 times in the past decade (sometimes with a sous vide) and I don't think I've ever made one I would say is great. Certainly not as good as what I can get at a good restaurant. I think what my home steaks are really missing is the crust from salamander broiler. I don't have anything at home that can exceed 1000 F / 550 C.

Salamander broiler would be incredible to have at home. We get decent results from using a cast iron pan thats as hot as we can get it. At most we can sear 2 steaks as it tends to cool off pretty quick even under high heat. Got any better alternatives that a home cook could use?

I've tried a blowtorch and a barbecue, but they're not as good as cast iron. Best results from just spending $15 on a second cast iron.
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