4 ms·
Coffee is a good metaphor here too, because bad technique can ruin a good steak just as surely as good coffee. "knows how to use a meat thermometer and reverse
by jaggederest 3mo ago
Coffee is a good metaphor here too, because bad technique can ruin a good steak just as surely as good coffee. "knows how to use a meat thermometer and reverse sear" describes like 10% of the population or less, same with coffee - there are people who use a bad grinder and a not-regularly-cleaned Mr. Coffee with good beans and get gas station coffee, and there are people out there making solidly B+ class coffee using costco beans, a no name burr grinder, and a french press.
Edit for people who've never had good coffee:
"I don't like coffee. Can James Hoffmann change that?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-iNAyu-ejo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-iNAyu-ejo
- spiffytech 3mo agoI know people who can cook a lot of food pretty well, but don't understand why they can't use a laser thermometer to check their meat. Knowing really is half the battle.
- jmaw 3mo agoOk, using a laser thermometer for food is hilarious. Thanks for this xD
- OJFord 3mo agoIt's not wrong for all food, surface temperature measurement has its place, you just have to understand it is surface measurement.
- buildsjets 3mo agoI use it to spot check the temp of my cast iron pan all the time.
- Ekaros 3mo agoIt is reasonable for measuring cooking environment. Like say pizza oven. Just have to be aware of things like right emissivity.
- psalaun 3mo agofor a caramel or some sauces it's legit
- ddoolin 3mo agoWhat I've really gotten out of this is that I'd like to learn how to use a (proper) meat thermometer when I make steaks.
- pixl97 3mo agoThey have digital thermometers now that will map out the temperature curve and even predicted when the meat will reach core temp. You really don't need to use them many times before you internalize the behavior.
- jaggederest 3mo agoSince this is HN, here's the maximum technology option: https://combustion.inc/ https://combustion.inc/ They have a thermometer with multiple sensors in it that finds the core temperature of the food you're cooking automatically, and predicts the rise in temperature over time. So the alarm goes off when it's time to pull and rest, which is absolutely amazing.
- bsder 3mo agoI have one of the Combustion thermometers, and I like it. I used it more than I expected. In particular, I use it for roasting chicken and for sous vide things more than anything else. Then I got a Breville Control Freak, and I used it much less. :) For maximum techyness, Combustion, Inc. correctly identified that sous vide is normally an overdamped system. If you follow their instructions you can increase the water temp some and then bring it back down in order to move the system closer to critically damped and speed up your sous vide.
- deanputney 3mo agoI've had a Combustion thermometer since they came out. The best uses for me are butterflied whole chicken on the grill and roasts in the oven. You can get extremely precise results and account for carry over cooking very easily. Huge leap in results.
- throwaway2037 3mo ago
- aqme28 3mo agoIf you cook enough you can tell by feel
- muzani 3mo agoThe resistance of the steak is going to depend on what cut of meat you are poking (sirloin is stiffer than filet), the grade of meat (prime is more tender than select), how thick it is (thick cuts will yield more than thin), the age of the steer (young is more tender), the breed of steer (cooked Wagyu is more tender than Holstein), the age of the meat (wet aged is more tender than fresh killed), and what the steer was fed (corn fed is usually more tender than grass fed), among other things. [1] It's not entirely a myth; if you've poked hundreds of steaks by the same supplier, same cuts, same grade, you'll eventually get a feel for them. The thermometer analogy does carry over though. Some people are not there to be productive or good at their jobs. The job is about them, not their work. And you can go your whole life without ever cooking or tasting a good steak. The people who can tell the difference will go elsewhere, and those who can't will come back. And then there's always the boss who wishes he started a franchise but will go with what he has - he'll hire a bunch of newbies or foreign workers who know how to use a thermometer. [1] https://amazingribs.com/ratings-reviews/best-thermometers/how-thermometers-work/ https://amazingribs.com/ratings-reviews/best-thermometers/ho...
- aqme28 3mo agoYes, I meant given a similar cut ofc
- stackghost 3mo agoNot with steak. That has been thoroughly debunked over and over. Just use a meat thermometer, it makes it easy peasy.
- youaremidwit 3mo ago[dead]
- account42 2mo ago
- phearnot 3mo agolaser thermometer only measures surface temperature, unlike meat probes that measure internal temp. depending on the cut size or shape, initial temperature and probably some other factors internal temp will vary wildly for the given surface temperature. combustion probes mentioned in the sibling measure temp in several points at once to estimate readings even more precisely.
- cogman10 3mo agoPerhaps I'm crazy, but I truly can't taste much of a difference between "good" coffee and "bad" coffee. I can certainly tell the difference between a good steak and a bad one.
- jaggederest 3mo agoI thought that too, honestly, before I had truly great coffee. I honestly didn't like coffee at all, and then a coworker brought in some coffee he'd roasted and prepared himself and it was lifechangingly good. I also made myself incredibly sick with the enormous amount of caffeine, it's been very rare that I've had to go home from work in the middle of the day but that was one.
- inglor 3mo agoThat likely means that you've only had "bad" coffee. You're one of today's lucky 10,000 - go treat yourself to a decent cup of coffee it tastes completely different. The difference between a good steak and a bad steak is actually a good comparison.
- jaggederest 3mo agoHere's an obligatory Tom Scott + James Hoffmann episode: I don't like coffee. Can James Hoffmann change that? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-iNAyu-ejo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-iNAyu-ejo
- greengrocer 3mo agoOr perhaps they've only had good coffee, so they should try some instant coffee past its use-by date to compare.
- flaunf221 3mo agoSometimes it's a matter of not having taste for it. If you give me multiple bottles of alcohol drinks, I might be able to distinguish them, but I have no clue at all which ones are supposed to be good. To me it's all just alcohol. Same with coffee - but not the same for steak.
- 3mo ago
- givemeethekeys 3mo agoI bet the same analogy can be applied to cooking a cucumber.
- jaggederest 3mo agoPickling a cucumber sure has a lot of resemblance - a great cucumber is good fresh and great pickled, but a bad pickling brine can ruin even a great cucumber.
- somenameforme 3mo agoI'd bring the cheapo French press kit it into the A- domain once you appreciate the number one trick to making good coffee: DON'T BOIL THE WATER. Water that is hot, but well below boiling brings out the flavor of the beans a million times more than boiling water. Get a glass kettle, and turn it off when you start to get some decent bubble action on the bottom. Once you get that down, zomg - a French press with even the cheapest beans you find can make an amazzzzzing cup of coffee. Beats the pants of Starbucks, and comes quite close to a proper cup of coffee made with good beans. Another trick is to rotate your cheap beans, instead of just sticking to your favorite. Dark roast of choice one week, medium the next, and so on. By the time you loop back to your favorite, it'll taste unbelievable.
- bestham 3mo agoAre you saying that the temperature of the water when it hit the ground beans that matter or the fact that the water was brought up to a boil or 100°C?
- somenameforme 3mo agoThe temperature when it makes contacts with the ground beans. I see no reason why you couldn't boil it and then let it cool first.
- geocar 3mo ago> The temperature when it makes contacts with the ground beans. You could certainly boil it and then let it cool first, but that'd take a lot of extra work. It's not so much work with the right tool: I have a button on my kettle that does exactly that, and another button that will use a little thermostat to keep it warm. Works great. https://www.sageappliances.com/en-gb/product/bke825?sku=SKE825BSS3GUK1 https://www.sageappliances.com/en-gb/product/bke825?sku=SKE8...
- WA 3mo agoStarbucks uses espresso machines that cost 4-5 figures. They have automatic thermal control. They never boil the water. While I agree with your overall sentiment, claiming that Starbucks makes coffee too hot and thus tastes bad is nonsense.