Dry-aged beef

[ERD50]

The meat actually loses (water) weight through dry-aging anyway. ...

Yes, but not in a way that matters to cost or taste. If you read the 'Serious Eats' articles posted earlier, Kenji seems to take a very scientific, carefully controlled approach to this, with blind tastings.

What he found (through careful measurements of the density of the aged meat) was that it was the outer crust that dries, and that outer crust gets cut away anyhow. So the meat you serve has the same water content as non-aged. Of course, having to cut that part away adds to the cost, but the drying isn't an effect on the the finished product cost/#.

He also found that 'aging' an individual steak for a day or so in the fridge did lose moisture content and that did allow it to brown better/faster, since the surface moisture was driven off, but by the time cooking was complete, the densities were the same.

Or, they could read this article from Cooks Illustrated indicating you can dry age steaks at home.

" so we pan-seared the home-aged steaks and tasted them alongside a batch of the same commercially dry-aged cuts costing $19.99 per pound. Our findings? Sure enough, four days of dry-aging in a home fridge gave the steaks a comparably smoky flavor and dense, tender texture."

I don't see any evidence of blind tastes, or controlled conditions as the Serious Eats guy does. His science looks sound to me, I'll take that over Cooks Kitchen saying you 'can do it'. Especially when they seem to be saying there is no difference between 4 days for a steak and the long aging that full cuts get (" you can skip shelling out extra money for commercially aged cow. "). There just is not going to be the same enzyme breakdown in 4 days.

-ERD50

 

[pb4uski]

Cook the perfect medium rare steak with Reverse Sear

The grass fed beef is higher in healthy Omega 3.

Jess Pryles taught me how to cook steak and I never looked back.

+1 I've been doing reverse sear for a number of years now.... especially with thicker cuts cooked on direct heat.

 

[flintnational]

I don't see any evidence of blind tastes, or controlled conditions as the Serious Eats guy does. His science looks sound to me, I'll take that over Cooks Kitchen saying you 'can do it'. Especially when they seem to be saying there is no difference between 4 days for a steak and the long aging that full cuts get (" you can skip shelling out extra money for commercially aged cow. "). There just is not going to be the same enzyme breakdown in 4 days.

-ERD50

You win! Apparently the flavor or my steak does not change.

 

[ERD50]

You win! Apparently the flavor or my steak does not change.

It's not about 'winning', I simply trust science over anecdote any day.

But if you are happy with your results, and aren't interested in doing a blind test to see if you can really tell the difference, that's your call. But don't expect to convince anyone with anecdote.

-ERD50

 

[RobbieB]

Really, a "blind test" of food? Is that when they grind it up and inject to the stomach?

Nah...food is never a "blind test" is it? It's a matter of aroma and texture. Spice and technique. Degree and severity.

Food is art.

 

[Winemaker]

Really, a "blind test" of food? Is that when they grind it up and inject to the stomach?

Nah...food is never a "blind test" is it? It's a matter of aroma and texture. Spice and technique. Degree and severity.

Food is art.

+100

 

[ERD50]

Really, a "blind test" of food? Is that when they grind it up and inject to the stomach?

Nah...food is never a "blind test" is it? It's a matter of aroma and texture. Spice and technique. Degree and severity.

Food is art.

+100

You're not serious are you?

A "blind test" only means that the taster is "blind" to which process which steak went through, so they have to express an opinion without bias. It's a basic scientific procedure to eliminate bias.

If you feel a 4 day dry-aged steak is better, than you will be biased if you know which steak is the 4 day aged one.

Note that that blind test was not about 'real' dry aged beef, where a large cut is aged by pros - this was about the quick fridge method for steaks at home.

And "double blind" is a more advanced level, the person presenting the steaks would not know either (but the out-of-sight researchers do know), so that the presenter does not provide any conscious or unconscious clues (like "see what you think of this one!).

In some tests, depending on what is being tested, if the appearance would be a clue, the tasters will need to be kept from seeing the food clearly, but that wasn't the case here.

-ERD50

 

[Midpack]

Yes, but not in a way that matters to cost or taste. If you read the 'Serious Eats' articles posted earlier, Kenji seems to take a very scientific, carefully controlled approach to this, with blind tastings.

What he found (through careful measurements of the density of the aged meat) was that it was the outer crust that dries, and that outer crust gets cut away anyhow. So the meat you serve has the same water content as non-aged. Of course, having to cut that part away adds to the cost, but the drying isn't an effect on the the finished product cost/#.

Actually he concluded that most, not all, of the drying occurs at the edges which are cut away and the water content of the remaining is close to original. He did not say it has “the same water content” until after cooking.

And he did at least two articles. One was testing DIY dry aging in your home refrigerator, where he ages steaks at intervals up to only 9 days. I haven’t seen a steak house that specialized in dry-aged steaks that ages less than 14-21 days. They’d all suggest 9 days or less wouldn’t provide the dry-aged experience. Apples and oranges.

BTW, how many 14+ day dry-aged steaks have you had in restaurants that are known for and specialize in controlled dry aging?

 

[ERD50]

Actually he concluded that most, not all, of the drying occurs at the edges which are cut away and the water content of the remaining is close to original. He did not say it has “the same water content” until after cooking.

And he did at least two articles. One was testing DIY dry aging in your home refrigerator, where he ages steaks at intervals up to only 9 days. I haven’t seen a steak house that specialized in dry-aged steaks that ages less than 14-21 days. They’d all suggest 9 days or less wouldn’t provide the dry-aged experience. Apples and oranges.

BTW, how many 14+ day dry-aged steaks have you had in restaurants that are known for and specialize in controlled dry aging?

Yes, there are two articles, when I was talking about the same water content after cooking, that was the fridge 'aged' individual steaks where nothing is cut away. From my post:

"He also found that 'aging' an individual steak for a day or so in the fridge did lose moisture content and that did allow it to brown better/faster, since the surface moisture was driven off, but by the time cooking was complete, the densities were the same."
​

For bulk aged meat, yes, the water content % of the meat you cook is the same before cooking, the dried part is cut away.

To your second point - I don't know that I have ever had a properly dry-aged steak at a high end restaurant. I generally will order something I can't cook at home, so almost never order steak (though I realize I'm not cooking a dry-aged steak a home, so I'm not getting the restaurant experience).

And to be honest, though I am curious, I probably never will try a high end restaurant dry-aged steak. Not that I wouldn't enjoy it, but it sounds like the differences are somewhat subtle, and personal preference. So given the choice of trying something I would not cook at home, and a 'variation' of a good steak that I can cook at home, I'm very likely going to go with something I would not cook at home.

But I'm not (and never did say) there isn't a difference in a bulk, professionally dry aged steak. I'm only saying that the Serious Eats article's apparently well controlled study did not find a difference in these individual home 'aged' (a few days) steaks.

-ERD50

 

[Winemaker]

Everybody has their own tastes, for water, beer, coffee, wine and I guess I'll include beef.
It is all a function of your sense of smell. Some people can't smell because of allergies, sensitivity, nasal complacency, or they haven't been taught to recognize the aroma that they smell.

Forgive me if I am repeating myself from a older thread, but to prove a point.
Do a blind taste test with a unknown color jelly bean, only hold your nose. You can only taste sweet , sour, bitter, salt, and some can taste unami. After chewing the jelly bean in the front part of your mouth, release your nose, and you will be able to recognize the flavor. Don't cheat and put it real far back in your mouth because some folks have smell sensors real close to the back of the mouth.

 

[W2R]

A little off topic....

I am going to enjoy a lovely steak tonight, straight from the supermarket, not aged or special in any way, and grilled to my idea of perfection on my countertop grill. I must not be a "foodie" because right now I can't think of anything better and I am really, really looking forward to it.

I cut way back on lunch to make sure I have plenty of calories left for it. And you can all eat your hearts out as I enjoy it even more than usual.

OK, I'm done, carry on....

 

[Midpack]

^^ Hope it was everything you expected. Sounds wonderful, I don’t get steak very often (either) so it’s a treat when I indulge.