1) WF is expensive because you're paying extra for 100% organic

2) you can effectively sear a pretty thin steak and still keep it med-rare by using a cast iron pan or griddle, this is how i do kobe ribeyes (i can only bear to buy the thin ones without feeling too much buyers remorse) also a cheap thin ribeye is an awesome quick snack

3) a chain supermarket butcher will usually cut a steak for you as thick as you want but you have to go before they leave for the day at like 5pm, at least around here because only the "licensed" butcher is allowed to cut steaks and the other guys there in the white aprons are just helpers (crazy texas laws)

As far as organic goes, why would you "not care" at all about that? I mean, clearly a rational person will prefer something with no growth hormone, etc., right?

Unless money is a big problem, I would always choose organic, given the option.

I have a pound and a half of beef tenderloin from Whole Foods in the fridge right now, and I can tell you I am never disappointed, as I can be occasionally with Publix or wherever.

It will be sitting on the counter about ten seconds after I hit Submit Reply.

Lemme see if I can find the damned camera.

the problem with only eating naked steaks is you're missing out on the awesomeness of bernaise, blue cheese butter, etc

I like nicely complimentary sauces with steaks. I mean even if you have a sauce, its not like you have to take every bite of steak with the sauce. You can have a bite thats just pure steak, then maybe another one with some sauce - see how the flavors meld and create other subtle flavors, then have another bite of pure steak and sip a bit of wine and have the wine flavor meld with the steak flavor, and then finally all 3, etc...

1. um, ok.
2. i don't even know where to begin.
3. um, ok.

i have a fairly unhealthy lifestyle already, and i really don't care about organic food. that, and my personal belief is all the growth hormone scare and such is way overblown. there are other things i can do with far more impact on my health than eating organic, and if/when i choose most of them then maybe i'll consider going organic also but since I exercise maybe 1x a week and love fat and sugar paying extra for organic is likely to be a total waste.

and if health is a big concern then you prob shouldn't be eating much beef anyways?

MC 900' Jesus: "gimme 10 big macs and a small diet coke"

insightful contributions there, zeke

next time just go with "wat"

It's not paying extra imo but I know what you mean. A better reason to go to Whole Foods is to stroll by the seafood section and pick up wild caught fish filets, they always seem to have something in that category marked down $5-6 per lb.

amoeba: That sounds delicious! Seriously.

JiD: WTF kind of guy who cooks steaks regularly needs a thermometer to check doneness?

Yeah right. I mean, when I set mine out to rest, I admit, there is a roughly 5% variation of result from dark pink (fantastic and beautiful, but not perfect) to dark red, just short of purple (Godmaking material).

But I sure haven't got any inclination to buy a thermometer and stick it into the meat...ever.

The only time I will use one is with a roast or if I am barbequing or smoking a pork butt.

I can cook tenderloins and flank steaks the way I want them, but generally overcook or undercook other steaks unless they are 1"+

OK, as I mentioned earlier, I had a couple of fillets from Whole Foods. They were organic, they were expensive as hell, and if I knew that was the exact steak I would get in a restaurant, I would pay three times as much for it, and tip well.

Meat:

Sear:

Sweet Potatoes:

Beef tenderloin with bleu cheese butter, pureed sweet potatoes, and a mixed green salad:

Food Porn:

Nomnomnomnomnom:

nice. how much were they?

$24.00/lb. Turns out I had only gotten a pound, and that each steak was obviously about 8 oz.

Yeah, I know, but think about it--each of those steaks cost $12.00, and I am being honest when I say I would definitely happily pay $35 a plate for that meal in a decent restaurant.

I've used a meat thermometer when finishing big steaks in the oven, but really more so I could just set the temp and walk away.

Urg as both an environmentalist and foodie I ****ing hate the word organic.

Fight for growth hormone regulation and stricter antibiotic practices, not pseudo hippie bull**** buzzwords like "organic". Feed should NOT be organic in North America. Technology advances for a reason.

Urg, as not even remotely an environmentalist and certainly a foodie, I prefer that which is "organic" to that which is not, regardless of the opinions of those who feel that since the terminology and guidelines are imperfect, they are to be scoffed at.

As for the "fight for growth hormone regulation and stricter antibiotic practices," I would posit that given the existing set of options, one is taking a decent step in the right direction by choosing organic over that which is not.

I think maybe Rage Against The Machine should do a song about this.

ugh when I cooked those tenderloins on Sunday that I posted a little while back I cooked my moms a pretty solid medium-mediumwell cause she dislkes any pink in her steak.

she made me put it back on the grill until there was no pink left.

I think she is still too used to the chuck steaks her father used to panfry for her that were a chewy disgusting mess unless they were well burnt. My steaks as a child were pretty much the same way until I started actually ordering steak at decent restaurants and realized a) it's awesome, and b) medium rare > well done LDO

what's with the thermometer hate? meat thermometers are useful when cooking for a crowd - I can do med rare pretty well by feel but the more done variations are harder to judge esp when cooking a half dozen steaks. even moreso when they are different thicknesses.

and sadly, no, I don't cook steak regularly anymore, gotta watch the heart.

A friend of mine in HS went to the Olympics in Denver with his girlfriend's family. They went to a nice steakhouse, and the GF's father ordered his kobe steak "well burnt." The waiter said "I'm not sure our chef will be able to accommodate that request, sir. He can't make any guarantees that the steak will be enjoyable"

Father says I'm paying for the steak, that's how I want it cooked.

Chef comes out to suggest that he try the steak medium well, etc etc. Father insists he wants it "well burnt"

Chef brings out the charred to a crisp kobe steak a little while later and says "here's your beef jerky, sir"

denver?

lol SLC. my bad

I like to sprinkle a little fleur de sel to finish

fwiw I agree with about 100% of what JasonInDallas has said in this thread. If you've never never tried a New York strip with bearnaise sauce because you feel that you're some sort of steak purist, you're a ****ing idiot.

ETA: It's pretty much the most decadent, amazing dish ever.

Béarnaise can be very nice with steak. You can find recipes online. I made it out of my BLT book. It's pretty simple. I don't use it all the time, but it can be a very nice treat to accompany a steak.

Some other things I've learned when pan searing is to throw two cloves of garlic in the pan with the steak when you are searing it. Just sort of flip them around in the oil while the steak is searing. I like to leave the cloves whole so that if they get over cooked I can just pick them out easily.

I always put a knob of unsalted butter in before I stick it in the oven. Just let it melt and then tilt the pan and use a spoon to baste the steak. You can also throw in a sprig of thyme while you're doing this and just set it on the steak while you baste it. Throw it out before you stick it in the oven.