pwn: could just be the lighting; it's definitely steak -- it smells and looks like steak.

It's just tearing apart with my hands.

Also, are those stringy fibres normal? It seems to be that meat glue stuff, like in this video I just found:

DW: outside of just feeling pissed off for getting duped, I do understand it's not illegal, but having it raw (like in a tartare) could be dangerous. I even told them it was going to be used for a tartare so they would give me the freshest beef they had, but they still did this? I'm pretty pissed off.

I am not a physicist, but I'm medium sure this is not correct. Water will boil in an oven set to 212 degrees, when it attains 212 degrees. Heating an oven to 212 that has a bunch of water in it will take longer than heating an oven to 212 that is empty, regardless of what temp it is set to attain (and "cost" more energy) because the water has a higher specific heat than air. But that will not stop it from (eventually) boiling, much like if you sous vided a bag of water at 212, the bag of water would (eventually) boil.

The problem (as far as I see it) is that you can't realistically tell if the oven is 212 degrees, 250, 300, or 400, as water will boil in all of those. The question that I have, that's maybe been answered, is: what sort of oven doesn't have temperature markings on the knobs? Regardless, if one has an oven with no temperature knobs, I'd recommend just buying an oven thermometer, which is cheap and a fairly reliable method of telling the temperature in an oven. If more baller, buy a new oven.

I'm not sure i follow on either of your points. Can you elaborate please on how its dangerous and how it implies the meat isnt their freshest?

well, I can't really comment on the freshness --maybe more false advertisement, as I think I'm buying a full piece of a filet, when I really am just buying scraps glued together.

As for the dangerous part, this video says it better than I could: (around the 1:40 mark)


eta: it doesn't seem as dangerous as I initially thought, as I'm just reading more and more on it--either way, I'm still pretty upset about getting meat scraps instead of a filet.

The increased sensitivity for celiacs is correct, (although i'm not sure if this is relevant), but i think the main point is moot, especially for a place that you're trusting to buy meat for tartare from. There is nothing inherently dangerous about meat glue itself, and can be consumed cooked or raw and your bodily will just digest/denature it. If the environment that the meat is being handled/prepared in is unsafe then yes it could introduce a risk, but that risk would exist for meat you're going to ingest raw and also for any meat they ground on site.

Definitely human flesh...fine to eat, goes well with fava beans and a nice chianti.

I'm still reading up on some of this stuff, but what do you think about this video (around the 3:20 mark):

meat glue bad

Again this is more about the source of the meat than the meat glue itself. If you take the surface of exposed questionable meat and make it the interior of your final product, it increases the risk of it never being made safe. This is why a lot of countries ban the cooking of hamburgers to order, because of the amount of dangerous meat used by cheaper places. If you're using it for tartare this risk would exist either way.

2 other things to note:

That report is almost certainly influenced by a meat glue documentary produced in Australia that was completely rubbished for being mostly baseless. Investigative stuff like that makes for good sensational TV, but i wouldnt rely on it for being true to life. Sure its probably happening, but it doesnt mean there's some conspiracy by butchers to sell you cheap cuts.
Germany and Japan both cleared the use of meat glue, despite having some of the most rigid food safety standards of any counties in the world. Its also used every day in Michelin starred kitchens around the world. The meat glue itself is safe, the meat you work with is the crux of the issue.

Meat glue is completely fine to eat. People who say it (and other chemicals) are unsafe typically are people who in lieu of science say things like "you can't find it on the ground and cavemen didn't eat so it must not be okay to consume...because chemicals ldo"

"Transglutaminase is safe and is classified by the FDA as a GRAS product (generally recognized as safe). Food regulatory agencies in other countries have also deemed it to be safe. As a protein, it is readily denatured by moderate heating in the same way that other proteins in our foods are denatured with cooking. It imparts no off-flavors to foods. Dave Arnold at Cooking Issues has extensively explored the science and pseudo-science around Activa. You can read more at his blog Cooking Issues."

At worst, it's not something that's going to be harmful eating sparingly.

I've only used it to make checkerboard sushi, but I don't think unless it was super freshly applied it would come apart like in your picture either.

Could that filet be poorly trimmed and still attached to part of the chain? Those could be natural cow interstitial membranes holding the muscles in place. Remember the tenderloin is a low impact muscle.

yeah this is baffling please explain

I am interested in trying some of the cooking techniques that are found in the steak thread

seems like I need a cast iron skillet for that

also, I think it would be nice to have a skillet I can use in the oven as well. I am sure that will come in handy.

My main concern was buying a decent skillet, one that will last a long time.

Fwiw this was my first though but I've only butchered about 10 tenderloin primals in my life.

You are right, I was trying to be quick. A 212 degree oven will eventually boil a pan of water. It will take a long time, but it will work. Surely, an oven hotter than 212 will boil water more quickly than a 212 degree oven, but this doesn't help the OP at all, as the the water temperature will always be lower than the air in the oven, which will result in overcooking. In short, you said it best, a pot of water in an oven is no substitute for a modern oven, or a thermometer.

heavy stainless steel bottom pan tho

yeah, like i mentioned it's a crappy old gas oven. im not sure if temp setting is specific to electric ovens or not in the first place, but this oven is at least 20 yrs old so it just has a knob for turning the gas higher or lower lol. replacing it is also not an option as it's incorporated into the stovetop part, so just getting a 30$ probe thermometer makes way more sense

heh yeah i tried to counteract that by not letting the water actually get to the boil, like i left it in there for 25 mins and past 20 mins droplets were forming in it (you know, like when it's about ready to boil), then at 25 mins there were more droplets and i figured ok that's good enough, i'll give the tenderloin 2 extra minutes and at worst with the pre-sear rest and the post-sear rest it'll be rare but def not deansteak even if the oven temp wasn't 212.

doing this again on sunday (meat thermometer is set to be shipped on the 26th unfortunately - the level of lameness in this country is that i have to order online b/c you don't find these things in stores :/ ) and now i think i have a better idea of what notch i need the gas knob on and the time needed to cook

i know this is going to sound pretty condescending, but when you use the all-clad are you always heating oil in it thoroughly before you use it? when i first got it i would frequently oil my meat and drop it on the hot pan (similar to how i generally use my cast iron), and it's just disastrous from a sticking/cleaning standpoint.

i'm sure you are doing it properly. still, ever since i started doing that i'm finding it super easy to clean this pan.

Is that better for steaks?

also, which brand do you recommend?

I'm pretty sure that quite a few itt use stainless steel pans. I've cooked quite a few very nice steaks featured itt and only use stainless steel cause that's what I have on hand and they work great. The thick bottom plate transfers and holds heat just fine imo.

I have two ss pans. The one that I cooked most of my steaks itt on is some no-name brand that I bought over twenty years ago. I was a poor university grad back then so it HAD to have been pretty cheap.

I recently got another ss pan when I upgraded our pots and pans collection with All Clad Cookware http://www.all-clad.com/Pages/Collec...Stainless.aspx

All Clad and stainless steel is definitely more expensive than cast iron though.

All Clad works great for steak, but maybe not quite as good as cast iron. I only have the former. It cleans up pretty easily for me, too, especially if I deglaze the pan for a sauce.

The recent talk of Cast Iton Skillets got me hungry so I whipped out some Blackened Tilapia last night with a nice Oaxacan Pomegranate glaze. Pretty righteous to say the least. First time I've tried to make a sweet / spicy glaze like this but I was pretty shocked at how good it came out.

FYI... if you're looking for a good spice blend to use for blackening fish or chicken here's what I use and it works and tastes great...

1.5 tspn Brown Sugar
1.5 tspn Paprika
1 tspn Salt
1 tspn Oregano
.75 tspn Garlic Powder
.75 tspn Cumin
.25 tspn Cayenne Pepper

As my "secret ingredient" I also add .25 tspn Pasilla de Oaxacan Powder http://www.zocalito.com/collections/...la-de-oaxaca-1

For the Pomegranate Glaze I used the following:

1 cup fresh Pomegranate Arils
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Cranberry Juice
1/2 cup Agave Nectar
.5 tspn Minced Cilantro
.5 tspn Crushed Cloves
1.5 tspn Balsamic Vinegar
1 tspn Butter
1 minced Pasilla de Oaxaca (dried chile)

Combined all ingredients into a pan and let is simmer down for a while, then dropped in food processor to help break down the Pomegranate Arils, then back in pan to simmer for a bit before pouring over the fish / rice.

You'll still have some Pomegranate seeds in the glaze, but with a slotted spoon to ladle it out you can prevent them getting onto the plate. I wouldn't have minded it being a little thicker, but the flavor was really solid.

Yeti,

I'll pay more attention to that. I think it's mainly in times when I'm cooking stuff for a long time and not deglazing at the end.

Anyway, barkeepers friend is amazing for getting all clad looking brand new again: http://www.barkeepersfriend.com