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Post by Bro. Freddie on Aug 30, 2006 11:32:43 GMT 12.75
I think the key here is in the phrase "soups or stews". I figure the reason we sear the meat is to add and mantian color to the meat while stewing.
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Post by Brikatw on Aug 30, 2006 14:17:40 GMT 12.75
saering also imparts some flavor to the meat that would not otherwise be there, well, I think it does....
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Post by othmar on Aug 30, 2006 15:53:00 GMT 12.75
Searing meat will lock the moisture in. The heat will shrink the meat fibers and thus the moisture is locked between the single muscle fibers. However the meat has to be turned frequently otherwise the heat will be uneven. One side will be cold and the other hot and moisture will be pushed out on the colder side.
After the steak or roast are done they should rest so the muscle fibers can relax. As they do so they open up and moisture is absorbed like by a sponge. If the meat, i.e. roast is cut right after cooking the muscle fibers have not relaxed and soaked up the moisture thus the moisture will escape onto the cutting board. Actually, if you cut a roast fresh out of the oven you can hear how tight the meat fibers are, as the knife cuts trough the meat there is a faint but distinct sound like from a rusty door hinge.Some moisture always will escape.
Searing stew meat has nothing to do with locking moisture into the meat. There is plenty of moisture in the stew that will be absorbed by the meat. Here the searing serves only one purpose and that is to flavor to the stew. It is for the same reason that I add to my stews browned onions.
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Post by Two Tales on Aug 31, 2006 21:23:42 GMT 12.75
Ya'll are right searing or browning the meat for soups and stew is for the flavor and of course the color it adds...this brings up the point our good friend from that TV show, I'll not mention his name (but his initals are Alton Brown) through his research and testing, stated that searing does not help retain the moisture in meat...I have to disagree with his findings, of course this is a personnal opinon not based entirely on fact or defined research, but it works for me ;D ;D
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Post by Paws on Sept 1, 2006 2:59:16 GMT 12.75
Alton Brown's research was indeed based on what appeared to be a well controlled, unbiased series of experiments using the pre and post cooked weight of the meat to determine whether or not moisture loss had occured. He found that there was no statistically significant difference in the amount of weight loss in steaks of any given size whether they were seard or not before being cooked to various stages of doneness. His conclusion was therefore that searing does not seal in moisture. For years I needed this knowledge because my chicken and noodles sucked in terms of the meat, especially the breast meat, being too dry. I prepared my broth with the chicken, diced the meat and returned it to the broth. Of course all of the juices/flavor were now in the broth. Using Alton's information I now prepare my broth and stock and use the meat in chicken salad. A brand new chicken gets broken down, browned , cooked through, then diced and added to the noodles and broth. Much better! ;D
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Post by Paws on Sept 1, 2006 3:00:14 GMT 12.75
TT, who gets to ask the next question?
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Post by Two Tales on Sept 1, 2006 5:46:46 GMT 12.75
Next question?? well, I guess Fredie and Brian picked up on the soup and stew reason first..but Othmar with his inate knowledge gave the most complete answer..so a question from each maybe or you choose ;D ;D ;D
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Post by Paws on Sept 1, 2006 6:56:14 GMT 12.75
What do you mean maybe? Make a decision! ;D Awwww alright, then they should go in the order they answered.
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Post by OLKoot on Sept 1, 2006 7:51:10 GMT 12.75
I have a question, wouldnt brining your meat be a better way to help retain juices even though you sear it after the brining???
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Post by Bro. Freddie on Sept 1, 2006 9:18:47 GMT 12.75
I'll let someone else take my turn ;D I'm just suprised I got it right ;D
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Post by othmar on Sept 1, 2006 11:15:49 GMT 12.75
I have a question, wouldnt brining your meat be a better way to help retain juices even though you sear it after the brining??? It is generally assumed that meat will soak up liquid (brine). Some scientists agree with this theory while other disagree. The ones that agree with the theory suggest that the muscle cells mop up the liquid. The scientists that do not agree suggest that the meat cells do not mop up liquid, instead the liquid is held between the muscle strands. Explanation: Many cells make up strands and many strands make up the actual muscle. For me the question or brining meat will add moisture to the meat or not has always been a double yes and no answer. I found that if meat is brined the old fashion way no moisture gain is recorded. On the other hand if meat is brined the modern way with a machine that pumps the brine into the meat under very high vacuum pressure then a lot of moisture is added tot eh meat. That is the reason why some cheap ham feels like a sponge and leaves a tray full of water behind. Generally speaking. The purpose of brining is not to add moisture to the meat but to preserve it and to flavor the meat from the outside to the inside.
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Post by Brikatw on Sept 1, 2006 15:35:27 GMT 12.75
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Post by Paws on Sept 1, 2006 15:47:26 GMT 12.75
Othmar , I think you are on the right track here. We certainly need to consider a couple of things when considering the effects of brining. (1) Osmotic pressure. (2) Osmotic pressure! ;D The liquids on either side of the cell structure are going to continually exchange until the pressure on both sides is equal. This is how the brine ends up replacing the juices in the meat, well actually, they are combined to the point the meat juices and brining solution are one and no longer recognizeable as a separate item. At least I think so. I need to do a little research to confirm or invalidate this theory. So while I do that why don't you guys ask your questions? ;D
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Post by Paws on Sept 1, 2006 15:52:22 GMT 12.75
Brian the pressure cooker cooks more quickly because the increased pressure (*)raises the boiling point of water. ;D The pressure fryer works the same way and would you believe that the pressure fryer was more or less invented by Colonel Harlan Sanders? ;D I see no reason it could not be used on the camp fire. Moon shiners been doing it for a couple hundred years! (*) corrected from "lowers"
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Post by Two Tales on Sept 2, 2006 19:32:24 GMT 12.75
Phil, you got it backwards...increase in pressure raises the BP of water...here is a quick and simple on pressure cookers:
What about boiling things at increased pressures? Pressure cookers take advantage of just this; they are equipped with a valve that lets gas escape only when the pressure inside the pot exceeds some fixed value. This valve is often set at 15 psi, which means that the water vapor inside the pot must reach a pressure of 2 atmospheres (1520mm Hg) before it can escape. Because water doesn't reach a vapor pressure of 2 atm until the temperature is 120oC, it boils in this container at 120oC, so things cook faster because they are hotter!
Just like cooking anything up in the Mts it takes longer because the water does not reach as high a temp as it would at sea level...because of the decrease in atmospheric pressure
Cooks aboard submaines and other deep water craft and housing units used to have a hard time adjusting to this and would ofter burn food because of the decrease in cooking times..
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Post by Paws on Sept 3, 2006 2:17:04 GMT 12.75
Ain't that what I said! I'll check it and fix it. Thanks TT.
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Post by Paws on Sept 3, 2006 2:21:21 GMT 12.75
...and because of this the water boils away before it gets hot enough to cook!
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Post by Two Tales on Sept 6, 2006 3:12:24 GMT 12.75
Used to be when I had the withreros and the lungs to breath that skinny air, to head up to the high country it didn't take long for this ol'boy to realise that mountain made coffee left a lot to be desired...toting a pressure cooker up top was well worth the effort ;D ;D;D...
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Post by Paws on Sept 6, 2006 4:23:06 GMT 12.75
Best coffee I ever drank was done in the mountains of Seatle and Baguio! ;D
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Post by Brikatw on Sept 6, 2006 14:45:32 GMT 12.75
Same here, some of the best coffee I had was made about a mile from Donner Pass. The trick is to make sure you have enough water to get it hot before it evaporates.
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