I like to pan-cook beef steaks -- mostly New York strips about an inch
thick. I sear them for just a few minutes on each side in a very hot
cast iron skillet and then make a pan sauce.

I've seen descriptions of "professional" recipes for cooking steaks that
way, that call for having the meat at room temperature prior to cooking
it. I think the meat cooks much better if the inside is not so cold.

I've tried putting the meat, unwrapped, on the griddle plate of our
kitchen stove (warmed only by the pilot lights) for about 20 minutes. It
works fine, but Friend Wife says that makes her uncomfortable.

How does a professional restaurant bring the meat to room temperature
without risking bacterial contamination? Or is it just not a risk? Or do
they really not do itthat way?

Isaac

Isaac Wingfield wrote:

> I like to pan-cook beef steaks -- mostly New York strips about an inch
>
> thick. I sear them for just a few minutes on each side in a very hot
> cast iron skillet and then make a pan sauce.
>
> I've seen descriptions of "professional" recipes for cooking steaks
> that
> way, that call for having the meat at room temperature prior to
> cooking
> it. I think the meat cooks much better if the inside is not so cold.
>
> I've tried putting the meat, unwrapped, on the griddle plate of our
> kitchen stove (warmed only by the pilot lights) for about 20 minutes.
> It
> works fine, but Friend Wife says that makes her uncomfortable.
>
> How does a professional restaurant bring the meat to room temperature
> without risking bacterial contamination? Or is it just not a risk? Or
> do
> they really not do itthat way?
>
> Isaac

Special drawers or other storage facility that keep the meat at the
required temp. Often times built in under any work surface and near the
grill or stove. The really "gourmet" type place will not use frozen or
"day old" meat and will insist on the freshest meat, bought daily in
most cases, exceptions include the hanging or ageing of beef. Fresh is
best. For the home cook, a piece of meat well wrapped in plastic or
other sealed container and let to come to room temp is usually
sufficient, unless frozen then a planed period of defrosting is
encouraged, overnight in the fridge and any further warming just before
cooking. Personally i do not do this, i like my meat well done and so
it don't matter so much. The whole room temp. thing is so you can heat
a piece of meat to a to a proper temp. and still serve the meat rare or
medium.

Some people will even argue that a freshly slaughtered, straight from
the butcher, piece of meat tastes better than a frozen or otherwise
preserved or older piece of meat, the hanging or ageing being an
exception. Air curing of large cuts of beef for 5 - 7 days is very
nice.
---
Joseph Littleshoes
may be consulted at
---
http://finblake.home.mindspring.com/tarotintro.htm

On Sat, 07 May 2005 22:44:24 -0700, Isaac Wingfield >
wrote:


>How does a professional restaurant bring the meat to room temperature
>without risking bacterial contamination? Or is it just not a risk? Or do
>they really not do itthat way?

This society is so germ-obsessed... I just take the meat out of the
fridge 1 or 2 hours before cooking, unwrap it, put it on a plate and
cover with plastic film. In 30 years of cooking, never had a problem.

Nathalie in Switzerland

On Sat, 07 May 2005 22:44:24 -0700, Isaac Wingfield >
wrote:

>I've tried putting the meat, unwrapped, on the griddle plate of our
>kitchen stove (warmed only by the pilot lights) for about 20 minutes. It
>works fine, but Friend Wife says that makes her uncomfortable.
>
>How does a professional restaurant bring the meat to room temperature
>without risking bacterial contamination? Or is it just not a risk? Or do
>they really not do itthat way?

Just leave it out at room temperature. What makes me agree with your
FW about being nervous, is that you're actually warming the meat with
the pilot light for 20 min.

I suppose if you flip the steak halfway through (after 10 min) so that
both sides merely come to room temperature, you should be OK. Or if
you're cooking it well-done.

Otherwise, in a reasonably cool room, leaving steak out at room
temperature for an hour or so is not a problem. It takes a long time
for meat to come to room temperature.

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

In article >,
Isaac Wingfield > wrote:

> I like to pan-cook beef steaks -- mostly New York strips about an inch
> thick. I sear them for just a few minutes on each side in a very hot
> cast iron skillet and then make a pan sauce.
>
> I've seen descriptions of "professional" recipes for cooking steaks that
> way, that call for having the meat at room temperature prior to cooking
> it. I think the meat cooks much better if the inside is not so cold.
>
> I've tried putting the meat, unwrapped, on the griddle plate of our
> kitchen stove (warmed only by the pilot lights) for about 20 minutes. It
> works fine, but Friend Wife says that makes her uncomfortable.
>
> How does a professional restaurant bring the meat to room temperature
> without risking bacterial contamination? Or is it just not a risk? Or do
> they really not do itthat way?
>
> Isaac

I put it on a plate and stick it in the microwave for about an hour... I
don't run the microwave, I just do that so the cats won't get it. ;-)

I have honestly gotten better results with steak brought to room temp.
prior to searing it.

I also pre-treat it. I mix a little bit of soy sauce and olive oil and
coat both sides of the steak with that, then sprinkle both sides lightly
with salt free lemon pepper and maybe a bit of garlic powder if I want
it.

I cook my steaks in a cast iron skillet with a little butter and olive
oil mixed.

Concerns about bacteria growing on a steak in the time it takes to bring
it to room temp. is paranoia IMHO!

Keep your hands, counter surfaces and tools clean and you have little to
worry about with the short times needed to make stuff "room temp".

Sheesh!
--
K.

Sprout the MungBean to reply

"I don't like to commit myself about heaven and hell‹you
see, I have friends in both places." --Mark Twain

Isaac Wingfield wrote:
>
> How does a professional restaurant bring the meat to room temperature

> without risking bacterial contamination? Or is it just not a risk? Or
do
> they really not doit that way?

They do not doit that way.

Sheldon

"Nathalie Chiva" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 07 May 2005 22:44:24 -0700, Isaac Wingfield >
> wrote:
>
>
>>How does a professional restaurant bring the meat to room temperature
>>without risking bacterial contamination? Or is it just not a risk? Or do
>>they really not do itthat way?
>
> This society is so germ-obsessed... I just take the meat out of the
> fridge 1 or 2 hours before cooking, unwrap it, put it on a plate and
> cover with plastic film. In 30 years of cooking, never had a problem.
>
> Nathalie in Switzerland
>

Exactly! The unreasonable fear of germs, particularly in the US it seems, is
really bizarre. You may have noticed that there is a pretty close inverse
correlation between level of knowledge and level of fear.

In any event, I seem to recall that Cooks Illustrated ran some tests and
found no difference, other than a minor change in cooking time, betgween
cold and room temp steaks.


--
Peter Aitken
Visit my recipe and kitchen myths page at www.pgacon.com/cooking.htm

Joseph Littleshoes wrote:
> Isaac Wingfield wrote:
>
>> I like to pan-cook beef steaks -- mostly New York strips about an
>> inch
>>
>> thick. I sear them for just a few minutes on each side in a very
>> hot cast iron skillet and then make a pan sauce.
>>
>> I've seen descriptions of "professional" recipes for cooking steaks
>> that way, that call for having the meat at room temperature prior
>> to cooking it. I think the meat cooks much better if the inside is
>> not so cold.
>>
>> I've tried putting the meat, unwrapped, on the griddle plate of our
>> kitchen stove (warmed only by the pilot lights) for about 20
>> minutes. It works fine, but Friend Wife says that makes her
>> uncomfortable.

Not a good idea. It fosters bacterial growth. AND while most will be on
the surface and killed when cooking, if the meat has been pierced and
has bacteria inside it, this will make a nice, comfy place to live long
and prosper. Cooking the meats to rare won't kill the bacteria inside.
It's true that we don't live in a sterile world and that we can't kill
all the bacteria and that not ever example of contamination will result
in food-borne illness. Actually, it takes a good bit of contamination to
cause any problems. Still, why improve the chances?

>> How does a professional restaurant bring the meat to room
>> temperature without risking bacterial contamination? Or is it just
>> not a risk? Or do they really not do itthat way?

They don't do it that way. It's only possible if the food is
pre-ordered. Otherwise, they end up with meats that can't very well be
used later after re-refrigerating. Flavors change, bacteria thrive.

> Special drawers or other storage facility that keep the meat at the
> required temp. Often times built in under any work surface and near
> the grill or stove.

Not so. Meats must be stored below 40°F. I know of no restaurant
equipment that is designed to hold meats at anything approaching room
temperature. It's illegal to do so.

> The really "gourmet" type place will not use
> frozen or "day old" meat and will insist on the freshest meat, bought
> daily in most cases, exceptions include the hanging or ageing of
> beef. Fresh is best.

No. It isn't. In the beef trade, that's called "green" meat. Beef is
always better if permitted to age, either dry or wet. And every little
bit of time elapsed with beef stored properly makes it better up to a
point about 3 weeks out.

> For the home cook, a piece of meat well
> wrapped in plastic or other sealed container and let to come to room
> temp is usually sufficient, unless frozen then a planed period of
> defrosting is encouraged, overnight in the fridge and any further
> warming just before cooking.

Take the wrappings off, put it on a plate on the counter and just
loosely drape a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper over it to protect it
from critters and splashes.

> Personally i do not do this, i like my
> meat well done and so it don't matter so much. The whole room temp.
> thing is so you can heat a piece of meat to a to a proper temp. and
> still serve the meat rare or medium.

Actually, it isn't. Temperature is the determinant of how done it is.
There is no "proper temp." - the proper temp for any degree of doneness
is the temperature for that degree of doneness. For beef it ranges from
just above 100°F (Pittsburgh or "blue") to more than 180° (nasty, dry,
well-done) to, ironically, 200°F+ for a good BBQ Texas-style brisket or
pot roast.

Warming the meat before cooking is so the meat will be more juicy. The
degree of doneness is the determinant of how moist the meat will be. In
order to get a piece of cold meat to well done (or any other degree of
doneness), the outside will have to be exposed to more heat than if the
meat is already at room temp. The inside of the meat will cook by
conduction of heat. The amount of heat necessary to warm a piece of beef
from 35°to 150° is a lot more than what it takes to go from 75° to that
same end point. The outside of the steak is cooking to higher and higher
temperatures while the inside is being heated. Higher temps mean less
moisture left (both water-based and oil-based since fat renders out),
means drier meats.

> Some people will even argue that a freshly slaughtered, straight from
> the butcher, piece of meat tastes better than a frozen or otherwise
> preserved or older piece of meat, the hanging or ageing being an
> exception. Air curing of large cuts of beef for 5 - 7 days is very
> nice.

Fresh pork is best. Aged red meats are *always* better than
fresh-killed. Beef, lamb, goat and game are red meats, and depending on
the specific kind, can be aged from a few days to more than 6 weeks.

They can be dry-aged uncovered in a cooler (it can be done at home -
check Alton Brown's method) or wet-aged in plastic cryopacks (Google).

Pastorio

On Sun 08 May 2005 10:11:02a, Peter Aitken wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> "Nathalie Chiva" > wrote in
> message ...
>> On Sat, 07 May 2005 22:44:24 -0700, Isaac Wingfield >
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>How does a professional restaurant bring the meat to room temperature
>>>without risking bacterial contamination? Or is it just not a risk? Or
>>>do they really not do itthat way?
>>
>> This society is so germ-obsessed... I just take the meat out of the
>> fridge 1 or 2 hours before cooking, unwrap it, put it on a plate and
>> cover with plastic film. In 30 years of cooking, never had a problem.
>>
>> Nathalie in Switzerland
>>
>
> Exactly! The unreasonable fear of germs, particularly in the US it
> seems, is really bizarre. You may have noticed that there is a pretty
> close inverse correlation between level of knowledge and level of fear.
>
> In any event, I seem to recall that Cooks Illustrated ran some tests and
> found no difference, other than a minor change in cooking time, betgween
> cold and room temp steaks.

Yep, take your pick, Verminophobia or Spermatophobia. It is rampant in the
US.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

Peter Aitken wrote:
>
> In any event, I seem to recall that Cooks Illustrated ran some tests
and
> found no difference, other than a minor change in cooking time,
betgween
> cold and room temp steaks.

Not even that, the vast majority of restaurants, especially typical
steak houses, cook steaks at much higher temps than the vast majority
of folks do at home, so in fact restaurants cook steaks in less time
than most could at home... most use steaks that have never been frozen
and cook them straight from the fridge... no restaurant is going to
leave beef steaks sit out at room temperature waiting to be ordered by
patrons, not any more than they would fish steaks. I grind my own beef
and grill burgers often... after many years I've discovered that ice
cold *firmed-up* burgers cook up much better than if left to come to
room temperature, I've found the same with steak cuts as well, ice cold
steaks lose less moisture too... I don't care what fercocktah concepts
the newbie/nouveaux cooks attempt to promote.

Sheldon

In article .com>,
"Sheldon" > wrote:

> Isaac Wingfield wrote:
> >
> > How does a professional restaurant bring the meat to room temperature
>
> > without risking bacterial contamination? Or is it just not a risk? Or
> do
> > they really not doit that way?
>
> They do not doit that way.

Your helpfulness is beyond description.

Isaac

"Isaac Wingfield" > wrote in message
...
> I like to pan-cook beef steaks -- mostly New York strips about an inch
> thick. I sear them for just a few minutes on each side in a very hot
> cast iron skillet and then make a pan sauce.
>
> I've seen descriptions of "professional" recipes for cooking steaks that
> way, that call for having the meat at room temperature prior to cooking
> it. I think the meat cooks much better if the inside is not so cold.
>
> I've tried putting the meat, unwrapped, on the griddle plate of our
> kitchen stove (warmed only by the pilot lights) for about 20 minutes. It
> works fine, but Friend Wife says that makes her uncomfortable.
>
> How does a professional restaurant bring the meat to room temperature
> without risking bacterial contamination? Or is it just not a risk? Or do
> they really not do itthat way?

Bring it out of refrigeration, wrapped, and leave in a room temp. place for
an hour or two before cooking.




Shaun aRe

Joseph Littleshoes wrote:

> Some people will even argue that a freshly slaughtered, straight from
> the butcher, piece of meat tastes better than a frozen or otherwise
> preserved or older piece of meat, the hanging or ageing being an
> exception. Air curing of large cuts of beef for 5 - 7 days is very
> nice.

the purpose of the hanging/aging is to let the muscles relax making it
more tender, we do it all the time up here in Alaska to moose


Grizzman

Nathalie Chiva wrote:

> On Sat, 07 May 2005 22:44:24 -0700, Isaac Wingfield >
> wrote:
>
>
>
>>How does a professional restaurant bring the meat to room temperature
>>without risking bacterial contamination? Or is it just not a risk? Or do
>>they really not do itthat way?
>
>
> This society is so germ-obsessed... I just take the meat out of the
> fridge 1 or 2 hours before cooking, unwrap it, put it on a plate and
> cover with plastic film. In 30 years of cooking, never had a problem.
>
> Nathalie in Switzerland

I wouldn't even unwrap it, if I was just going to want to put plastic
film on it. What's the point? Am I missing something here?
Goomba

Grizzman wrote:

> the purpose of the hanging/aging is to let the muscles relax making it
> more tender, we do it all the time up here in Alaska to moose
>
>
> Grizzman

aging dehydrates the meat, concentrating the flavors a bit. You can test
that out by weighing the meat before and after.
Goomba

On Sun, 15 May 2005 00:02:40 -0400, Goomba38 >
wrote:

>Nathalie Chiva wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 07 May 2005 22:44:24 -0700, Isaac Wingfield >
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>How does a professional restaurant bring the meat to room temperature
>>>without risking bacterial contamination? Or is it just not a risk? Or do
>>>they really not do itthat way?
>>
>>
>> This society is so germ-obsessed... I just take the meat out of the
>> fridge 1 or 2 hours before cooking, unwrap it, put it on a plate and
>> cover with plastic film. In 30 years of cooking, never had a problem.
>>
>> Nathalie in Switzerland
>
>I wouldn't even unwrap it, if I was just going to want to put plastic
>film on it. What's the point? Am I missing something here?
>Goomba

Well, meat is not supposed to stay for long in a butcher's
paper/plastic, apparently (haven't figured exactly why, I must admit).
Mostly I do unwrap it, but if I just bought it I don't.

Nathalie in Switzerland

"Nathalie Chiva" > wrote in message

> Well, meat is not supposed to stay for long in a butcher's
> paper/plastic, apparently (haven't figured exactly why, I must admit).
> Mostly I do unwrap it, but if I just bought it I don't.

May have been a reason years ago, but they use the same plastics we have at
home. I don't bother covering it.

If the meat is in a foam tray, that will retard defrosting as it is an
insulating material. To promote faster defrosting, put the meat in a heavy
pan and turn every 30 minutes. The surface contact with the pan promotes
better heat transfer to speed the process.

Shaun aRe wrote:

>
> Bring it out of refrigeration, wrapped, and leave in a room temp. place for
> an hour or two before cooking.
>
>
>
>
> Shaun aRe
>
>
Hi Shaun

Doing a quick scan here.... how you doing? Yoose been quiet..

That's what I do too! Lotta people use microwaves to defrost meat...
gave that up years ago - it usually par-cooks the meat (even in these
new fancy-fandangled ones with auto-defrost) and it could possibly speed
up the production of bacteria IMHO.

Cheers

Cathy

"Goomba38" > wrote in message
...
> Grizzman wrote:
>
>> the purpose of the hanging/aging is to let the muscles relax making it
>> more tender, we do it all the time up here in Alaska to moose
>>
>>
>> Grizzman
>
> aging dehydrates the meat, concentrating the flavors a bit. You can test
> that out by weighing the meat before and after.
> Goomba

The main effect of aging is to let the natural enzymes in the tissue start
to work to break down the tissue. THis increases tenderness and flavor.


--
Peter Aitken
Visit my recipe and kitchen myths page at www.pgacon.com/cooking.htm

"cathyxyz" > wrote in message
...
> Shaun aRe wrote:
>
> >
> > Bring it out of refrigeration, wrapped, and leave in a room temp. place
for
> > an hour or two before cooking.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Shaun aRe
> >
> >
> Hi Shaun
>
> Doing a quick scan here.... how you doing?

Ok, well, not so OK I suppose, but that's neither here nor there LOL! (I had
an earring, well actually an 8mm diameter glass ear spike forcefully ripped
out, well more correctly, right through, my earlobe on Friday night, tearing
up my ear lobe, so I have an ear full of pretty blue stitches now and a
sorry for myself feeling in the belly, heheheheh...)

And you Cathy?

> Yoose been quiet..

Me? Quiet?!? Well if you mean over the weekend, that's because I only read
and post from work ',;~}~

> That's what I do too! Lotta people use microwaves to defrost meat...
> gave that up years ago - it usually par-cooks the meat (even in these
> new fancy-fandangled ones with auto-defrost) and it could possibly speed
> up the production of bacteria IMHO.

Yeah - I don't care for microwave defrosting of meat either - I agree it
usually spoils it.

Cheers!

Shaun aRe

Shaun aRe

Shaun aRe wrote:
> "cathyxyz" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>Hi Shaun
>>
>>Doing a quick scan here.... how you doing?
>
>
> Ok, well, not so OK I suppose, but that's neither here nor there LOL! (I had
> an earring, well actually an 8mm diameter glass ear spike forcefully ripped
> out, well more correctly, right through, my earlobe on Friday night, tearing
> up my ear lobe, so I have an ear full of pretty blue stitches now and a
> sorry for myself feeling in the belly, heheheheh...)
>
> And you Cathy?
>
>
Doing a lot better than you, by the looks of things! Ouch!!! Who the
hell did that to you? Methinks you should stick to this pub! At least
here we only *verbally* abuse eachother heh heh heh
My Mom arrived safely and is having a read at the moment, hence the
lurking again Had a nice flame war over the smoking thing... as I am
sure you saw heh heh heh heh.

>>Yoose been quiet..
>
>
> Me? Quiet?!? Well if you mean over the weekend, that's because I only read
> and post from work ',;~}~

Gathered as much..... dunno how you catch up on Monday, I have hit the
"mark all as read" button about 3 times this weekend, cos I haven't done
my speed reading course yet.


Making chilli tonight, already got it simmering on the stove. Put in one
of those chillies I was telling you about... didn't taste to bad when I
last "Licked the Spoon".....

Don't work too hard, now, okay?

Cathy - who is very glad to be at home these days
>


--
I don't suffer from insanity - I enjoy every minute of it

"cathyxyz" > wrote in message
...
> Shaun aRe wrote:
> > "cathyxyz" > wrote in message
> > ...
> >
> >>Hi Shaun
> >>
> >>Doing a quick scan here.... how you doing?
> >
> >
> > Ok, well, not so OK I suppose, but that's neither here nor there LOL! (I
had
> > an earring, well actually an 8mm diameter glass ear spike forcefully
ripped
> > out, well more correctly, right through, my earlobe on Friday night,
tearing
> > up my ear lobe, so I have an ear full of pretty blue stitches now and a
> > sorry for myself feeling in the belly, heheheheh...)
> >
> > And you Cathy?
> >
> >
> Doing a lot better than you, by the looks of things! Ouch!!! Who the
> hell did that to you? Methinks you should stick to this pub!

I'd rather not explain any more in public, IYSWIM, but lets just say pubs
had nothing to do with it...

> At least
> here we only *verbally* abuse eachother heh heh heh

Indeed! Ad hey, I can take and give that without flinching LOL!

> My Mom arrived safely and is having a read at the moment,

Great stuff.

> hence the
> lurking again Had a nice flame war over the smoking thing... as I am
> sure you saw heh heh heh heh.

Not yet! There's so much stuff to wade through, and I'm on about 18
different groups, heheheh... will be over that thread tomorrow...

> >>Yoose been quiet..
> >
> >
> > Me? Quiet?!? Well if you mean over the weekend, that's because I only
read
> > and post from work ',;~}~
>
> Gathered as much..... dunno how you catch up on Monday, I have hit the
> "mark all as read" button about 3 times this weekend, cos I haven't done
> my speed reading course yet.

I'm quite a quick typer for a 2 to 4 finger typing guy I guess...

> Making chilli tonight, already got it simmering on the stove. Put in one
> of those chillies I was telling you about... didn't taste to bad when I
> last "Licked the Spoon".....
>
> Don't work too hard, now, okay?

Off home in about 3 seconds! ',;~}~

> Cathy - who is very glad to be at home these days

Cheers Cathy!

Shaun aRe