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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

#281

Post by ern »

I actually find that the less I fuss over a steak, the more optimal the result. I do use a thermometer, but apart from that, cooking it with salt and pepper or some steak spice on a cheap pan (stainless steel) and cutting it when it hits temp (resting seems to be BS) gets me tasty results and immense pleasure.

Similarly, the less I fuss over modern AI tools, the better the results. My personal productivity is through the roof, but I find that outdated processes, mythology and trying to overcontrol sap the benefits of AI on larger pieces of effort involving others.

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

#282

Post by oconnor663 »

fishtoaster wrote: post #210
danielmarkbruce wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Go to costco, buy prime filet. Put it in a ziplock in a sous vide at 130 for an hour. Drop it in corn oil at 425 for 30 seconds. Add some butter and salt. That simple process, suggested by Nathan Myhrvold (former MSFT cto) in the modernist cuisine, produces a filet better than most restaurants.

Since we're deep enough in this thread where we're talking about steak rather than AI, I'd like to lean into that. I used to sous-vide a lot . It was certainly great to get perfectly-done steak. but I still didn't love the result and it took me a while to figure out. Specifically: sous-viding at 130 doesn't reliably render fat. So it's great for a lean filet mignon like your suggesting, but kept giving me rubbery fat…

If the problem is that the temperature is too low for the cut, you can just use a higher temp?

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

#283

Post by lkjdsklf »

ddoolin wrote: post #106
spiffytech wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know people who can cook a lot of food pretty well, but don't understand why they can't use a laser thermometer to check their meat. Knowing really is half the battle.

What I've really gotten out of this is that I'd like to learn how to use a (proper) meat thermometer when I make steaks.

The funny part is steak is one of the easiest foods to cook without a thermometer

You don’t have to worry about undercooking like you do with most other meats and most steak cuts will be delicious anywhere from 11-130 (if you cook a filet to 130, it won’t be the best but it’ll still be good) and some can go even higher

It’s not like poultry where the range where it’s “good” is very small. A 170 chicken breast is almost inedible and 160 is not safe…

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

#284

Post by kasey_junk »

wheels wrote: post #275
criddell wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

As noted in an earlier comment of mine, I have one (actually made for burning weeds) connected to my gas grill tank, and a fancy Japanese one inside. They're honestly pretty rinky-dink. What they are good at is transferring heat just to the crust. But they only do a small patch at a time, and you have to hover for far longer than you'd think. Like, you do a little patch, leave the torch there for 30 seconds, move on.…

You tried an actual hardware blowtorch. Thats never failed me, though these days I just finish on a ripping hot stainless steel skillet.

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

#285

Post by airstrike »

ssl-3 wrote: post #273
airstrike wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree, it's cheating. My bad hot take is if you're using a meat thermometer and reverse sear to cook steak, you're like a kid on training wheels.

People are allowed to use tools and non-traditional techniques, even when it feels like cheating. They needn't be chastised for this. The gestapo isn't going to kick in the door and haul folks away for using reverse-sear and a meat thermometer while they cook a steak in their own kitchen. (And everyone is free to seek their own kind of masochistic pride, if that behooves them. When a person has better satisfaction [o…

I'm not chastising anyone, I have no power over them

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

#287

Post by kasey_junk »

lkjdsklf wrote: post #283
ddoolin wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I've really gotten out of this is that I'd like to learn how to use a (proper) meat thermometer when I make steaks.

The funny part is steak is one of the easiest foods to cook without a thermometer You don’t have to worry about undercooking like you do with most other meats and most steak cuts will be delicious anywhere from 11-130 (if you cook a filet to 130, it won’t be the best but it’ll still be good) and some can go even higher It’s not like poultry where the range where it’s “good” is very small. A 170 chicken breast is almo…

I agree with your broader point but the chicken food safety thing is missing a ton of important nuance. The safety comes from how long you hold the meat at the temp. 165 is the safe point if you are only holding for 10s. 145 is safe if you hold it for 10 minutes.

This is why sous vide is such a popular way to cook chicken. You can hold a breast at 145 for hours trivially.

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

#288

Post by netbioserror »

LLMs are vectoring towards solving problems of software quantity. What remains is judgment, caution, and taste for quality.

Much as computers have made creation in other industries much easier, we're likely to see a glut of crap software made by non-programmers that does not meet any quality bar because these are the sorts who think "lines of code" was the hurdle to overcome.

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

#289

Post by HPsquared »

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…

French fries are much harder to get right, for example.

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

#290

Post by fumeux_fume »

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…

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