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It seems we've reached a critical "peak fried chicken". I imagine it will die down with beef prices falling dramatically in the last six months.

have_faith 3y ago
I hope we have reached peak fried chicken in the UK, it got out of hand for a while. I doubt it's going to be replaced with beef though, it's not as versatile and is a much less neutral flavour. People have also been conditioned to think red meat is bad for them in any form, but they seem fine with deep fried chicken.
CoastalCoder 3y ago
> It seems we've reached a critical "peak fried chicken". Apologies for the tangent, but I think this is worth sharing: I recently discovered the big improvement that comes from brining chicken in buttermilk before frying it. I can't believe it took me so long to clue in.
- throwup238 3y ago
  Kenji to the rescue: https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-southern-fried-chicken-recipe https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-southern-fried-chic...
  - CoastalCoder 3y ago
    Thank you! I'll try out his ideas next time I make fried chicken. Can't wait!
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
  - shepherdjerred 3y ago
    I made this (slightly modified as chicken tenders) just a few weeks ago! Absolutely delicious.
- el_benhameen 3y ago
  Brining in buttermilk or yogurt before grilling or roasting is delicious, too. Mix in salt and whatever spices strike your fancy. When using yogurt, just scrape some but not all of it off before grilling.
  - CoastalCoder 3y ago
    I've been curious about the action of spices during brining / marinating. I.e.: Does the flavor really permeate the meat? Or could we just added the spices during / after cooking? And if the spices do permeate the meat, what's the mechanism? And how deeply do they penetrate?
    - Swizec 3y ago
      > Does the flavor really permeate the meat? Or could we just added the spices during / after cooking? You can taste the difference. We’ve done blind tests in terms of rushing the process and people always notice the difference. “Did you do something different today? The meat tastes bland/different/funny”. But the difference is biggest between 0min and 20min. More than 20min doesn’t seem to make a big impact in flavor, it does make the meat juicier and softer tho.
    - shepherdjerred 3y ago
      > But if you flavor your brine with delicious things like fruit juices, stock, herbs, spices, sugar, and more, then surely your meat will be more delicious than if you just soaked it in a plain old salt-water solution. Sorry, but nope! Flavor molecules, unlike salt, are for the most part too big to penetrate the cell membranes of a piece of meat; your brine may taste flavorful, but your roast will not. https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-dry-brine https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-dry-brine I'd _highly_ recommend the book The Food Lab, and site Serious Eats. They both go into the science of cook and answer lots of questions like this.
      - lowdest 3y ago
        There's some nuance here. If you soak your meat in lime juice for several hours, the acid is going to penetrate deep into the meat. It doesn't do nothing.
Solvency 3y ago
Beef prices falling dramatically? What's your source?
- argiopetech 3y ago
  Yep, haven't seen this locally.
- ramesh31 3y ago
  >Beef prices falling dramatically? What's your source? https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/beef https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/beef It's been on a steady decline since '22, with a big drop late last year. Anecdotally, I've been seeing choice ribeyes/strips locally for ~$6/lb in the last few months.
  - Solvency 3y ago
    Eel river ribeyes used to be $11 at Whole Foods. They are now $18.99. This is a recent price hike. Prices are quite literally multiplying.
    - SkyPuncher 3y ago
      A single brand is not representative of the industry.
    - ramesh31 3y ago
      >Eel river ribeyes used to be $11 at Whole Foods Grass fed is a totally separate category. Commodity feedlot beef has been falling precipitously, as mentioned. Currently eating a $7 porterhouse right now.
  - argiopetech 3y ago
    Great resource, thank you. Looking forward to seeing these results in local stores.
apwell23 3y ago
Beef consumption has gone only in one direction. down. I don't expect that trend to reverse due to prices .

have_faith 3y ago

I hope we have reached peak fried chicken in the UK, it got out of hand for a while. I doubt it's going to be replaced with beef though, it's not as versatile and is a much less neutral flavour. People have also been conditioned to think red meat is bad for them in any form, but they seem fine with deep fried chicken.

CoastalCoder 3y ago

> It seems we've reached a critical "peak fried chicken". Apologies for the tangent, but I think this is worth sharing: I recently discovered the big improvement that comes from brining chicken in buttermilk before frying it. I can't believe it took me so long to clue in.

throwup238 3y ago
Kenji to the rescue: https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-southern-fried-chicken-recipe https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-southern-fried-chic...
- CoastalCoder 3y ago
  Thank you! I'll try out his ideas next time I make fried chicken. Can't wait!
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
- shepherdjerred 3y ago
  I made this (slightly modified as chicken tenders) just a few weeks ago! Absolutely delicious.
el_benhameen 3y ago
Brining in buttermilk or yogurt before grilling or roasting is delicious, too. Mix in salt and whatever spices strike your fancy. When using yogurt, just scrape some but not all of it off before grilling.
- CoastalCoder 3y ago
  I've been curious about the action of spices during brining / marinating. I.e.: Does the flavor really permeate the meat? Or could we just added the spices during / after cooking? And if the spices do permeate the meat, what's the mechanism? And how deeply do they penetrate?
  - Swizec 3y ago
    > Does the flavor really permeate the meat? Or could we just added the spices during / after cooking? You can taste the difference. We’ve done blind tests in terms of rushing the process and people always notice the difference. “Did you do something different today? The meat tastes bland/different/funny”. But the difference is biggest between 0min and 20min. More than 20min doesn’t seem to make a big impact in flavor, it does make the meat juicier and softer tho.
  - shepherdjerred 3y ago
    > But if you flavor your brine with delicious things like fruit juices, stock, herbs, spices, sugar, and more, then surely your meat will be more delicious than if you just soaked it in a plain old salt-water solution. Sorry, but nope! Flavor molecules, unlike salt, are for the most part too big to penetrate the cell membranes of a piece of meat; your brine may taste flavorful, but your roast will not. https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-dry-brine https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-dry-brine I'd _highly_ recommend the book The Food Lab, and site Serious Eats. They both go into the science of cook and answer lots of questions like this.
    - lowdest 3y ago
      There's some nuance here. If you soak your meat in lime juice for several hours, the acid is going to penetrate deep into the meat. It doesn't do nothing.

Solvency 3y ago

Beef prices falling dramatically? What's your source?

argiopetech 3y ago
Yep, haven't seen this locally.
ramesh31 3y ago
>Beef prices falling dramatically? What's your source? https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/beef https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/beef It's been on a steady decline since '22, with a big drop late last year. Anecdotally, I've been seeing choice ribeyes/strips locally for ~$6/lb in the last few months.
- Solvency 3y ago
  Eel river ribeyes used to be $11 at Whole Foods. They are now $18.99. This is a recent price hike. Prices are quite literally multiplying.
  - SkyPuncher 3y ago
    A single brand is not representative of the industry.
  - ramesh31 3y ago
    >Eel river ribeyes used to be $11 at Whole Foods Grass fed is a totally separate category. Commodity feedlot beef has been falling precipitously, as mentioned. Currently eating a $7 porterhouse right now.
- argiopetech 3y ago
  Great resource, thank you. Looking forward to seeing these results in local stores.

apwell23 3y ago

Beef consumption has gone only in one direction. down. I don't expect that trend to reverse due to prices .