Quote:
Originally Posted by gtc
Re: Don's post-
Exactly.
For that matter, nearly all meat should be brought up to room temperature before cooking. I am continually amazed by the number of people who pull a $10+ steak out of the fridge and throw it straight onto a grill. But then, these are usually the same heathens that like their steak "well done."
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Not necessarily.
If I want a very seared and crusty steak, with a very rare interior, and I don't have a big heat source (no high-BTU burner or cast iron pan) I'll sometimes put the steak in the refrigerator for awhile before cooking. The colder interior lets me get more searing done before the steak goes beyond "rare", and because a refrigerator is a very low-humidity environment, it also helps dry the meat's exterior which also promotes browning.
Of course, with a cast iron pan it is easy. I put the pan on the burner, cranked to highest flame, and leave it to pre-heat for at least five minutes. When the pan is starting to smoke, we sear.
If I'm stir-frying small marinated pieces of meat, for example in a wok for a Chinese recipe, I'll sometimes do the same thing. A standard steel wok doesn't retain heat, so without a big wok burner, it is hard to get the meat browned on the outside without overcooking it on the inside, remember these pieces are just 1/4" thick and 1/2" long so they overcook easily, and are wet with marinade. The refrigerator not only makes the inside cold, but also dries the exterior.
Dusting with corn starch also helps meat brown faster.
On the other hand, if the beef is very fatty, like a good skirt steak, then I want it room temperature, because I want some of the fat to render off during the brief cooking.
Chicken is different. You don't want rare or raw chicken, so the goal is different, hence the method.