StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Something I reverse-engineered from a food co-op:

Persian Rice Salad

1. Cook up some rice in a pot; add one bouillon cube (chicken or vegetable). When the rice starts to get soft, throw in a good squeeze of lemon juice and a shake or two of cinnamon, and stir it well together.
2. In a skillet, heat a little olive oil a small handful of unroasted, unsalted cashews on high (I used less than 0.2 lb. for two people, which cost me very little money from the bulk bin at the grocery.) Take a few dried dates (no more than 4 or 5 for two people, so it isn't too sweet), cut them in half lengthwise, and drop them in the skillet with the cashews. Let them heat, but don't let the cashews blacken.
3. When the cashews start to turn golden brown, add to the skillet ~1/2 cup of water, and a little lemon juice and cinnamon. Reduce heat to medium and let the dates cook down. The final result will be the nuts and dates in a bit of brownish paste.
4. Mix together contents of skillet and rice; add to this a middling handful of coarse-chopped cilantro and two or three sliced scallions.

This is good on its own or as a side, and is equally delicious hot or cold.

Why do people order filet mignon, the juiciest, most succulent, most delicious, and most expensive cut of beef, and then have it cooked well done? "Here you go, sir, the most expensive item on the menu, cooked to a dry, tasteless, gray lump. Would you like some A-1 sauce with that?"

No idea mate, way back when I worked in a seafood restaurant we would have customers that reduced the chef to tears - "swordfish steak? certainly sir how would you like it done? really well done? are you sure? that does tend to ruin ... oh of course certainly sir the customer is always right."

I invariably wound up reducing them to thin layers of tough rubbery crud on the grounds the chef refused to do that to swordfish.

Then we got feedback - "didn't think much of that it was very bland and very chewy"

Short of eugenics to stop these specimens polluting the gene pool there's not a lot we can do.

RedImperator wrote:Why do people order filet mignon, the juiciest, most succulent, most delicious, and most expensive cut of beef, and then have it cooked well done? "Here you go, sir, the most expensive item on the menu, cooked to a dry, tasteless, gray lump. Would you like some A-1 sauce with that?"

Some people think rare meat is disgusting for aesthetic reasons. I don't know whether they consciously realize they are sacrificing taste.

Darth Wong wrote:

RedImperator wrote:Why do people order filet mignon, the juiciest, most succulent, most delicious, and most expensive cut of beef, and then have it cooked well done? "Here you go, sir, the most expensive item on the menu, cooked to a dry, tasteless, gray lump. Would you like some A-1 sauce with that?"

Some people think rare meat is disgusting for aesthetic reasons. I don't know whether they consciously realize they are sacrificing taste.

The thing that gets me is that it's not a binary choice. My mom doesn't like it bloody, so she gets it medium. Not the way I'd eat it, but there's still good flavor and, if the cut is good, it's still tender. There's no conceivable reason to get it well done--if pink meat bothers you that much, order chicken--and if you insist on getting it well done, then you might as well order a cheap cut because what's the difference anyway?

It drives me nuts. I eat steak once every other month at this hibachi place in northern Delaware, and every time there's someone at my table who orders a fillet well done (this happened last night, triggering this vent). Right below it on the menu is New York strip, which is like five bucks cheaper for the same amount of meat. It's still a waste to cook New York strip well done, but it's less of a waste.

RedImperator wrote:

Darth Wong wrote:

RedImperator wrote:Why do people order filet mignon, the juiciest, most succulent, most delicious, and most expensive cut of beef, and then have it cooked well done? "Here you go, sir, the most expensive item on the menu, cooked to a dry, tasteless, gray lump. Would you like some A-1 sauce with that?"

Some people think rare meat is disgusting for aesthetic reasons. I don't know whether they consciously realize they are sacrificing taste.

The thing that gets me is that it's not a binary choice. My mom doesn't like it bloody, so she gets it medium. Not the way I'd eat it, but there's still good flavor and, if the cut is good, it's still tender. There's no conceivable reason to get it well done--if pink meat bothers you that much, order chicken--and if you insist on getting it well done, then you might as well order a cheap cut because what's the difference anyway?

It drives me nuts. I eat steak once every other month at this hibachi place in northern Delaware, and every time there's someone at my table who orders a fillet well done (this happened last night, triggering this vent). Right below it on the menu is New York strip, which is like five bucks cheaper for the same amount of meat. It's still a waste to cook New York strip well done, but it's less of a waste.

I love my steaks to be well done. At least cooked enough that there is no pink but isn't burnt. But then again I'm the type of guy that puts ketchup and hot sauce on steaks(and chicken, pork and almost any other meats :) ).

Vent: Blah, close to three months here in the U.S. and still no damn job.

Enigma wrote:

RedImperator wrote:The thing that gets me is that it's not a binary choice. My mom doesn't like it bloody, so she gets it medium. Not the way I'd eat it, but there's still good flavor and, if the cut is good, it's still tender. There's no conceivable reason to get it well done--if pink meat bothers you that much, order chicken--and if you insist on getting it well done, then you might as well order a cheap cut because what's the difference anyway?

I love my steaks to be well done. At least cooked enough that there is no pink but isn't burnt. But then again I'm the type of guy that puts ketchup and hot sauce on steaks(and chicken, pork and almost any other meats ).

What's there to love? Honest question here. You're cooking off the juices which contain the majority of the flavor, and it's tough as hell so it can't be the texture. So what about a well-done steak appeals to you? It can't just be as a vehicle for ketchup and hot sauce, can it? Because I love ketchup and hot sauce, but I'm not going to put them on a piece of meat that costs $14 per pound.

I suspect he knows it's unpalatable without covering it in sauce, but he became accustomed to overcooked meat while growing up.

Darth Wong wrote:I suspect he knows it's unpalatable without covering it in sauce, but he became accustomed to overcooked meat while growing up.

For the longest time, I didn't get what the big deal was with steak, because my parents (who are otherwise good cooks) would serve us well-done steaks growing up, and it was always flavorless, dry, and tough as hell. And since I don't like steak sauce and didn't start liking hot sauce until my twenties, I couldn't cover it up. So I thought steak was just this dry, nasty, overrated piece of meat that's nowhere near as good as a good cheeseburger. I was in college when I discovered that a properly cooked steak is one of life's great treats. Strangely, now, my parents eat their steaks a lot rarer now, too.

RedImperator wrote:

Darth Wong wrote:I suspect he knows it's unpalatable without covering it in sauce, but he became accustomed to overcooked meat while growing up.

For the longest time, I didn't get what the big deal was with steak, because my parents (who are otherwise good cooks) would serve us well-done steaks growing up, and it was always flavorless, dry, and tough as hell. And since I don't like steak sauce and didn't start liking hot sauce until my twenties, I couldn't cover it up. So I thought steak was just this dry, nasty, overrated piece of meat that's nowhere near as good as a good cheeseburger. I was in college when I discovered that a properly cooked steak is one of life's great treats. Strangely, now, my parents eat their steaks a lot rarer now, too.

In defense of parents everywhere, it can be tricky to make a really good steak, and it takes a bit of expensive experimenting before you get experienced at it. They could always go to a steakhouse restaurant, but those aren't cheap. The last time I took the family to one, I think I ended up shelling out around $140, and it's not as if it was one of those fancy black-tie upper class restaurants either.

PS. I know, I know, there are some really cheap steakhouse restaurants out there where you can get an entree for ten bucks. I flat-out refuse to go to such a place.

RedImperator wrote:Why do people order filet mignon, the juiciest, most succulent, most delicious, and most expensive cut of beef, and then have it cooked well done? "Here you go, sir, the most expensive item on the menu, cooked to a dry, tasteless, gray lump. Would you like some A-1 sauce with that?"

They want a juicy, succulent lump of charcoal?

I haven't a clue - of course, I've been accused of eating my meat half raw, usually by those same folks.

Funny thing is, I know people who eat read meat charred to a grey lump, yet they relish sushi. You'll eat fish raw, but steak has to be reduced to a cinder? WTF?

Darth Wong wrote:I suspect he knows it's unpalatable without covering it in sauce, but he became accustomed to overcooked meat while growing up.

I've had meat without sauce but I do enjoy it more with it. I've also had steaks in which they were still pink on the inside but I simply did not enjoy them. My wife and in-laws love it when it is medium rare but whenever they finishe cooking\grilling\whatever the steaks, I take my portion and throw it into the microwave until it is thoroughly cooked. But I don't like the meat if it is overdone and ends up crispy.

Enigma wrote:

Darth Wong wrote:I suspect he knows it's unpalatable without covering it in sauce, but he became accustomed to overcooked meat while growing up.

I've had meat without sauce but I do enjoy it more with it. I've also had steaks in which they were still pink on the inside but I simply did not enjoy them. My wife and in-laws love it when it is medium rare but whenever they finishe cooking\grilling\whatever the steaks, I take my portion and throw it into the microwave until it is thoroughly cooked. But I don't like the meat if it is overdone and ends up crispy.

Have you tried eating shoe leather? It sounds like it would suit your palate.

Enigma wrote:

Darth Wong wrote:I suspect he knows it's unpalatable without covering it in sauce, but he became accustomed to overcooked meat while growing up.

I've had meat without sauce but I do enjoy it more with it. I've also had steaks in which they were still pink on the inside but I simply did not enjoy them. My wife and in-laws love it when it is medium rare but whenever they finishe cooking\grilling\whatever the steaks, I take my portion and throw it into the microwave until it is thoroughly cooked. But I don't like the meat if it is overdone and ends up crispy.

Microwaved steak? Good lord. Better you than me.

Darth Wong wrote:Have you tried eating shoe leather? It sounds like it would suit your palate.

Don't know about you but I do not equate thoroughly cooked meat to charred lump\leather. You can have a thoroughly cooked meat and still be tender and juicy. Point in fact I had some juicy ribs that were well done but still tender and well marbled.

RedImperator wrote:Microwaved steak? Good lord. Better you than me.

I rarely do that but if the meat wasn't well cooked then I'd throw it in the microwave for about a minute. It isn't as good as if it was well done in the first place.

Enigma wrote:

Darth Wong wrote:Have you tried eating shoe leather? It sounds like it would suit your palate.

Don't know about you but I do not equate thoroughly cooked meat to charred lump\leather. You can have a thoroughly cooked meat and still be tender and juicy. Point in fact I had some juicy ribs that were well done but still tender and well marbled.

Fatty meat is not the same thing as properly cooked meat. Yes, the fat keeps it from going dry, but the meat is still tasteless. All you're tasting is the fat.

Enigma wrote:

Darth Wong wrote:Have you tried eating shoe leather? It sounds like it would suit your palate.

Don't know about you but I do not equate thoroughly cooked meat to charred lump\leather. You can have a thoroughly cooked meat and still be tender and juicy.

Yes, you can, if you braise it. That's how you turn a tough, chewy cut like chuck into delicious pot roast. I have no problem with well-done beef. My objection is well-done steak, which is just a waste. You're cooking out all the flavor. Sure, a fatty cut will remain moist thanks to all the rendered fat in it, but that's not the same thing.

What cuts do you usually use for steak?

The words "Thoroughly cooked" applied to steak just makes me wince, you want to 'thoroughly burn' a side of beef to charcoal then go ahead, do it to steak and I will be forced to ram your own arm down your throat.

core temp hot enough to kill bacteria, is all you need, and there are ways of sealing in the flavour. Or just do it the Japanese/Mongolian way and get your beef from a good healthy homogenous source.

The Yosemite Bear wrote:core temp hot enough to kill bacteria, is all you need, and there are ways of sealing in the flavour. Or just do it the Japanese/Mongolian way and get your beef from a good healthy homogenous source.

The notion that searing the meat "seals in" anything is a myth. You can't seriously believe that burning the surface of the meat will actually create a watertight seal; it's one of those oft-repeated ideas that falls apart the moment you look seriously at it. People just think it seals in the flavour because it creates an interesting flavour in the seared region itself.

But isn't it unhealthy if there's still red stuff inside your not-so-thoroughly-cooked meat?


Goddamn I hate working in the bigass super regulations-encrusted hospital where the staff are belligerent and unfriendly.

Shroom Man 777 wrote:But isn't it unhealthy if there's still red stuff inside your not-so-thoroughly-cooked meat?

Yes, if it's a hamburger. But in a steak, bacterial growth starts in the outer layers, so if the outside is thoroughly cooked, you're OK.

Shroom Man 777 wrote:But isn't it unhealthy if there's still red stuff inside your not-so-thoroughly-cooked meat?

No. Why would it be unhealthy?

Now, contaminated meat is a problem, but there are several types of that which no amount of cooking will correct. The biggest danger with contaminated meat involves ground meat, which offers an abundance of surface area for pathogens to multiply upon. The interior of a slab of meat is actually pretty well protected from most forms of contamination. Thus, cooking the outer portions will take care of most of the problem in a steak. Ground meat should be cooked past pink interiors, but for steaks and other large chunks it's not really much of an issue. Unless your meat source has a problem with, say, trichinosis, but that's actually pretty rare in most of the west these days.

The problem isn't how much it is or isn't cooked, it's how healthy the animal was and how the meat was handled after the animal was butchered.

So medium rare is the best kind of steak you guys would suggest?

Cool. Since I'm in the mood for some steak right now.