Bringing cold steaks up to room temp

[buckytom]

i doubt it's a linear equation in the range of values presented here, lol.
besides, that takes all of the soul out of cooking.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

i doubt it's a linear equation in the range of values presented here, lol.
besides, that takes all of the soul out of cooking.

Perhaps not linear but if it's too cold it won't cook very good in the middle. Capiche?

I dunno Bt, I always let my steak set on the counter for an hour or so to warm up from fridge temps...

You know--and I accept--that there's an entirely different way of looking at it. Maybe you want your steak really, really cold, so that when you cook it you can get a really good crust yet still have it tartare in the middle.

I have a fantasy recipe I want to cook one day. I imagine I'll have very cold almost frozen sushi grade tuna, and I'll throw it on the grill and cook one side to perfection yet have the other side completely raw. The tuna steak would have to be really chilled for this to work... I would serve it with two sauces, one for the cooked side and one for the sashimi side. (The raw would of course be served with soy sauce and wasabi.) Maybe there would be a good wasabi sauce to serve with cooked tuna. (Ideas anybody?)

 

[TATTRAT]

... yet still have it tartare in the middle.

...

You keep referring to having steak tartare in the middle. . .you are not going to have steak tartare in the middle, it would be rare steak. Tartare is a preparation, and a dish unto it self. If you cook a steak, and end up with finely minced beef, with assorted accouterments, then please share the recipe.

It's also, practically universally known in the industry, if you want a Pittsburgh Rare, you use a steak right out of the cooler. For thin cuts, if you want a rare/medium rare, you don't let it come up to temp. Coming up to temp is typically reserved for cuts you want a little more done, medium and above(ruined).

 

[Julio]

Does this technique work with enamel cast iron as well?

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Does this technique work with enamel cast iron as well?

Yes Julio! It will work with that, too!

 

[jennyema]

If you really want a real "Pittsburgh" steak (black and blue) it helps to start with a cold steak, but otherwise meats cook more evenly with a room temp piece of meat.

 

[FrankZ]

If usually get mine out of the fridge a early, cause that way the middle can be closer to room temp when I am done with mine.

 

[roadfix]

My wife likes her steaks destroyed. But to make it still eatable I need to leave her steak out a good couple of hours before tossing it on the grill and leaving it there for the next ten minutes.

 

[buckytom]

it makes sense to me that if you want a moist, well done steak, bring it to room temp first so you don't have to overcook it to achieve that level of done-ness.

but in my experience, if the meat is cold, it's easier to keep the middle more on the rare to medium side when using normal home cooking temps around 600 to 700 degrees at best

i dunno. i thought it was a commonly known attribute. but after this thread, i looked into it and found this: Seven Myths About Grilling a Steak

myth #2 was interesting.

actually, i remember a cooking show from years ago that had a griller putting a chunk if ice inside a burger so that it would remain less cooked in the middle while attaining a good crust on the outside.
i'm sure it was freshly ground beef.

also, i remember another grilling show specifically stating that cold meat is easier to keep rare when cooking.
makes as much sense as a hunk o' beef that is at an even temp throughout would cook evenly throughout.

i guess the question is in the execution.