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GabrielAisling posted:I'm visiting home and we're having steak for dinner. I am a perpetually broke college student, and any steak besides on offer flank steak is always out of my budget. So I don't really know how to cook it and have it come out tasty. Neither do my parents. Not even extremely specific instructions have ever gotten my father to do anything but burn a slab of meat on the grill. My mother's not much more help. Can you please confirm that the New York Strip steaks you have are truly between one quarter inch and one half inch thick? That is so thin for a New York Strip I have a hard time believing that's the actual cut.
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Mar 20, 2013 20:02
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| # ? May 10, 2024 19:34 |
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Supermarkets around here sell "thin cut New York strip," and their regular cuts are about a half inch as well. ~Supermarkets~ seem to be getting dumber at meat. edit: Here's how to steak http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/12/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-pan-seared-steaks.html Adult Sword Owner fucked around with this message at 20:12 on Mar 20, 2013 |
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Mar 20, 2013 20:10
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GabrielAisling posted:I'm visiting home and we're having steak for dinner. I am a perpetually broke college student, and any steak besides on offer flank steak is always out of my budget. So I don't really know how to cook it and have it come out tasty. Neither do my parents. Not even extremely specific instructions have ever gotten my father to do anything but burn a slab of meat on the grill. My mother's not much more help. At that thin, if you want to keep the internal anywhere near medium, you may have to sacrifice some crust. You can go grill or you can pan fry. Either way salt right before you cook. I would usually let the meat come to room temperature, but at that thickness I would cook it right out of the refrigerator to buy a bit more thermal currency. Another thing is to make sure you cook with as hot a heat as you can so preheat your grill or your pan until the temperature stabilizes, about 10 min for the grill, same for a cast iron pan, less for a stainless pan before you put your steak down. Place the steaks on the hottest part of the grill and don't crowd. I like an internal temp of 130F ish for NY strips. If using a pan, oil the pan with a 50/50 mix of veg oil and butter. Finish with some coarse sea salt (maldon is the best, if you can get it) and a pat of garlic compound butter. Let the steak rest (on a warm plate!) for at least 1/3 of the total cooking time. compound butter: http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/buttersauces/r/garlicbutter.htm
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Mar 20, 2013 20:24
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I ate in a cafe at the weekend and they sold various deli products and one was smoked maldon sea salt. Is it noticeably smoky and worth getting? Is it worth while buying normal maldon sea salt and smoking it myself?
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Mar 20, 2013 23:08
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Scott Bakula posted:I ate in a cafe at the weekend and they sold various deli products and one was smoked maldon sea salt. Is it noticeably smoky and worth getting? Is it worth while buying normal maldon sea salt and smoking it myself? I like smoked salts for finishing. If you have the ability to smoke salt, I would do that because smoked salts can be expensive.
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Mar 20, 2013 23:32
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A question about nonstick pans. A recipe calls for oil in the pan, but oil tends to pool in a corner instead of coating the bottom. Is this an issue? Uneven cooking maybe? Should I go for a spray oil instead?
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Mar 20, 2013 23:40
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If it pools, then either your stove is crooked or your pan is warped.
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Mar 20, 2013 23:50
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Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:If it pools, then either your stove is crooked or your pan is warped. This. If you're using an electric coil stove, it's possible that your coil isn't quite even, too.
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Mar 21, 2013 00:09
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GrAviTy84 posted:I like smoked salts for finishing. If you have the ability to smoke salt, I would do that because smoked salts can be expensive. I assume they need cold smoking?
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Mar 21, 2013 00:11
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Scott Bakula posted:I assume they need cold smoking? it's salt...I'm not sure that it matters. Wouldn't want to change the texture of...rock. fake edit: I guess hot smoke has a lot of steam in it, so yeah cold smoke best. Cold smoke rigs are the easiest to make though.
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Mar 21, 2013 00:15
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GrAviTy84 posted:it's salt...I'm not sure that it matters. Wouldn't want to change the texture of...rock. You could probably move it to a dry oven after for a few and bake off any moisture? No clue how that would affect the flavor though.
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Mar 21, 2013 00:38
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Saint Darwin posted:Supermarkets around here sell "thin cut New York strip," and their regular cuts are about a half inch as well. They're not dumb, it's what people want. People don't care if their meat is raised properly, if it's aged properly or if it's cut properly. They care that it's cheap. Cheap steak is better than good steak.
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Mar 21, 2013 02:19
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Chemmy posted:They're not dumb, it's what people want. People don't care if their meat is raised properly, if it's aged properly or if it's cut properly. They care that it's cheap. Fair enough. I laugh every time I see THIN CUT FEEDS MORE When I portion out my steaks I only pay attention to 2 dimensions.
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Mar 21, 2013 02:37
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Comic posted:Edit: I used it recently in this recipe which has been delicious. I have used catfish and also swai. I also don't use anywhere near the amount of oil it says to, only using enough oil to liberally coat the onions while sauteing. I generally add a can of tomatoes and green chiles too before the fish. Update to say that this is really delicious, if you're debating what to try making next I highly recommend this recipe (I also took your advice re: catfish and tomato & chile cans, but I thought that 1/2 cup was a perfect amount for the 2 large onions the recipe calls for)
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Mar 21, 2013 03:46
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Hey GWS(CC?), long time eater first time GWS-visitor, I hail from the land of YLLS (formerly W&W, seriously, what is with the name changes around here?) and to meet my protein macros it's basically all chicken, all the time for me. Lately I've changed from cooking my chix in a George Foreman grill to cooking them in the oven. Now I'm talking boneless skinless breasts from the supermarket here, about five pounds at a time. I like to cook a bunch every couple days and refrigerate it. I can't remember if this ever happened in the GFGrill, but since oven cooking I've noticed a problem. My usual setup is: -Purchase chicken -Preheat oven to 350* -Grease baking sheet -Wash breasts and place on sheet, covering with lemon pepper seasoning -Cook for 40 mins, flipping and re-seasoning halfway through -Removing, slicing, and placing in tupperware. Now sometimes, not always, but sometimes, a thick reddish goop collects on the bottom of the container after it's been in the fridge for a while. I dunno if this is good or bad but I always drain it if I see it, it looks gross. And infrequently, but enough to pose a problem, the entirety of the meat will "revert" from delicious white strips to reddish and soft, like it's uncooking itself. It's chewier and slimier and kind of gross. Note I always make sure it's cooked to smoking white perfection before storing it. Not to be daunted, I of course will still eat this reverted meat and I think it's giving me diarrhea. This of course really worries me like I'll somehow contract salmonella or something. Help?
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Mar 21, 2013 03:52
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How cheap are we talking for the chicken? You're either overcooking it a lot and it's getting really lovely or the quality is really weird. Does it become properly cooked before it gets bizarre? Have you tried sticking a thermometer in the biggest piece just to keep an eye on what's going on?
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Mar 21, 2013 04:06
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Hey, if you're making hard candy, obviously you can use food coloring to get basic colors, but how would you get a white or milky color (without milk)? Is it even possible? Google was useless. Hope this is the right place for this kind of thing, seemed like it.
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Mar 21, 2013 04:46
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Advice posted:Now sometimes, not always, but sometimes, a thick reddish goop collects on the bottom of the container after it's been in the fridge for a while. I dunno if this is good or bad but I always drain it if I see it, it looks gross. And infrequently, but enough to pose a problem, the entirety of the meat will "revert" from delicious white strips to reddish and soft, like it's uncooking itself. It's chewier and slimier and kind of gross. Note I always make sure it's cooked to smoking white perfection before storing it. Not to be daunted, I of course will still eat this reverted meat and I think it's giving me diarrhea. This of course really worries me like I'll somehow contract salmonella or something. Help? Sounds like it's not being cooked thoroughly. Check the insides of any larger pieces for pink after you finish cooking. Honestly, I'd probably cut into strips, bag, and freeze after cooking. Three days in the fridge is borderline to me.
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Mar 21, 2013 05:00
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Proteus4994 posted:Hey, if you're making hard candy, obviously you can use food coloring to get basic colors, but how would you get a white or milky color (without milk)? Is it even possible? Google was useless. There is a candy thread run by a professional candy maker! The answer to your question though is air: folding and stretching hot candy traps air inside which makes it appear opaque/milky
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Mar 21, 2013 05:37
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tarepanda posted:Sounds like it's not being cooked thoroughly. Well, I am slicing it into strips. And of course, they're all white and cooked throughout. Whatever this is, it's a process that's happening because of the cold or improper refrigeration/airproofing. I figured someone had heard of it.
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Mar 21, 2013 05:52
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pile of brown posted:There is a candy thread run by a professional candy maker! Cool, I'll check it out. Thanks!
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Mar 21, 2013 07:11
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Lil more chicken help for a complete moron so I don't poison myself, please. I got a couple bags of boneless chicken breasts and at night I'll yank a couple out, put them on a foil lined baking sheet (edges up so it doesn't leak), wash my hands, and put them in the fridge overnight. The next day I'll take the sheet, put it in the oven, cook them (350 for 30-40 min until center is cooked and juices are clear), throw away the foil while being careful not to spill ANY juices, and finally repeat again with the same sheet. I'll wash the sheet on the weekends or if it gets dirty switch out to a new sheet (ya, I'm lazy about dishes). Any problems with that approach? On more quick question: Some sites say to cover the chicken while it's in the fridge but most don't. Any good reason to cover it?
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Mar 21, 2013 07:27
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It can dry out and get a weird texture.
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Mar 21, 2013 07:42
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Generally with any meat it's a good idea to cover it when it's in the fridge. Fridges are pretty dry places really and the circulating air tends to dry out the surface of the meat making it tough and not very nice to eat really. Same thing happens to just about anything that you leave uncovered in the fridge including things like cheese
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Mar 21, 2013 12:11
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I'd be worried about cross-contamination resulting from leaving the chicken uncovered if not bacterial cross-contamination, at least everything else uncovered tasting chickeny. Your baking sheet strategy is probably fine, but a little lazy. Also, be sure things are stored in the right order in the fridge. From the top down: Ready to eat foods Veggies Fresh fish Whole cuts of meat Ground meat Poultry
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Mar 21, 2013 13:06
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I've been having half an avocado with the salads I've been eating for dinner lately. To store the second half for the next night's meal, I've just been putting it into a little ziploc bag and squeezing out as much air as possible before sealing. This prevents most browning, but the small amount of oxygen trapped inside still leads to some browning and brown spots. Would submerging the half avocado under water to store in the fridge prevent any browning/oxidation from occurring? Avocados are mostly fat so I don't think the water would affect the texture too much, but I'm not sure.
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Mar 21, 2013 15:41
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Do any of you know if you can freeze inarizushi after making them?
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Mar 21, 2013 15:54
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The Midniter posted:I've been having half an avocado with the salads I've been eating for dinner lately. To store the second half for the next night's meal, I've just been putting it into a little ziploc bag and squeezing out as much air as possible before sealing. This prevents most browning, but the small amount of oxygen trapped inside still leads to some browning and brown spots. It might be weird. I always thought the usual method for storing halves was to put a layer of saran wrap on the exposed flesh.
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Mar 21, 2013 15:56
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Saint Darwin posted:It might be weird. I always thought the usual method for storing halves was to put a layer of saran wrap on the exposed flesh. And keeping the pit in helps it from browning, apparently. I've not had any guacamole survive more than two days but it never went brown at all with the pit + saran wrap pushed against it.
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Mar 21, 2013 15:57
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Thanks for the input, I really appreciate it. If anyone has any better approaches for letting them thaw overnight I would love to hear about em. Sorry for the really simple questions but Google is a shitpile now so any other tips or methods would be greatly appreciated.
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Mar 21, 2013 16:03
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Grand Fromage posted:And keeping the pit in helps it from browning, apparently. I've not had any guacamole survive more than two days but it never went brown at all with the pit + saran wrap pushed against it. I remembered reading the following refutation of the "leave the pit in, it'll keep longer" myth: quote:Though there are more than a few old-wives tales claiming that throwing the pit into the bowl will help prevent this from happening, it's a trivial task to prove that this isn't true. This refers to already-mashed avocado in guacamole, but I think the same would apply to a half-avocado itself - any prevention in browning would be minimal and most likely due to any physical contact between the pit and the avocado itself acting as a barrier to air and somewhat preventing oxidation. Amusingly, this article also answers my original question on storing them: quote:The better solution in that situation? Just submerge the sucker in water. I store my unused avocado pieces in a plastic container filled with water in the fridge for up to overnight. Perfect, oxygen-free seal for any shape, and because an avocado is so dense and high in fat, water is slow to penetrate it (it'll eventually become softer).
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Mar 21, 2013 16:04
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Glad someone else did the experiment, way too much money to try it myself. 
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Mar 21, 2013 16:10
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The Midniter posted:I remembered reading the following refutation of the "leave the pit in, it'll keep longer" myth: If you don't hate the taste, you could rub a bit of vinegar or lemon on the exposed bits before popping it into your ziplock baggie or cling film? Also, the leaving in of the seed only works when the avocado is whole. I don't know what people think they're accomplishing with throwing a seed into already mashed avocado. XD
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Mar 21, 2013 16:15
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dino. posted:If you don't hate the taste, you could rub a bit of vinegar or lemon on the exposed bits before popping it into your ziplock baggie or cling film? Also, the leaving in of the seed only works when the avocado is whole. I don't know what people think they're accomplishing with throwing a seed into already mashed avocado. XD I assumed it emitted a hormone or something, like ripening fruit with the ethylene from a banana.
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Mar 21, 2013 16:19
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Grand Fromage posted:And keeping the pit in helps it from browning, apparently. I've not had any guacamole survive more than two days but it never went brown at all with the pit + saran wrap pushed against it. As said, complete woo. The Midniter posted:I've been having half an avocado with the salads I've been eating for dinner lately. To store the second half for the next night's meal, I've just been putting it into a little ziploc bag and squeezing out as much air as possible before sealing. This prevents most browning, but the small amount of oxygen trapped inside still leads to some browning and brown spots. Unlikely. There's air in water, too. So you have a couple of options. Dino suggested using lemon juice or vinegar, but the most potent easily usable antioxidant would be pure vitamin C powder, aka ascorbic acid. You can find it in lots of places, but if you go this route, make sure you get something that's all ascorbic acid and not something with a bunch of filler. Alternately, I recommend just pasteurizing your avocados before you use them. If you have access to a sous vide setup or other water bath, simply cook them at something like 55 or 60°C for an hour. You won't noticeably affect the texture of the fruit at all, but you will denature the polyphenol oxidases responsible for melanoidin formation that gives things that browning look.
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Mar 21, 2013 16:29
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I have another dumb question. I'm trying to move away from boneless skinless chicken breasts because, well, boring. I got some chicken thighs instead (cheaper and more delicious) and plan to cook a bunch of them at the same time to eat during the week. Now, as dark meat, I would cook them to 165. Since I'll be cooking several at a time, I'll be doing them in the oven. Is 5 degrees of carryover heat a general rule for cooking protein in an oven, or would that apply more to steaks and such? I terribly despise overcooked..well..anything, so if I pull them at 160 and cover them in foil while they rest, would that be enough to bring them to 165?
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Mar 21, 2013 16:39
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That sounds right, but in my experience thighs are much more tolerant of being "overcooked"
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Mar 21, 2013 17:05
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Yeah I wouldn't treat chicken thighs like steak or chicken breasts. Medium-rare steak is delicious. just-done chicken thighs have a disgusting texture, funky taste and cling to the bone. It's practically impossible to overcook thighs, you can bake that poo poo till it's falling off the bone as long as you keep the skin from burning. The skin, fat and juices protect the meat. Totally different than baking breasts in the oven, which walk a fine line from bloody to juicy to dry. You know as much chicken as you eat, roasting a whole chicken would constitute a nice "variety pack". I think the protection of skin and carcass makes oven timing a lot less critical for the breasts as well.
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Mar 21, 2013 17:53
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At the farmer's market I bought a really silky feta cheese spread. It obviously has a lot of olive oil and honey in it, and it's just a little spicy, and I love it, but I have no idea what it's called, and googling "feta spread" is pretty much a fool's errand. Can anybody help me save some money and make this at home? On a related note, does anyone have any other middle eastern / Moroccan / Turkish feta spreads to recommend?
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Mar 21, 2013 19:16
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Arnold of Soissons posted:At the farmer's market I bought a really silky feta cheese spread. It obviously has a lot of olive oil and honey in it, and it's just a little spicy, and I love it, but I have no idea what it's called, and googling "feta spread" is pretty much a fool's errand. Can anybody help me save some money and make this at home? You should buy a big block of feta and use it to make tiny trial bowls of all those things you suggested, plus liberal amounts of something like red pepper. Then when you find something close, you can extrapolate it to a full batch. As to the other, I really enjoy feta in an olive tapenade.
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Mar 21, 2013 19:52
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