Steve Wertz wrote:
>
> Even for the thawed parts of the meat, the frozen parts will
> still keep the meat near the 40F temp. I wouldn't let a frozen
> steak come to room temp from the frozen state on the counter,
> though. I would thaw in the fridge first and then leave it out
> to come up to temp.

I thawed it on the counter, still sealed in its
Cry-O-Vac plastic and further wrapped in three
paper towels. The towels were to retard the thaw
so that most of the steak would be nearly the
same temperature, instead of some parts being
close to room temperature while others were
much colder.

After about 8 hours, it was thawed and cool.
Not as cold as it would be if it was thawed
in the fridge, but cool enough that I wasn't
worried about spoilage.

I pan seared it, and ate half of it. I couldn't
tell any difference from my usual method.
Maybe it was too cool to make a difference,
but I'm not sure I'll try again. I think
my old technique produces great results.
If the only advantage of warming to room
temperature is a more even result, I've
already got that.

By thawing in the fridge, I have additional
flexibility if I decide to postpone the
steak for a day.