Food Thread

[billchao]

49 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

When you get the grill hot, just wipe it down using some towels soaked with some canola or grapeseed oil (something with a high flash point). This will help season the grill, and keep the food from sticking.

Right. You want to season your grates like you would your pans.

The other trick to keep food from sticking is to let the grates get hot before you put food on the grill.

40 minutes ago, iacas said:

You know what also helps stop stuff from sticking? All the little burnt up pieces of the meat you cooked before.

Eh, not really. Burnt food bits can come off your grates and stick to your food. They're not particularly tasty and possibly (though not proven to be) carcinogenic.

What actually makes your pans and grates nonstick is a thin layer of fat or oil that gets polymerized. A well seasoned pan or grill can be cleaned with just heat and water.

[iacas]

3 minutes ago, billchao said:

Eh, not really. Burnt food bits can come off your grates and stick to your food. They're not particularly tasty and possibly (though not proven to be) carcinogenic.

My experience does not align with your science!

(I clean my grill once or twice a year. I don't use it all that often, and when I do, they're for hot dogs or hamburgers, and I always let the grill get hot before I put the meat on it.)

[billchao]

5 minutes ago, iacas said:

My experience does not align with your science!

Then go with that. We all know personal experience trumps science anyway 

[iacas]

Just now, billchao said:

Then go with that. We all know personal experience trumps science anyway 

Always. I've been saying that for years! Even wrote a book about it!

[nevets88]

I've gotten cheap brushes for spreading sauce and oil and the like. The bristles come off and get into your food. After that, I don't chintz on the brushes. PSA - get good brushes. But nothing as dangerous as metal bristles though.

[billchao]

15 minutes ago, nevets88 said:

I've gotten cheap brushes for spreading sauce and oil and the like. The bristles come off and get into your food. After that, I don't chintz on the brushes. PSA - get good brushes.

I use silicone brushes for that, but yes, quality matters in brushes.

[iacas]

4 minutes ago, billchao said:

I use silicone brushes for that, but yes, quality matters in brushes.

Same here.

[nevets88]

That's a big pair of chopsticks - looks like drumsticks.

 

[dsc123]

Long live Kenji 

[jamo]

10 hours ago, dsc123 said:

Long live Kenji 

Reverse sear?

[dsc123]

6 minutes ago, jamo said:

Reverse sear?

Yep.  Oven at 225 and then piping hot cast iron.  Even managed not to set off the smoke detector this time.

[billchao]

4 hours ago, dsc123 said:

Even managed not to set off the smoke detector this time.

You must teach me your secret 

[iacas]

2 minutes ago, billchao said:

You must teach me your secret 

Take out the batteries.

(Mine is wired into the house electricity with a battery backup, so, I'm kidding.)

[saevel25]

A cast iron pan stays hot for a long time. Just get some good gloves, and take it outside to sear ;)

A cool option is to cook on top of a chimney starter.

[Patch]

9 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

A cast iron pan stays hot for a long time. Just get some good gloves, and take it outside to sear ;)

A cool option is to cook on top of a chimney starter.

My wife has several cast iron pans. Most are dutch oven types. She cooks all kinds of stuff on, and in them. Just build her a campfire, and she's good to go. 

[billchao]

16 minutes ago, iacas said:

Take out the batteries.

(Mine is wired into the house electricity with a battery backup, so, I'm kidding.)

Just turn the breaker off at the electrical panel 

11 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

A cast iron pan stays hot for a long time. Just get some good gloves, and take it outside to sear ;)

A cool option is to cook on top of a chimney starter.

I tried to cook with a grate on top of a chimney starter once and was disappointed at the heat output. It probably didn't help being 20°F out.

I'll have to try with a pan on top, but in all honesty it's easier just to fire up the grill to sear because I have to cook several pieces of meat at the same time anyway. Of course my family thinks I'm weird for using half a bag of charcoal just to finish up some steaks /shrug

[dsc123]

I haven't tried the chimney steak yet.  I've read that it's great for thin steaks but hadn't thought of it for sharing a thick one.

 

I have cooked a bunch on the grill using the same method--cool side then over the hottest fire I can muster.  I really wanted the grill to be better because I prefer cooking outside, but the oven/cast iron method is just perfect every time.  

 

ttps://www.seriouseats.com/2017/03/how-to-reverse-sear-best-way-to-cook-steak.html

[Zeph]

I like a method I saw Heston Blumenthal do, where you cook it only in a hot pan and flip it every 15-20 seconds.