Myths about cooking steak that need to go away (2013) • Hacker News Board

Re: Myths about cooking steak that need to go away (2013)

#181

Post by ankaAr » Sun, Jan 23, 2022, 1:18 AM UTC

the_af wrote: post #108

chrisseaton wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Why buy an expensive and tasty meat and put some sugary sauce on it? Why does anyone combine flavours and use sauces and different elements of taste? I don't put ketchup on my steak either, but let's not pretend that the idea of sauces or combining sweet and savoury is somehow unfathomable.

Agreed. However, effectively saying "I don't care about the meat, just drown it in sauce" is a different matter. The article is intended for those who do care about grilling good and flavorful steaks. With pork ribs I actually agree: I drown them in BBQ sauce and pretty much only care that they are tender. With steak and cow cuts... hey, I'm Argentinian, we care about our grilled meat [1], the thought of just not bot…

Another argentinian here, 37 years old and after years to fight with matambre.., man.., no more fighting when you knows how to cook it...

Im agree with fancy restaurants cooking meat without care about it.

anyway, i think 33% is meat quality, 33% knowladge and 33% experience. 1% is the fernet or wine you are drinking while cooking.

Re: Myths about cooking steak that need to go away (2013)

#182

Post by leetcrew » Sun, Jan 23, 2022, 1:19 AM UTC

strken wrote: post #147

I think he's misunderstanding the point of the poke test (myth #7). It's not intended to precisely gauge doneness regardless of cut, it's intended to help absolute beginners tell the difference between blue-rare, well-done, and somewhere in the middle. If you're buying a meat thermometer that starts at $83USD and your job is writing for a cooking website, you don't need to compare your steak to the fleshy bits of you…

I get the impression he understands that and is arguing that the wide variation in people's hands makes it useless even to tell the difference between rare and well done. I'm sure you could figure out doneness relative to your own flesh with enough trial and error, but cooking a nice steak is already stressful enough for a beginner cook (at least in my experience). just get the thermapen. it only takes four or five overcooked steaks to break even on $83.

Re: Myths about cooking steak that need to go away (2013)

#183

Post by tptacek » Sun, Jan 23, 2022, 1:24 AM UTC

cellularmitosis wrote: post #172

errcorrectcode wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wrong bottle. It's all about A1 sauce.

As a child, my grandfather would serve filet mingnon at family holidays, and I would drown it in A1. It is only as an adult that I truly understand the severity of my sin.

That's not much of a sin; there isn't much flavor in a filet to cover up. It's more a textural experience.

But also just this idea that a steak is a pure thing meant to be enjoyed without a powerful sauce --- some of the best sauces in cooking were invented for steaks. Deglaze a steak pan, cook down some shallots, hit it with some cream and maybe a shot of whiskey, and break up some Roquefort in it while the sauce reduces. It's an overwhelmingly flavorful sauce --- invented for steaks. Steaks are delicious. Sauces are delicious. Steaks and sauces are synergistically delicious.

Don't apologize for saucing a steak.

Re: Myths about cooking steak that need to go away (2013)

#184

Post by spiderice » Sun, Jan 23, 2022, 1:24 AM UTC

Zababa wrote: post #177

spiderice wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think comments like this (basically just guesses without any data) are where myths like this originate.

This isn't a guess. This is something that applies to most people I know. That means that this "myth" is true around me. I've cut steak open a lot, and I can see easily that more juices flow out when I use a dull knife compared to when I use a sharp knife. A simple thought experiment: do you think cutting open a steak with a razor blade will make the same amount of juice flow than with a butter knife? I know for a fa…

> I know for a fact that the razor blade will spill almost no juice, and the butter knife will spill a lot, by pressing the steak.

> The question is now: Do most people have dull knives?

I would say the question is: Does cutting a steak with a dull knife cause enough juice loss that it's actually going to be noticeable in the finished steak?

Even the author admits that you lose just by cutting it open. But he says that it isn't enough for anyone to notice. So the question isn't whether or not the dull knife causes more juice loss, it whether it's even perceptible. And you're going to have a hard time convincing me that you actually know the answer to that question off hand.

Re: Myths about cooking steak that need to go away (2013)

#185

Post by ankaAr » Sun, Jan 23, 2022, 1:27 AM UTC

ryan93 wrote: post #114

ankaAr wrote: post #76

Whenever you wants, just contact me, im from Argentina and happy to let you know how to cook beef. People from USA just burn the beef >.<

Can you please share the miracle way that Argentinians cook meat?

search Locos x el asado on youtube. Or read Francis Mallman books, or look for Christian Petersen videos.

Good quality meat, be with friends, more time cooking and NO fire (please, no fire). Use hard wood to burn ember and cook with it. Try not to use charcoal, do not use a fork with the meat NEVER, use kitchen clamps... just let the meat to rest on the grill.., use salmuera sometimes (water, salt, pepper and bay leaves..) to not let the meat dry..., and be with friends.

that is all.

Re: Myths about cooking steak that need to go away (2013)

#186

Post by cookie_monsta » Sun, Jan 23, 2022, 1:27 AM UTC

ryan93 wrote: post #114

ankaAr wrote: post #76

Whenever you wants, just contact me, im from Argentina and happy to let you know how to cook beef. People from USA just burn the beef >.<

Can you please share the miracle way that Argentinians cook meat?

They burn it.

Generally speaking, the quality of beef in Argentina is very good, the price (subject to the economy which is always a factor) has historically been low and the culture is very carnivorous - these are the things that give Argentina its fame for beef along with a strong export industry. Nobody really rates the Argentines as cooks, though, and the parrilla is just a basic adjustable-height open flame grill.

Re: Myths about cooking steak that need to go away (2013)

#187

Post by tptacek » Sun, Jan 23, 2022, 1:29 AM UTC

ankaAr wrote: post #76

Whenever you wants, just contact me, im from Argentina and happy to let you know how to cook beef. People from USA just burn the beef >.<

It's too bad the Brazilians got the picanha, and will thus always be the South American champions of beef cookery. :P

Re: Myths about cooking steak that need to go away (2013)

#188

Post by tatersolid » Sun, Jan 23, 2022, 1:35 AM UTC

strken wrote: post #147

I think he's misunderstanding the point of the poke test (myth #7). It's not intended to precisely gauge doneness regardless of cut, it's intended to help absolute beginners tell the difference between blue-rare, well-done, and somewhere in the middle. If you're buying a meat thermometer that starts at $83USD and your job is writing for a cooking website, you don't need to compare your steak to the fleshy bits of you…

My instant-read thermometer was $20 at Target. Even so, my crotchety father-in-law is amazed how everything I grill is always “perfectly done”. He spent 50 years as a purveyor to the best Chicago steak packers.

We use that $20 instant-read for everything including baking, and it works great after 15 years.

Re: Myths about cooking steak that need to go away (2013)

#189

Post by tptacek » Sun, Jan 23, 2022, 1:35 AM UTC

bradleyjg wrote: post #12

If 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

While we're (or, ok, I'm) nerding out on this stuff, let me put a word in for the idea that this is how you should cook a pork chop too. Like, exactly like a steak; maybe the only difference is that a pork chop likes a little big of sugar with the salt you apply an hour before cooking.

Maybe take a chop to mid-rare instead of Pittsburgh blue rare, but otherwise: just like a steak. Kind of a revelation the first time you do it.

Re: Myths about cooking steak that need to go away (2013)

#190

Post by ankaAr » Sun, Jan 23, 2022, 1:35 AM UTC

tptacek wrote: post #187

ankaAr wrote: post #76

Whenever you wants, just contact me, im from Argentina and happy to let you know how to cook beef. People from USA just burn the beef >.<

It's too bad the Brazilians got the picanha, and will thus always be the South American champions of beef cookery. :P

I will not start a flame war, picanha is nice.

You can add tira de asado, bife de chorizo, ojo de bife, bife angosto, matambre (also matambre a la pizza), entraña, vacio, cuadril, chorizo, morcilla, salchicha parrillera, lomo, roast beef (that is very tasty and cheap), chinchulines trenzados, riñones, tripa rellena..

you can add those to your repertory, but picanha is nice too.