I thought this was interesting.
http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/10/...Feed:+seriouseatsfeaturesvideos+(Serious+Eats)
http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/10/...Feed:+seriouseatsfeaturesvideos+(Serious+Eats)
Food Myths
- Thread starter BobS
- Start date
That is interesting. I guess we're going to start salting our beans earlier at home.
Thanks. 
Cool!
It is, thanks for sharing.
Yes, very interesting. Thanks for the link.
Fail on salting beans. I've done it both ways. If cooked in salted water, beans do not soften properly. Soaking technique is what determines whether the skins burst.
He lied to us all, mouscacha, he lied to us all.
Bah. Flipping only once gives you time to devote attention to your beverage.
Faster cooking time? Oh yeah, that's what I want, less time outside with the serenity of fire and the smell of grilling meat and more time inside with those nattering females. Thank you oh wise cooking scientists for solving my problem.
Some things are better left slightly imperfect.
Faster cooking time? Oh yeah, that's what I want, less time outside with the serenity of fire and the smell of grilling meat and more time inside with those nattering females. Thank you oh wise cooking scientists for solving my problem.
Some things are better left slightly imperfect.
What you need is a smoker, spend 16 hours outside with a pork shoulder and cooler of beer, you can even get a nap in away from people.
I've always considered the "flip once" rule less about cooking time or evenness but rather about not letting the burger break up (a real issue with loosely packed burgers) and getting even grill marks on the meat. Both of those are still good reasons to flip once. I honestly don't care about a few seconds saved on the cooking, and both burgers they showed looked cooked even enough (and a simple timer can deal with that). So I'll stick with the flip once rule.
What you need is a smoker, spend 16 hours outside with a pork shoulder and cooler of beer, you can even get a nap in away from people.
Heads to store to buy a smoker...
Sorry, but I think this is a crock. I don't care what some lab "found". I'll go with what umpteen grill-meisters have said on shows on the Food Network, Travel Channel, etc. I'll let the best in the business tell me how it's done. Try telling Arnold Palmer he could've improved his swing for better performance. Try telling Dizzy Gillespie he shouldn't have blown out his cheeks while playing trumpet. They were both among the best at what they did, and so are the chefs I've seen saying flip once.
Not sure if I really agree with everything they said
Esp the flip once thing. In the end, I guess it doesn't matter. I dont actually grill a lot, so when I do, I end up flipping a lot. When at home, the most perfect burgers (for me at least) get a 2 min hot as hell sear on both sides on cast iron, then 3 min in a 450F oven. I also think most people know that searing doesn't lock in juices. I guess you might notice a negligable difference when searing after rather than before roasting...but nothing to write home about. The key to retaining moisture in ANY meat is resting.
As for the pasta thing - more water helps more with sticking than anything else. Pasta will cook just as good in any amount of water. Using more water prevents it from sticking while cooking.
As for the bean thing...I've never heard of that...I always salt the beans
Esp the flip once thing. In the end, I guess it doesn't matter. I dont actually grill a lot, so when I do, I end up flipping a lot. When at home, the most perfect burgers (for me at least) get a 2 min hot as hell sear on both sides on cast iron, then 3 min in a 450F oven. I also think most people know that searing doesn't lock in juices. I guess you might notice a negligable difference when searing after rather than before roasting...but nothing to write home about. The key to retaining moisture in ANY meat is resting.
As for the pasta thing - more water helps more with sticking than anything else. Pasta will cook just as good in any amount of water. Using more water prevents it from sticking while cooking.
As for the bean thing...I've never heard of that...I always salt the beans
Traditional ways very often achieve good results through long experience without always understanding the underlying reasons for success. "Food Lab" seems to have accomplished the opposite; being technically correct in a narrow sense without seeing the larger context of making delicious food. Here are some thoughts:
1 Moist Cooking Methods Give you Moister Results Than Dry Cooking Methods
2 Frying at a Higher Temperature Prevents Food From Absorbing Oil
3 When Grilling, It's Best to Flip Just Once in the Middle
4 Searing "Locks In" Juices
5 Pasta Must Be Cooked in Massive Amounts of Boiling Water
6 Salting Beans During Cooking Will Make Them Tough
Tradition usually knows how to make food delicious, even if it doesn't explain its processes correctly.
Roger
1 Moist Cooking Methods Give you Moister Results Than Dry Cooking Methods
I was just reading Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall about braising in his big book, Meat. What I believe is happening is that the moist heat does indeed wring out the juices of the meat while the collagens contract, as "Food Lab" claims. The point of braising is that the meat is half submerged in flavorful juices, so that when the meat relaxes with the collagens breaking down, the mix of meat juice and braising liquid can be sucked back into the meat. Think of the meat as a sponge that is squeezed dry and then sucks the juice back in.
2 Frying at a Higher Temperature Prevents Food From Absorbing Oil
Won't argue but am not convinced.
3 When Grilling, It's Best to Flip Just Once in the Middle
Perhaps this is another case of achieving good results, but thinking about it in the wrong way. A rotisserie constantly flips the meat over, and it works great. What will always dry out meat is poking and squeezing. If you don't touch it, you don't poke and squeeze as much.
4 Searing "Locks In" Juices
Another case of having a bit of truth without looking at the big picture. Many sources now disbelieve locking in juices. However, searing the meat creates textures and flavors that are delicious, and that alone makes it worthwhile. A reverse sear technique is becoming popular for grilling, where the meat is very gently cooked to a few degrees shy of the desired temp and then given a very hot, short, searing to develop bark, caramelize some sugars and create more complex flavors. Mmmmm.
5 Pasta Must Be Cooked in Massive Amounts of Boiling Water
Debunked in an earlier post. It's not about being able to cook, it's about not sticking.
6 Salting Beans During Cooking Will Make Them Tough
Cooks Illustrated found that salting the soak water aided in breaking down tough cells, but didn't advise salted cooking water, in order to avoid breaking the skin too much and having busted up beans. I appreciate Cooks nuanced suggestion on this.
Tradition usually knows how to make food delicious, even if it doesn't explain its processes correctly.
Roger
I'll also take issue with the frying temp thing. It's true that when frying relatively little oil goes into the food because steam is coming out of the food. And once most of the water is gone those spaces will fill with oil. But if you pull the food out before it expends all of its water then the food will still be steaming and pushing the oil away from its surface. Therefore there will be only a small amount of oil on the surface of the food to reabsorb into the food and those spaces will be filled with air, not oil. On the other hand if you fry at too low a temp then the steam won't push the oil away at all and you will end up with slicked up food that is soggy inside and greasy outside.
I remember Alton doing a thing on this some time ago. I don't remember the dish (French fries maybe?) but he actually fried batches at different temps and times and then measured the loss of oil after the fries were pulled out. The result was that the food fried at the right temp and for the right period of time absorbed a surprisingly tiny amount of the oil.
I remember Alton doing a thing on this some time ago. I don't remember the dish (French fries maybe?) but he actually fried batches at different temps and times and then measured the loss of oil after the fries were pulled out. The result was that the food fried at the right temp and for the right period of time absorbed a surprisingly tiny amount of the oil.
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