This week I was able to git gud and make meat taste really fucking good just by doing this:
-Let meat (did pork and beef so far, both delicious) warm 5 minutes before cooking and season heavily with salt and pepper
-Get pan really fucking hot, to the point where it's almost smoking (it has nothing in it wtf)
-Drop meat in pan
-*sizzle sizzle* Rub and move it around the pan without applying too much pressure, just to make sure there's contact with the pan evenly
-Flip it
-Repeat
-Remove meat, let cool a good 5 minute
-Eat
I can see the orange/maillard reaction happening but my problem is making it stick to the meat instead of staying on the wall of the damn pan. I always add a bit of butter and water after removing the meat and try to dilute the remaining orange into the mixture to make a sauce but it's never too great. The meat tastes really great because it has some orange on it but it's like 48% of it stays in the pan.
Any tips on handling the heat/pan to maximize the orange/taste?
>>7539633
yeah I just watched a video of gordon ramsay's perfect steak and was quite surprised by the amount of oil and butter he's putting in there. Jesus christ that's a lot of fat.
But yeah the pork had this little slab of fat on the side so I just seared it first (even before putting the meat down) so it had this base of fat which was good.
Should I use olive oil or butter at the beginning? (gordon uses olive first and then butter to infuse the garlic/thyme in it towards the end)
Is the smoke normal?
Should I leave my stove at max temp the whole time or should I start it really hot and then lower it to mid-high?
I have a standard non-stick pan and a copper/heavy-bottomed large pan. Which would be better? I noticed the copper bottom one retained heat much longer but it got literally too hot to the point where adding water would just evaporate it straight away.
>>7539655
http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/12/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-pan-seared-steaks.html
PAN
NICE AND HOT
Can someone take a look at this and tell me if it's oven safe?
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Revere-1078634-12-inch-Copper-Bottom-Skillet/4413180/product.html
It looks like it since it's visibly all metal but the word "encapsulated" scares me a little and I just want to be sure.
>>7539655
>>Should I use olive oil or butter at the beginning?
Oil first. It has a a higher smoke point than butter does, so you use oil only for the high heat part of the cooking. If you were to use butter from the beginning then it would burn before the steak was done.
>>Is the smoke normal?
Smoke means you overheated the oil. Either you're using the wrong kind of oil or you have the heat too high.
>>Should I leave my stove at max temp the whole time or should I start it really hot and then lower it
Start at high temp then lower as needed. You'll have to figure out exactly what spot to put it at while the steak is cooking. You can do this by paying attention to what's going on in the pan. You should be hearing a constant sizzling sound (imagine "Frying bacon"). If you aren't hearing the sizzle then your heat is too low. If you are seeing smoke or the food is burning then your heat is too high. Adjust as needed to stick between those limits. You want to hear sizzle, you don't want to see smoke.
>>Which would be better?
The copper pan. When you sear meat you want to do it at a high temperature; that is not appropriate for non stick cookware.
>>7541659
>http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Revere-1078634-12-inch-Copper-Bottom-Skillet/4413180/product.html
Yes, that's oven safe. "Encapsulated" simply means that the bottom of the pan is made from multiple layers of metal.
All you need to do is look at the handle (and the knob on the lid, if the pan includes that). Metal handle = oven safe. Plastic or wood handle = not oven safe.
>>7541676>>7541672
alright thanks a lot
Now I just need to find out how to make other things that taste great like this. It's amazing how easy it is to make amazing meat.
How do I git gud at preparing simple vegetables and carbs to go with the meat and other recipes? Is it all about the amount of butter and cheese you put on it?
>>7541681
>find out how to make other things that taste great like this
the same exact method you used for the steak can be used for all sorts of things: chicken breast, pork chops, fish, etc.
>>simple vegetables and carbs
In my opinion one of the most important things about cooking veggies is not to overcook them. Overcooking them gives a nasty taste and texture.
>>butter and cheese
That's one approach: conceal the veggie by using other flavors. But frankly I think that if you start with good veggies and you don't overcook them then you rarely need extra complexity like that.
>>7541692
It's true that good crisp beggies with salt and pepper go a long way.
What do you think of frozen veggies? I love them for convenience and soups but when I try to use them in something else they're just ok. I also read they're healthier than conventional veggies in the shelves so there's only advantages.
Heat the pan with regular old veggie/canola/frying/whatever oil and when the pan begins to smoke put your steak in. Let it stick where it lands. When the side of the steak begins to look cooked a little bit flip it and throw it in the oven. It should come up with ease if you've let it cook long enough. An oven at 550 should get your steak up to temp in 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness and your preference. Remove steak, add aromatics and let cook, deglaze pan with alcohol, let reduce. Add stock and herbs if you desire and finish with butter.
>>7541722
Obviously season your meat generously too.
>>7541707
>What do you think of frozen veggies?
Meh, good point and bad boints.
Good:
Inexpensive, and they are usually frozen very quickly after harvest so the taste is usually excellent.
Bad:
Freezing foods breaks the cell membranes in meat and the cell walls in plants. That can harm the texture of the veggie and also results in some of the internal juices being lost. The industry term for this is "drip loss"; google that if you want more info.
If you want to sear with butter it needs to be clarified prior to cooking in order to raise the smoke point. The milk solids are what causes it to burn at high heat. Olive oil alone is not suitable to sear due to its low smoke point, however if you go 50/50 evoo and an oil or fat with a high smoke point like peanut oil or clarified butter you will be fine.
When cooking think of your oil or fat as the cooking median and the pan as just a vessel to contain it within. A layer if oil or fat is necessary to prevent sticking and loss of all your lovely fond.
DO NOT sear in non stick pans. Their coating cannot handle the high heat required to properly sear. Generally pan searing is done in stainless steel or cast iron. Cast iron being the superior choice due to its ability to retain heat better.
>>7539613
Oil on pan or oil on steak. Easy fix
Instead of lowering the heat to cook to desired doneness, sear on one side well then flip and put it into a hot oven. You will still get a nice sear on both sides as well as even heat distribution resulting in a larger portion of your meat being cooked to its target doneness
>>7541722
I have always preferred to reverse sear in the oven first then sear last with butter, garlic and thyme.
>>7541754
>Olive oil alone is not suitable to sear due to its low smoke point
Misleading.
Most olive oil is refined and has a quite high smoke point. It works great for searing meat.
It's only Extra-Virgin that has the low smoke point.
>>if you go 50/50 evoo and an oil or fat with a high smoke point like peanut oil or clarified butter you will be fine.
No, the lower-smoke-point oil will still burn the same way that milk solids in un-clarified butter does.
op here
what are some other simple recipes like that that could become staples of my week? Now I buy pork chops or little pieces of beef and that's really great. I also make soups where I just put beef stock in a pan with whole grain pasta, edamame beans, either an egg or meat and then some brocoli.
Both the soup and meat dinners have veggies, proteins and carbs but I'm always out of ideas for the rest of the week. I just love how simple/quick, filling and delicious they are.
>>7541782
Like I mentioned earlier in the thread you can do the OP procedure with just about any meat: chicken breast, pork chop, lamb chop, fish, etc, etc.
Your stew can likewise have a ton of variation: change the type of stock and the meat you add and you can make it with chicken, pork, shellfish, fish, etc.
Another very flexible recipe is soup:
Start with a base of mirepoix. That's onions, carrots, and celery chopped up. Cook the veggies in the bottom of your soup pot with a little oil or butter, stirring as needed, until the onions turn translucent. That normally takes around 10 min or so on medium-high heat. Add whatever else you like (other vegetables, meats, etc.) and top up with stock or broth. cook until the ingredients are tender. You can either serve it as-is with "chunks", or you can puree it in a blender for a creamy style soup.
>>7541811
>and most Americans do not buy refined olive oil
You kidding me? The majority of the olive oil on the shelf at the supermarket is refined--you know, the stuff that's not marked "Extra Virgin". If you were to grab a random bottle of olive oil off the shelf at an American supermarket it will be refined by default unless you specifically seek out the ones marked "Extra Virgin".
>>7541816
It's also very easy to tell by the color.
If it's mostly a yellow color then it's refined. If it's dark green then it's EVOO.
>>7541835
>or that they aren't labeled.
My point is really simple:
The average supermarket in the US has many brands/bottles of olive oil. Only a few of them are labeled EVOO. All the others are refined even though it doesn't say so on the label. Therefore if anon bought "olive oil" at the market it is statistically more likely to be refined.
(And heck, probably half the ones marked EVOO are also refined thanks to the corruption in this particular industry).
>>Most stores have a cooking oil section that is completely separated from the area where the extra virgin olive oil is kept
That varies. In all of my supermarkets they are kept together in the same section. Olive oil is on the baking isle with the other kinds of oil, the shortening, lard, sugar, flour, etc.
>>You can sometimes find refined olive oil among the cooking oils
In my experience that's "always" and not "sometimes". Pic related. See how much of this is refined?
I think it's incorrect to assert that in America "olive oil" means EVOO by default.
>>7541884
We're clearly talking about point #2, and I suppose we simply need to agree to disagree here.
>>generally speaking people do use "olive oil" as shorthand for "extra virgin olive oil" because saying "EVOO" is literally cancer incarnate
I disagree. And who other than 4chan autists gives a crap about whether or not "EVOO" is cancer incarnate?
>>and there is no need to specify "olive oil" when you are talking about just any refined neutral cooking oil.
Sure there is. It means you are recommending olive oil specifically. It could be recommended for many reasons other than the olive flavor of EVOO. One is it's neutral taste. Another is the ratio of various fats that it contains--it's often recommended in health books/websites/articles because it has a better fat profile than many other cooking oils.
A typical recipe will call for "olive oil" if it means the normal (e.g. refined) kind. It will specifically state "extra virgin" when that particular variety is needed. This matches the fact that at the supermarket most examples of olive oil are, in fact, refined.
>>7541777
Misleading.
most olive oil is not even olive oil
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-overtime-how-to-buy-olive-oil/
if your oil is smoking then it is overheated and you are paying a bunch of cash for "extra virgin olive oil" that is 95% vegetable oil
there is a huge knockoff market in blackmarket fake olive oil. don't pay a bunch of $ for bullshit.
there are other oils that have very high smoke temperatures that are less likely to be fake
>>7539655
>nonstick pan
>get the pan really fucking hot
yea the smoke coming off your pan is toxic gases which can kill birds
congrats, dubmass
>>7541911
More like most EVOO is not even olive oil. The refined stuff is cheap, there's no reason to counterfeit that. Your own article is discussing EVOO specifically.
>>if your oil is smoking then it is overheated
Yes.
Though genuine olive oil is just as likely if not more likely to smoke than other stuff. The same flavors that make EVOO desirable for dressings are the very same compounds responsible for its low smoke point. So if it's fake and doesn't contain those flavors then it's not likely to smoke on you either, for the very same reason.
>>there are other oils that have very high smoke temperatures that are less likely to be fake
This is absolutely correct.
>>7539613
I heard on the internet once that one should refrain from salting beef until it's half cooked, otherwise the meat becomes more chewy and tough than it would be. Is this true?
r8 my steak guys
>>7543951
8/10 pretty good but there's some unrendered fat on the left hand side and a lot of fat particles that haven't melted yet.
Also a worrying amount of grease/juice at the bottom of the plate.
>>7543979
oh thats the butter from the pan i poured over the steak.
>>7539613
C A S T I R O N
A
S
T
I
R
O
N
>>7539613
> butter and water
wine, then cream
Wait what fucking kind olive oil should I be using? I can't tell if we're arguing for EVOO or against it
Also how long should I be going at high heat for? Even EVOO burns and smokes pretty quickly, at least on my stove
>>7540092
MEMES IN
BEAUTIFUL
>>7544481
Ordinary, aka "refined" or "light" olive oil. It should be straw colored.
EVOO, which is green in color, is for dressings, sauces, etc. It's not used for high-heat cooking like searing a steak. EVOO has the lowest smoke point of all the olive oils, it's the worst possible choice for this.
Being steak to room temp.
Season salt and pepper.
Bring pan to medium heat.
Add butter.
1/2 inch steal cook 5 minutes one side, 4 minutes other for mid rare.
Add mirepoix to pan when done.
Deglaze with dry red wine.
Season and reduce for sauce.
>>7544508
>1/2 inch
>9 minutes total for mid rare
Your ability to estimate thickness is horrible. That would be more than well done. 1/2 inch is very thin for a steak.
>>7544488
Can the same be said of coconut oil? I've been doing keto (not for weight loss, it helps with other neurological shit I have to deal with) and coconut oil in my coffee is a good way to jump start shit in the morning. Problem is, non-"extra virgin" coconut oil doesn't really taste as great in it. I mean obviously it doesn't matter at coffee temps, but say I was actually cooking with it for some reason. What then?
>>7544557
Any cooking fat which contains something more than just the fundamenatal oils which make it up will be prone to burning at a lower temp than the main part of the oil would.
For example, normal butter burns at around 300F or so due to the milk solids it contains. But clarified butter or ghee (milk solids removed) can go up to 480F.
I'm not used to cooking with coconut oil but a quick google search shows that its smoke point does vary, just not as much as butter or olive oil does. It's 350F for the extra-virgin and 400F for refined.
>>7544525
http://www.omahasteaks.com/servlet/OnlineShopping?Dsp=32&FID=pansearing_cookchart&title=Pan+Searing+Cooking+Chart
Get bent
>>7544610
I still disagree. I'll trust my experience over that door-to-door scam shit any day.
>>7544631
>Omaha steaks
>Scam
Found the pleb
Sear the outsides and it's done.
Medium rare is for pork
>>7544634
You haven't heard of this before? Happens every year. People go door-to-door and sell shit steaks using the brand name "omaha steaks". Google it.
That being said, genuine Omaha steaks are tasty, but I hate the idea of buying steaks sight-unseen. I'd rather pick them out myself so I can see the marbling and choose exactly what cut I want. Also, who the fuck wants to buy a frozen steak? I can do without drip loss, thank you very much.
>>7541816
Nah, any olive oil marked virgin or extra virgin is (supposidly) made from pressing olives. Those marked pure, refined or simply olive oil are made from the shitty remnants and leftovers from making virgin and extra virgin, which are usually refined.
I find you can get great flavors cooking with pressed olive oil, you just need to use low heat. For lesser grades, i dont see why they are any better than vegatable oil, which is cheaper
>>7544670
Ive seen junior high-high school kids selling frozen steaks door to door for charity.
I thought it was very odd, because when I did it we sold Fannie May candy bars and stuff like that.
>>7544678
>you just need to use low heat
Which isn't great for beef last I checked.
>>7544678
>For lesser grades, i dont see why they are any better than vegatable oil, which is cheaper
I find that they taste better than many vegetable oils (especially canola).
And for those people who care about such things, olive oil has a supposedly healthier combination of fats compared to most oils.
>>7544486
LITTLE BIT OF LEMON ZEST
VIBRANT
>>7539613
I do a similar method, brah.
>Get good steak, from butcher not some shit supermarket beef.
>Needs to be thick, at least 1.5 in
>let steak get to room temp, should he out of the fridge for maybe 30 min
>coat that shut with salt and pepper. Lots and lots of salt
>Get cast iron pan super hot with some veg oil or clarified butter
>Sear each side 4 minutes no more or you get char. you want brown crust, not black
>finish in oven, preheated to 450
>cook to temperature
>Depending on the thickness of your steak and desired temp, oven time is just a couple minutes to 20 minutes
>Let rest 5-10 mins, with compound butter optional on top
Why are you supposed to finish a steak in the oven? Does it cook more evenly than cooking all the way on the stove?
>>7546193
The pan searing gives the steak a crust, while the oven cooks the steak the rest of the way without ruining that crust.
