UnConundrum
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Posts posted by UnConundrum
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Just got some great bone-in rib eye from Safeway yesterday (on sale for $4.99/lb) and want to get some help on cooking them. They're about an inch or so thick and about a lb each. My prefer method would be to cook them on stove top and finish them in the oven. I don't have a cast iron pan. I'll probably use my cooper bottom stainless steel pan.
So, I like to get some guidelines on:
What oil? Canola or olive?
How how should the pan be before I put the steak in it?
How long should I cook the steak on the first side? The second?
When do I put it in the oven? Temp? How long?
I'm really new at cooking steak at home, so I appreciate any advice you have. TIA
You can get a lot of opinions on the answers, but I'd suggest you invest in a cast iron pan if you plan on doing steaks regularly... they're not too expensive.
As to the oil, canola, as olive oil has a lower smoke point.
medium high ??? but watch hot spots...
About 2 minutes a side ??? You want it to start to brown.... but no so long as you're cooking the steak.
I keep my oven at 400 for steaks, but how long is really the trick. You need an instant read thermometer, and you should reach about 130 for medium rare. I'd do about 4 minutes on side one, and then flip.
When the steaks are done to your likeness, wrap in foil and let sit for about 20 minutes before serving. Remember the internal temperature will continue to rise during this rest.
BTW, are the handles on your pan oven safe? are you planning on moving the steaks to some other pan, if so, how thick is that? Are you going to make a pan sauce?
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First, my favorite cut for soups and stews is short ribs. Nothing compares... Cook them whole. Brown in the pan, and continue with your stew recipe. When they're done, remove from the stew and cut up then..... You'd probably want to trim the fat really well before browning them.
Second, as pointed out by other posters, collagen is what makes the meat tough when not cooked properly, yet so delicious when it's understood. One point I want to differ with. I believe the collagen will start to disolve at 130 F or so, just it's very, very slow at that temperature. That's why Michele Richard offers 72 hour short ribs.... it takes that kind of time to disolve the collagen at such low temperatures. Those of us who make smoked briskets know to cook them at about 225 - 250 for 12 - 18 hours. If you graph that cook, you'll see that the temperature will plateau at around 160 - 165 as more energy goes into disolving the collagen than raising the temperature of the meat. Often, the internal temp of the meat actually declines slightly. If you rush the cook, you'll bring your meat to finished temperature (185 - 195 in the case of a brisket) without giving the collagen sufficient time to disolve/melt, and you'll have a tough brisket. Take your time, with a slow simmer, and you'll have a delicious result. As Slkinsey indicated, that's what sous-vide seems to be all about.
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I go by there all of the time, and have never stopped in. Thanks for the tip.
Best call for reservations if you go on the weekend, they've been getting quite busy lately. Please post and let us know what you think.
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A bit further out than the Farmhouse, but worth the drive, and a notch above is the Savory Grille, their web site and directions are here.
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No such luck
That was before it was sealed.... Here's a pic of after they were sealed... not the best picture, but they were tight.
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That looks great Sam
I noticed that you didn't get any bloat. We ate the short ribs tonight, and they tasted great. No off odors when I opened the bags. I've posted some pictures on the Big Green Egg Forum. I'm still somewhat baffled by the bloat. Guess if we're all still smiling come morning..... -
Well, I'd say it's about 1/2 capacity with air now... I did add some mushrooms to the bags before sealing as a test, and some wine and stock (seasonings and a little garlic as well).
Here's a pic...
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Following the Sous-Vide thread, I'm trying my luck at some short ribs. I packaged them with a FoodSaver and have them sittling in my combi oven at 130. When I packaged them, yesterday, they were nice and tight, but I noticed today that the bags are bloating. They went into the oven at room temperature about 24 hours ago, so I don't think the 60 degree temperature change would cause that much gas expansion. They're not to the point of bursting, I can squeeze them a bit, maybe 1/2 capacity. In normal cooking this would tend to make me think the food is probably bad, and serving it would not be a good idea. Do the same rules apply with sous-vide, or is this bag bloating to be expected?
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I've been promised some wild power-puff mushrooms. Anyone have a good recipe for them?
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Got my copy of Sous-vide Cuisine on Friday, and I'm ready to start testing with chicken breast.... but........ I found the recipe for Breast of Poulard on page147, and I started staring at the picture on 146.... The morsel of meat in the upper right corner of the picture looks very moist, and I'm ready to go, but the strips that are curled up look rather "raw" to me. Is this another mind over matter learing curve like moving to sushi? I can eat rare meat, and love sushi, but I'm not sure I'm ready for raw looking poultry. Is that the appearance we'll end up with? How do I assure family and friends that it is indeed cooked and safe?
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New article appearing in the Washington Post....
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Thanks Nathan,
I think I may stretch the budget and go for the Minipack you so kindly offered a link to. But that page raised another question. They have an option of either 2 4mm seals or one mm seal and a cutoff wire. Would the cutoff wire be used for roll bag applications, not really applicable to sous vide?
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Nathanm,
You've been such a great source of information on this subject... Can I impose on you some more? Would you be willing to share your experiences with vacuum sealers?
I'm currently a Foodsaver Pro II user, but I'm ready to move ahead with a more commercial version. This sous vide cooking is extremely intersting to me, and just what I needed to convince me to make the move.... I've never even personally seen a chamber type of vacuum sealer, although I can see the pictures on various web sites... I could probably afford the ARY SVP 10, but wonder if there were other models or features we should look for.
I often use my FoodSaver to seal mason jars filled with spices (they last much, much longer that way). Can you put a mason jar (on its side) into a chamber type of sealer, maybe with the band attached to hold the lid in place, and seal it? Will the chamber hold a mason jar?
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A traditional corned beef is a brisket that is pickled and then braised or boiled till tender. Once done cooking it's often left to cool in the broth. I've seen bottom round roasts and eye round roasts that are pickled and passed off as corned beef, but the texture and fat content are clearly different.
A pastrami is usually the plate (as mentioned above). This cut is the boneless version of short ribs removed in roast style (one piece). The pastrami is usually pickled (brined) like a corned beef, but then let air dry for some time (maybe a few days) and then smoked. BTW, smoking as used for the pastrami and smoked meat is actually a very long process of cooking the meat at about 250 F until tender. The long, slow process allows the collagen in the tissue to disolve making for that tender result for a usually tough cut of beef. The pastrami has a very different texture than smoked meat, and is usually seasoned more strongly. By different texture I mean that it's usually cut very thinly on a slicer, and not hand cut like smoked meat.
Smoked meat is a brisket that is seasoned with a dry rub, and then cooked very slowly (as pointed out above) until tender. Here in Montreal, it's sliced by hand across the grain, and tends to have a coasrse texture. It's seasoned less than a pastrami, but more than a corned beef.
As to which is better.... well... it's a question of taste. I really enjoy a good corned beef sandwich, and I love Schwartz's. I also make my own smoked meat which I think compares favorably, when I'm not in Montreal (I live in Pennsylvania). I find pastrami a little strong for my tastes, but my wife loves it.
If you're interested in learning about smoking meat.... check out the forums at Big Green Egg. There's a great bunch of very knowledgable people who hang out there, and are always willing to answer a question, or give a recipe.
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Is this the same Oishii with other locations in Chestnut Hill and Sudbury, Massachusetts? One of my favorites.
I'd highly doubt it. This seems to be locally owned by the folks that are running it. The chef introduced himself to me yesterday, as the owner with his partner, who was also working there at the time.
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Made our visit on Saturday night to an almost empty restaurant. The meal was great, and I really can't add much more than that pointed out above. I had the beef filet, which was tender, done the way I like it, and very tasty. The chef came out to our table to talk to us which I thought was nice (ok, it was a quiet night, but nice non the less). I just can't understand why they were so empty on a Saturday. We got there at 7:00 which I know is early for Montreal, but even when we left, we were one of three tables. What gives?
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We're back in Montreal for the week, so we went back to Oishii Sushi for dinner tonight. Once again I requested the green tea sugar salmon :) Really good. Tonight, he had oysters on the menu that were superb as well. This restaurant will be on our regular visit list.
We haven't made it to Jun i yet, but that's scheduled for Wednesday lunch ;)
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Can someone help me out here? We're from Pennsylvania; our French is very weak, and Spanish non-existent. We love different restaurants, and Raza certainly seems to fit the bill, but we have some dietary limitations. I don't eat pork products, and I can't handle spicey food (although my wife can eat it as hot as they can make it).
Can Raza accommodate our limitations? Could we order the degustación, pass on our limitations to the waiter, and expect that the kitchen could comply, or do our limitations rule out this interesting restaurant?
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In response to an earlier thread, we stopped in at Oishii Sushi tonight. Had a great meal :) We asked about the salmon in green tea sugar, and the chef was happy to make it for us. It was really great. The restaurant is mostly a traditional Japanese sushi restaurant, without a big variety of rolls. They seem to emphasize quality, and, IMHO, they did a great job. They had some tuna imported from Japan tonight, which they made into a carpaccio, delicious. Well worth a visit.
Oh yeah, my wife ordered a modified martini (I can't remember what they called it) but it had ginger juice in it, and a "splash" of sake. The rim was dipped in the green tea sugar. It was different , and very tasty. In fact, she had two
;) Highly recommended. -
No kidding, Bechtelsville?
I live mid-way between Schwenksville and Limerick, and go to the chiropractor in Bechtelsville frequently.
Tell me, have you found anywhere decent to dine out in Pottstown or surrounding area?
Have a great time at King Arthur, I have a lot of money "invested" there!
Hi Ruth,
IMHO, Pottstown still suffers with a bad economy. I grew up there, remembering the Colonial Room and Milo's, and even the Schuler House. But nothing has replaced them to my knowledge. There's Gracie's out by Pine Forge, but that's about it.
Now, if you travel to Bechtelsville, we have what I consider a GREAT restaurant for the prices nearby, The Savory Grill. If you take 29 through Red Hill and Pennsburg, to Route 100, where 29 ends, and continue straight across 100, and continue several miles, it's on the left hand side, next to a small country auto repair shop. He makes his own bread, his own salad dressings (which change regularly) and is somewhat creative in his main dishes. Well worth the trip. You'll need reservations on the weekends. (610) 845-2010
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As a birthday gift, my son bought me a one week long professional baking class at King Arthur's in Vermont. We'll be staying across the border, at A Fireside Inn, a dog friendly motel :) in West Lebanon NH.
I saw an earlier post with some suggestions near King Arthur's, but I'll be there for a full week, and can use a few more suggestions. My wife and I are true foodies, and don't mind paying for a great meal. Can you give us some more hints on the best the area has to offer? Thanks in advance ....
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Their web site is : <a href="http://www.smithcreamery.com">Smith Creamery</a> but no online ordering info that I could find. If anyone knows where to find some in the Philadelphia area, I'd appreciate the info.
Using a Pacojet
in Cooking
Posted
I was wondering if anyone has any PacoJet recipes they're willing to share. Sorbets and ice creams are easy, but I know there's a ton of other ideas out there like NathanM's sweet pea amuse buche.
Only contributions I can make are whole peeled horseradish packed into the beaker, and then filled with a water/vinegar/salt/sugar solution. This way you have fresh horseradish available for steaks and roasts. Also, I make a big batch of caramelized onions and freeze in a beaker. The processed onions are great on crostini and I sometimes smear some on a veal chop (with pan fried apples on top of that, and then a pan sauce).