How to pan fry a 8 oz. new York strip steak?

[NikolaeVarius]

Not picking sides, but how do you explain steak tartar then?

It's not like they just take meat and just chop it up and serve it to you.

You have to use good fresh meat and be very very hygienic with your tools and preparation area. The cook still has to conform to very strict safety standards.

And even then, people who are at risk of infection shouldn't be eating the stuff.

 

[zinfamous]

Moving the goalposts again.

The purpose of the thread wasn't to establish what was the most fun way of making food. The purpose was to establish the best foolproof way of making a steak.

I enjoy cooking scientifically. It may be because I'm surrounded by nerds and engineers, but for me, when I cook using scientific principals, I enjoy explaining why I cook in a certain way and the science behind the process.

You established that no one should learn the touch method, that food should be cooked based only on sound protocol, exactly and perfectly every time.

I never deviated once from my assertion that this idea is rubbish, even when you proposed to compare cooking to a carpenter's work.

Not picking sides, but how do you explain steak tartar then?

___ tartar is usually acid-cooked, with a dose of mild vinegar or citrus, or something similar.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Adaiah didn't use any seasoning though while Sean's supposedly tasted great. I don't know how the red team won.

It most likely came down to who they wanted to continue in the competition over who did the best that day.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

You established that no one should learn the touch method, that food should be cooked based only on sound protocol, exactly and perfectly every time.

I never deviated once from my assertion that this idea is rubbish, even when you proposed to compare cooking to a carpenter's work.

Wait, ignoring the fact that the touch method is rubbish, why is using the touch method not a kind of "sound protocol" and using a thermometer is?

Does the touch method have some sort of intrinsic artistic or expressive feature that makes it much more creative than using the thermometer?

Also ignoring the fact that I never advocated any sort of protocol and merely recommended the most objective method of cooking a foolproof steak, wouldn't the fact that you also claimed that lots of chefs use the touch method make the touch method the de-facto "sound protocol"?

You aren't being self consistent with your arguments.

 

[smackababy]

___ tartar is usually acid-cooked, with a dose of mild vinegar or citrus, or something similar.

How about sushi? Or, just raw fish in general. You can eat raw fish in the wild, so long as it isn't red tide.

 

[blackdogdeek]

It most likely came down to who they wanted to continue in the competition over who did the best that day.

I was surprised they touted Samuel's leadership skills when he let a clearly floundering Oona continue to destroy the squash blossoms. Why not take over at that point?

 

[CoPhotoGuy]

Do you eyeball measurements while baking too?

D:

Baking, no. Cooking, yes.

 

[CoPhotoGuy]

For everyone else, you can do better than professional chefs and their touch test by buying a 30 dollar thermometer that will tell you the exact doneness of a steak in under 4 seconds with no wiggle room.

Please explain how I can do better than the touch test when I already get perfect steaks via the touch test.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Please explain how I can do better than the touch test when I already get perfect steaks via the touch test.

Once again, much like the bartender experiment, just because you think you're right, doesn't actually mean you're right.

 

[Ns1]

Please explain how I can do better than the touch test when I already get perfect steaks via the touch test.

I'm sure that's not a biased opinion at all

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Once again, much like the bartender experiment, just because you think you're right, doesn't actually mean you're right.

Does he really have to be right, its his steaks, if he is happy who are we to say that's the wrong way. Its not like a chef is coming over to yell for being cooked too long or not enough. Bottom line, cook them, season them enjoy them the way you like them, fuck what anyone else says. If you are unhappy, learn from the last cook and adjust.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Does he really have to be right, its his steaks, if he is happy who are we to say that's the wrong way. Its not like a chef is coming over to yell for being cooked too long or not enough. Bottom line, cook them, season them enjoy them the way you like them, fuck what anyone else says. If you are unhappy, learn from the last cook and adjust.

Because we're trying to give advice to someone who isn't cooking steaks regularly and wants a easy foolproof way to cook a steak he has on hand.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Once again, much like the bartender experiment, just because you think you're right, doesn't actually mean you're right.

I've tested steaks by several methods. I do not have to take the temp of a steak to know when it done properly in all cases. In fact I can consistently cook a steak on the grill without any testing of the meat whatsoever, but that's because of my experience. To get the best results sous vide is what I choose, then both sides are treated to extreme heat either on a grill (+600F) or an even hotter cast iron skillet heated on my outdoor burner which puts out around 100k BTU and is what I prefer for wok cooking.

Anyway there is more than one to do a steak the right way. The value in measuring temperature is that you automatically have a standard which does not require any thought whatsoever, something that benefits beginners and helps the more advanced when faced with a situation which is outside of one's normal experience.

This thread however was about an easy way to get a steak done.

 

[zinfamous]

Wait, ignoring the fact that the touch method is rubbish, why is using the touch method not a kind of "sound protocol" and using a thermometer is?

Does the touch method have some sort of intrinsic artistic or expressive feature that makes it much more creative than using the thermometer?

Also ignoring the fact that I never advocated any sort of protocol and merely recommended the most objective method of cooking a foolproof steak, wouldn't the fact that you also claimed that lots of chefs use the touch method make the touch method the de-facto "sound protocol"?

You aren't being self consistent with your arguments.

OK, now I'm not sure if you are arguing against me or yourself...or what?

We have both agreed that each method is fine and proper for just about anyone. I think my only beef with your initial suggestion that the touch method is unreliable is that this assertion runs counter to evidence and practice that is quite well established.

Yes, it can be considered part of a protocol approach--again, something that I have always said is good, and useful, but isn't the only thing when it comes to cooking--but that involves practice; and it also requires, as you assert, a firm ability to control essential tools--you know your range, you know your oven, you know your meat, etc.

I wouldn't call it perfectly scientific because it can never be perfectly quantifiable. It has always worked, though, as a solidly repeatable guide when one becomes comfortable with what they are doing.

Bear in mind that I never implied that you were wrong to suggest that a thermometer is the best and easiest way to do this--just the notion that anyone should be frightened away from learning other techniques. You implied that no one should trust the touch test. I think that notion is rubbish.

 

[Anubis]

Sous vide takes eternally too long to cook anything

 

[zinfamous]

How about sushi? Or, just raw fish in general. You can eat raw fish in the wild, so long as it isn't red tide.

all top sushi-grade fish is flash frozen before it ever arrives at any chef.

Whether you're Jiro or not, that fish has been treated to a method of sterilization.

 

[nk215]

hey Nik,

It looks like you and I are on the same page and everyone else is on a different one. No point arguing over cooking method.

For everyone else. I've heard soul-less a few times from my better half on my cooking. Meat taken out from the water bath. Soup, some time, comes out the blender. What the heck, my home keeper prepared my ingredients many times. At the end, stuffs just taste awesome.

I've had food cooked many different ways but I prefer the modernist approach to get 100% repeatable results all the time (that's why my food scale is calibrated and is accurate down to 0.5 grams). I can't do what the profs can. After all they cook for a living.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

95 to 99% of all Wasabi is fake, I have now educated the masses.

 

[NetWareHead]

Please explain how I can do better than the touch test when I already get perfect steaks via the touch test.

I'm with you too on not needing a thermometer. To put this argument to rest, Id say both of you are correct.

The thermometer is fool proof way of measuring the done-ness of a steak. A noob can quickly cook a steak to desired temps. But for someone with a refined sense of touch and can accurately gauge a steak, the fingertip is the equivalent of the thermometer. I like my steaks medium rare and the steak has a certain amount of give when you touch it that you know it is done properly. My gf likes her steaks medium to med-well and I had to learn how to gauge the feel of that done-ness. I "ruined" several of her steaks too before I got the hang of how she likes it.

You need lots of experience and trail and error to learn how to do steak this way. You are going to mess it up the first few times. You are going to have to either eat a too rare steak and hope you dont get sick or curse yourself for overcooking a ribeye.

fwiw, I worked 10 years in my family restaurant and we never used thermometers when grilling; at home I still dont. I would use one if I were cooking a standing rib roast and wanted to make sure the thing was cooked to med rare. Those cuts of meat are expensive and thats too much money too leave to chance. if you are cooking sous vide, then yes I would agree that a thermometer is also essential in this scenario. How are you going to finger a steak for done-ness through a plastic bag?

 

[CoPhotoGuy]

Once again, much like the bartender experiment, just because you think you're right, doesn't actually mean you're right.

Once again, just because you think I'm wrong doesn't actually mean I'm wrong.

Obviously I'm right as I'm the one eating these steaks and they are always cooked perfectly and come out the same.

 

[Insomniator]

So much arguing in this thread. Its really not that hard to cook a steak. Sous Vide for an hour + when it takes 6 minutes to cook on a cast iron skillet? Give me a ****ing break.

 

[CoPhotoGuy]

I'm with you too on not needing a thermometer. To put this argument to rest, Id say both of you are correct.

I'm not saying that a thermometer isn't fine. I'm saying that his opinion that the touch test is rubbish and stupid and can't possibly produce steaks that are properly cooked is wrong.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

I'm not saying that a thermometer isn't fine. I'm saying that his opinion that the touch test is rubbish and stupid and can't possibly produce steaks that are properly cooked is wrong.

Once again pulling out arguments that were never made.

The argument was that the touch test is rubbish and inferior to thermometers because its extremely inconsistent. Inconsistent methods can still produce good results, just... inconsistently. Point out where I said that it can never produce steaks that are properly cooked.

We have two options.

A) Touch Method.
B) Thermometer.

The thermometer will always get you a objective measure of what doneness a steak is. It will get you a reading in under 4 seconds (or 2 if you go pricier).

Why would you ever go for the touch method? Add in the fact that the OP is a noob with steaks. Once again, what advantage does the touch method ever have where you would ever use it? I prefer to not use inferior methods when cooking. And definitely don't want to recommend inferior methods to people who are new to this particular style of cooking. For the same reason I wouldn't recommend a person use a aluminum pan to cook a steak, I would never recommend the touch test.

There isn't a single reason to prefer the touch method over thermometer, except for some misplaced notion of superiority as a cook or artistic integrity

 

[JM Aggie08]

And can probably cook better anything than you.

No.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

I'm not saying that a thermometer isn't fine. I'm saying that his opinion that the touch test is rubbish and stupid and can't possibly produce steaks that are properly cooked is wrong.

I don't even use the touch test, I just go by experience. Size and thickness of each steak, making sure the fire is nice and hot, etc etc. Even something as simple as using a gas grill when you are use to charcoal makes cooking them different. I made steaks for some friends a few months back on their gas grill. I have never done steaks on it. His wife being the control freak wouldn't just let me handle it. I took them off when she said to, I knew they needed another 1-2 minutes longer. When they were cut, she saw I was correct, they were not under by a huge amount, but they were not med rare.