Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Generation Gap?


ahr

Recommended Posts

Two questions for the price of one, if I may:

First: I’ve noticed a change - an evolution, perhaps, or a generation gap - in Lobel’s instructions for grilling a steak. Your older recipes recommend coating the meat (and the grill) with oil prior to cooking, whereas your newer ones, including the “Guide to Grilling the Perfect Steak” on your website and packaged with your mail-order steaks, recommend searing the steak first and then lubricating it. What gives?

Second: Speaking of change, is the quality of meat sold by Lobel’s via mail-order absolutely identical to that sold on Madison Avenue? Given the scarceness to begin with of the product you sell, have you had any problems maintaining quality while expanding your business?

Thanks and best wishes.

"To Serve Man"

-- Favorite Twilight Zone cookbook

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi,

So much of cooking and grilling comes down to personal preference and

using your sight, smell and touch to guide you to the results you want

to achieve.

Whether you put oil on the meat before or during grilling is, again, a

matter of personal preference and what your experience tells you

produces the best results for your taste.

The discrepancy you note may have come from the fact that in our books,

I, my dad, Leon; uncle, Stanley, and cousin, Mark, all write the

recipes, and those recipes reflect our personal preferences. So, for

example my cousin may prefer to oil the steak during grilling, while I

prefer to oil it before grilling. Some people do both.

The results, in terms of searing and achieving a nice crusty surface,

are virtually identical. Putting the steaks on without oil develops a

drier crust initially. Oiling first gives you a slightly more supple

crust.

One thing we call all agree on is oiling the grill before you put the

meat on.

Question #2

Yes, the meat we sell online at www.lobels.com and at our butcher shop

on Madison Ave. is the same ... all USDA high-prime purchased for both

businesses from the same meat producers.

No, it is fundamental to our business to maintain the highest standards

of quality. We simply buy more product to meet the demands of our

growing business.

EL

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...