| Cooking Myths
Posted: 11/3/2009 8:02:34 AM | I get tried of hearing Cooking personalites passing on...what I think ...are cooking myths. Myths because I dont think most have been tested.
"Dont cut into a piece of meat right out of the heat"...Let it rest.
I hear this all the time, come on...How much juice are you going to lose out of a roasted chicken or pork loin? Has anybody noticed that when you place steaks or meat on a platter, when you go get a piece of meat...they have leaked out juices onto the platter anyway.
What myths do you Hear? | |
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| Cooking Myths
Posted: 11/3/2009 9:19:28 AM | | Actually...it's not a myth...cook two steaks...cover one with foil for about 10-15 minutes...cut into the other immediatly ....then...uncover the one in foil...cut into it....then taste the differance..see the difference...the temp of the meat needs to come down a few degrees so the juices settle and stop spirting...the spirting from the heat is what makes the juice run out so quickly when cut right away....it's just a matter of science...that's all... | |
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Posted: 11/3/2009 11:52:59 AM | Also true with roasts and tenderloins, Heat forces the blood to the centre and letting it stand completes the cooking process. Very important to use a rack and not a platter for best results, It keeps the temp more even.
The same pricipals of proper cooling applies to cakes also. | |
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| Cooking Myths
Posted: 11/3/2009 1:36:54 PM | Yep, it is sooo not a myth. I have been the unfortunate recipient of DRY meat because I had to learn the hard way.
SS | |
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| Cooking Myths
Posted: 11/3/2009 4:09:34 PM | | Actually, I've seen the "searing to seal the juices in" myth handily debunked. But it does add a nice, nutty flavour to the meat, I find. | |
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Posted: 11/3/2009 4:20:54 PM | | it is the bigest lie ever...ever. Not even Santy Clause comes close. | |
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Posted: 11/3/2009 5:53:28 PM | hey cook the way you want to man, who gives a crap what you wish to believe.
Don't watch any more and never invite me for dinner. | |
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| Cooking Myths
Posted: 11/3/2009 9:29:17 PM | | adding salt or oil to pasta cooking water...stir them and they won't stick together! Pasta already has salt in it, no need to add more | |
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Posted: 11/3/2009 10:09:08 PM | Speaking as a 17 year veteran of the restaurant/catering industry, a culinary arts graduate(3 year degree, not one of those overblown 6 month courses), and a passionate lover of cooking, I can tell you that it DOES make a difference when you let a piece of meat rest before cutting into it. Sure, some of the juices run out of a steak or whatnot as it's resting, but most of it is redistributing itself through the meat as things cool slightly. You're definitely better off letting the meat cool on a rack rather than a platter, but either way is preferable to cutting right in. As for those juices that DO run out, add them to whatever sauce you're making for extra flavour. Waste not, want not!
As for pasta, oil doesn't really do any good when you add it to the water. Salt, doesn't keep things from sticking either. The way to keep pasta from sticking is to make sure you have a large enough pot, plenty of water at a rolling boil, and STIR that pasta as soon as it goes in the water. Make sure you come back to stir it a few times while it cooks too. Salt IS good, however, for flavouring your pasta. Most pasta actually has very little salt in it or none at all. Sure, you can leave the salt out and rely on your sauce to make up for the lack of taste in the pasta, but the best way is to salt the water and then reduce the amount of salt used in your sauce in order to find a happy balance. One romantic notion from the Italians was that water used to cook pasta should be "as salty as the Mediterranian Sea". | |
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Posted: 11/4/2009 4:23:21 PM | Sorry Smarty, but I gotta disagree with you on part of this....
Neither Salt nor Oil helps with sticking, the real secret for no stick is a bigger pot, and a full rolling boil to keep things stirred up.
But you really do need to add salt to the water, not for anti-sticking but for taste. Ask any real Italian grandma, and she'll tell you the water should be like sea water....
<edit> Don't you hate/regret the quick reply when you realize the very next post, like Soul Singers, already made your point!<end edit> | |
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| Cooking Myths
Posted: 11/4/2009 5:25:54 PM | Eating pickles grows hair on your chest  | |
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| Cooking Myths
Posted: 11/4/2009 5:51:02 PM | Like others have said, letting meat rest is no myth.
Salt in pasta water is a good idea because you can't season cooked pasta.
Myth: Oysters and other bivalves should never be harvested in months that don't have the letter "R" in them.
Truth: As long as there is no Red Tide or sanitary water warnings, you're good to go pick your limit any time of year. | |
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Posted: 11/5/2009 12:46:48 AM | I not going to wait till the government...any goverment gives me a warning not to eat bi valves out of the gulf. There is plenty of other junk in the Hot water that Im not risk eating. Bacteria levels can be high and not trigger a Goverment warning. The choice is yours, I ll wait till cooler weather.
bacteria levels in the Water can be measured...I ve never seen any comparison...side by side...of how much juice is lost by not waiting to let meat rest...not one.
Just a lot os smart folk telling me but never showing me the difference. How much juice could be lost...and where does it go?
the only posible exception would be roast beef rare.
If anyone would lik to make a U tube video on the camparison, or the big loss of juice, Id love to see you prove your myth. | |
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Posted: 11/5/2009 1:31:26 AM | It's not a myth about the meat needing to be rested before eating.
Read here for the explanation.
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/meatrest.html
Explains why we need to rest meat and why the juices come out when it's relaxing. | |
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| Cooking Myths
Posted: 11/5/2009 4:33:37 AM |
I get tried of hearing Cooking personalites passing on...what I think ...are cooking myths. Myths because I dont think most have been tested.
"Dont cut into a piece of meat right out of the heat"...Let it rest.
That is completely true and not a myth.
Your meat should rest for at least 1/2 of the cooking time.
You should also never flip a steak more than once.
What myths do you Hear?
Acids in Marinates help to tenderize the meat.
Only commercial products like papain have the ability to break down the connective issues in meat.
Acids will cause your mouth to produce more saliva while you are crewing it, thus breaking the meat down in your mouth but do not tenderize the meat before you eat it, they only can enhance the flavour. | |
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Posted: 11/5/2009 4:56:23 AM |
A relatively new visitor who discovered the blog a few weeks ago, Hill Roberts, left this comment on my previous post which included a couple of steaks grilled over charcoal:
“Hi, MM.
YOu said, “let the steak rest for 7-8 minutes before eating it…”my goodness, that steak would be very cold by then, and no way am I going to eat cold steak. I mean, steaks should be eaten hot…In Europe, because steaks or beef is cheaper since they are not imported, we eat them at least three times a week since my husband grew up on the farm in England. However, it’s always nice to grill steaks just before people sit down for lunch/dinner, then serve beef sizzling hot. I wouldn’t even dream of telling people to eat steaks 7-8 minutes after cooking…this time, MM, your advice is rather wrong.
Response..
First of all, this blog is written from my point of view… which means it’s how I choose to do things. Differing opinions are welcome, if done in a reasonable manner. I don’t expect everyone to do it “my way” at all, but when someone takes a highly tonal exception (the comment equivalent of shrill or uppity) to something I have written, and I feel I am fairly confident about my position and can site sufficient opinion, personal experience and credible resource material, then I sometimes feel the need to elaborate. My suggesting to Joey, and other readers, that one should let their steak rest is based on how I do it, to good results, and on the dozens of references in cookbooks, magazines, cooking shows, reference guides, etc. that say the same thing. I never attended cooking school, so I can’t explain the science, but the “rest period” AFTER GRILLING does work for me. And for MANY, MANY other authoritative folks in the field of cookery
This is an exchange by two folk that love cooking and food...
On how to grill a perfect steak, one site says... let steak rest 5-10 minutes, another site says 3-4 minutes...come on all the juices are going to realign in 3 mins!!!!
seems to it it would take at least 3 minutes to put the steak on the plate, dress it, and take it out to the table.
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This weekend Im going to grill two steaks, NY strips, I'll start one 5 min before the other...I will cook them for the same amount of time, remove one and let rest 5-7 mins.
I will remove the second and take it strait to the table.
Now am I suppose to lose more juice on the the non rested piece? is that the theory?
We will see... | |
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Posted: 11/5/2009 6:22:03 AM |
I not going to wait till the government...any goverment gives me a warning not to eat bi valves out of the gulf. There is plenty of other junk in the Hot water that Im not risk eating. Bacteria levels can be high and not trigger a Goverment warning. The choice is yours, I ll wait till cooler weather. True, it is your choice, but it's still a myth and that's what you asked for. | |
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Posted: 11/5/2009 11:31:23 AM | Add me to the list that firmly believes a steak or meat is better served after it has rest. Can't speak for anybody else's experience, but from mine - it just simply tastes better, and the juices do in fact redistribute back into the meat instead of bailing out the front door if it's cut into immediately.
The only thing I can think of if you've not experienced this is that you are buying/cooking a cheaper and/or thinner piece of meat. If you are grilling a steak that's 1/4" thick - prolly not going to notice a difference. But you purchase and grill up a nice 1" stip or something - you will notice.
Also, I rest mine on forks or a rack. I let the underside have air under it as well so it doesn't steam. And equally important is to cover loosely with foil. That will keep the meat from getting cold while the juices do their thing resting. | |
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Posted: 11/5/2009 2:32:28 PM | Well, lets see what these folks have to say...
Chrissy, asst. mangr at the Little Red Barn Steak house
says..."We try to get the steak out to the coustomer as quickly and hot as posible, I have heard of resting meat, but we dont here at LRB".
http://www.sacurrent.com/dining/place.asp?id=1765
OK Chrissy...
Candy, asst mangr at Saltgrass Steak house concurs...'We dont rest our Steaks..."
http://www.saltgrass.com/
Thanks Candy...
Elaine, Office staff at the Old San Fransico Steak House could not confirm" Im usually in the office, but I can give you the mangr's cell...
http://www.theoldsanfrancisco.com/
Thats OK Elaine, thanks anyway
And Hanna asst mangr at Ruth's Chris Steak house says..."No, we at RC's pride ourselves of our sizzle"..."We dont rest our steaks"
http://www.ruthschris.com/
Love that sizzle, Thanks Hanna...
Well, there you have it... | |
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Posted: 11/5/2009 2:52:17 PM | Little Red Barn Steak house
Saltgrass Steak house
Old San Fransico Steak House
Ruth's Chris Steak house says
Note to self, places not to get a steak at.
If you rest your meat -
Will you still lose some juice, Yes.
Will you lose as much, No.
Also there is something called residual cooking, you have to let the meat cool down and let the cooing process stop.
Any steak house that does not let their meat rest, should not be allowed to call themselves a steak house.
The thicker the cut, the more important this is.
IMO
Anything past Med Rare is over cooked.
My pref - Blue Rare. | |
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Posted: 11/5/2009 4:10:28 PM | I have been a culinary instructor for 12 years have a food science degree, and I am a CCE, CEPC, and CEC. I am always trying to learn new things from my students as well as anyone else. Have worked in 4- and 5 star Restaurants as a pastry chef for many years and worked in restaurants as a chef .
Here is the best ways to test your rest of meet dilemma. Cook two prime ribs to 120 degrees and cut into 1 of them right away and than cover the other and cut it in 10-15 minutes and you will see a huge difference. Steak of course you would not let rest for 10 - 15 minutes unless you had it in a temperature controlled holding unit. 3- 5 mins. yes.
Yes meats can have there connective tissue(collagen and elastin) broken down with acid in a marinade or in the cooking method. The tenderizers are usually not going to be used my the home cook or even the restaurant cook. Dry aging is one of the best ways to to naturally tenderize and enhance the flavor of beef. The bacteria and enzymes will do wonders to beef.
My thought is do whatever you like as long as it makes you happy and you enjoy the meat. It's like art; everyone has an opinion and only your opinion counts. | |
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Posted: 11/5/2009 6:35:24 PM | Well put and as someone from the front of the house this philosophy works for wine too. Sure there may be the perfect combo of which bottle with this food but I have always had more success letting people pick what they like, if they're happy with it - it's the right one.
But you are bang on with the dry aging, can't be beat.
If you are going to watch the food network, check out a show called,"Good Eats"
He explores classic recipes and goes right into the science of food. Some of the items he has covered are becomming lost nuggets of pure delish. | |
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Posted: 11/5/2009 8:45:39 PM | If you are going to watch the food network, check out a show called,"Good Eats"
He explores classic recipes and goes right into the science of food. Some of the items he has covered are becomming lost nuggets of pure delish.
Alton has a great way of not only showing you a good dish but helping you understand the theory behind it all and also great at dispelling myths.
Yes meats can have there connective tissue(collagen and elastin) broken down with acid in a marinade or in the cooking method.
I watched an episode the other night where Alton Brown was doing a meat marinate.
If I can remember what he was saying is that the acid can break meat down but it is unable to penetrate much further than a few centimetres.
He demonstrated with two pieces of meat on marinated for 3 hrs and one for 24, same amount of penetration.
Agree with the dry aging, the only way to go, then just kiss all four sides with a hot sear and give it a while to rest and enjoy. | |
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Posted: 11/6/2009 1:00:53 PM | The acid will only penetrate a short depth. Also depends on what kind of meat it is.
14 day dry aged New York Strip thrown on a 700 degree wood grill seared on both sides is the way to go. Extra rare. Many places call this Kansas City style. | |
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Posted: 11/6/2009 3:52:08 PM | heres the truth about the myth about "R" and oysters.
oysters .and all shellfish spoil rather quickly....but oysters are the worst.....months withour an "r" are the hottest of the year......may june july and august....therefore thats when oysters spoiled the fastest...........ice wasnt easily avaliable yrs ago......nor was any refidgeration..............people got sick eating bad oysters....and....i guess wives tales sprang up.........but honest...thats why you dont harvest oysters in a month without an "r" | |
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