Too hot to sear?

HeavyG

I'm a long time fan of Chris Young's work and products and his latest video is about the best temperature for searing. Is hotter better?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZY8xbdHfWk

JohnInCarolina

@HeavyG - just started the video, I'm intrigued.

I am also intrigued about his thermometer that he mentions at the beginning.  Do you have one?  I've always felt the Meater lacks when it comes to forecasting when the protein will be done, and his seems like it could be a bit smarter on that tack.  

Ozzie_Isaac

JohnInCarolina said:

@HeavyG - just started the video, I'm intrigued.

I am also intrigued about his thermometer that he mentions at the beginning.  Do you have one?  I've always felt the Meater lacks when it comes to forecasting when the protein will be done, and his seems like it could be a bit smarter on that tack.  

 Here you go (Meater is terrible at predicting done, in my personal experience):

https://youtu.be/RXpmTlEiqVo?si=bGHxEWQwPfudUFFU

JohnInCarolina

@Ozzie_Isaac - thanks but I know where to find it, I wanted to get a sense of how well it actually works in practice.  And preferably from someone not trying to make money selling it to me.  I'm particular that way.  

Botch

I'd like to know how he films those cutaway-frypan shots; quite a trick!  

Ozzie_Isaac

JohnInCarolina said:

@Ozzie_Isaac - thanks but I know where to find it, I wanted to get a sense of how well it actually works in practice.  And preferably from someone not trying to make money selling it to me.  I'm particular that way.  

https://www.reddit.com/r/CombiSteamOvenCooking/comments/zr6yj5/anyone_receive_a_combustion_inc_thermometer_yet/&ved=2ahUKEwjrj_2rlLqCAxWRJEQIHSiJCw0QzLMHegQIWBAB&usg=AOvVaw0pwQYYLFn9o54OPsSjsrP4

lousubcap

Nice video with scientific explanations.  I'm too lazy to move off the reverse sear with the caveman finish. 

JohnInCarolina

Ozzie_Isaac said:

JohnInCarolina said:

@Ozzie_Isaac - thanks but I know where to find it, I wanted to get a sense of how well it actually works in practice.  And preferably from someone not trying to make money selling it to me.  I'm particular that way.  

https://www.reddit.com/r/CombiSteamOvenCooking/comments/zr6yj5/anyone_receive_a_combustion_inc_thermometer_yet/&ved=2ahUKEwjrj_2rlLqCAxWRJEQIHSiJCw0QzLMHegQIWBAB&usg=AOvVaw0pwQYYLFn9o54OPsSjsrP4

Let me be more precise: I asked @HeavyG if he had one and if so how well it worked, because if he did I wanted his opinion.  I'm not terribly interested in the opinions of some randos on the internets.   

Ozzie_Isaac

I use Sous Vide and my torch.

Ozzie_Isaac

JohnInCarolina said:

Ozzie_Isaac said:

JohnInCarolina said:

@Ozzie_Isaac - thanks but I know where to find it, I wanted to get a sense of how well it actually works in practice.  And preferably from someone not trying to make money selling it to me.  I'm particular that way.  

https://www.reddit.com/r/CombiSteamOvenCooking/comments/zr6yj5/anyone_receive_a_combustion_inc_thermometer_yet/&ved=2ahUKEwjrj_2rlLqCAxWRJEQIHSiJCw0QzLMHegQIWBAB&usg=AOvVaw0pwQYYLFn9o54OPsSjsrP4

Let me be more precise: I asked @HeavyG if he had one and if so how well it worked, because if he did I wanted his opinion.  I'm not terribly interested in the opinions of some randos on the internets.   

Hopefully this will answer your question.

https://reviewed.usatoday.com/ovens/best-right-now/the-best-oven-thermometers

JohnInCarolina

Ozzie_Isaac said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Ozzie_Isaac said:

JohnInCarolina said:

@Ozzie_Isaac - thanks but I know where to find it, I wanted to get a sense of how well it actually works in practice.  And preferably from someone not trying to make money selling it to me.  I'm particular that way.  

https://www.reddit.com/r/CombiSteamOvenCooking/comments/zr6yj5/anyone_receive_a_combustion_inc_thermometer_yet/&ved=2ahUKEwjrj_2rlLqCAxWRJEQIHSiJCw0QzLMHegQIWBAB&usg=AOvVaw0pwQYYLFn9o54OPsSjsrP4

Let me be more precise: I asked @HeavyG if he had one and if so how well it worked, because if he did I wanted his opinion.  I'm not terribly interested in the opinions of some randos on the internets.   

Hopefully this will answer your question.

https://reviewed.usatoday.com/ovens/best-right-now/the-best-oven-thermometers

Your attempt to troll me has been noted.  

JohnInCarolina

Emphasis on attempt. 

Canugghead

Cold searing?
Former chemistry major turned chef. Skip to the 5:10 mark if you don't want to watch the boring SV part.

https://youtu.be/uJcO1W_TD74?feature=shared

dbCooper

HeavyG said:

I'm a long time fan of Chris Young's work and products and his latest video is about the best temperature for searing. Is hotter better?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZY8xbdHfWk

Informative video, thanks for sharing it.

For my tastes, he is wrong about char (blackened) being bad.  For sure crisping the complete face of a steak would be bad, but bits here and there, especially on the exposed fat pockets, are good.  And the fat rind on a ribeye or strip can be tasty if stood on end and given a good char.

HeavyG

JohnInCarolina said:

@HeavyG - just started the video, I'm intrigued.

I am also intrigued about his thermometer that he mentions at the beginning.  Do you have one?  I've always felt the Meater lacks when it comes to forecasting when the protein will be done, and his seems like it could be a bit smarter on that tack.  

I do have a couple. Preordered when they were first announced and they delivered about a year ago.

They're pretty slick. Noticeably thinner than the Meater. The predictive aspect is "ballpark" in my limited experience with them. Young has stated that as they continue to gather more data from peoples cooks that they (Combustion) will be able to better dial in the predictive abilities.

Young has been rather active in the reddit sub - https://www.reddit.com/r/combustion_inc/ so if you are interested that sub is worth a read.

HeavyG

Botch said:

I'd like to know how he films those cutaway-frypan shots; quite a trick!  

Chris Young was the primary co-author of that fabulous multi-volume book "Modernist Cuisine"  that Nathan Myhrvold published a decade or so ago. That was a photo technique they developed for those books. Very cool! I'm sure if you google that you'll find a source that explains all the ways they photographed the stuff in their "Modernist Cuisine", "Modernist Bread", and "Modernist Pizza" series.

Ozzie_Isaac

HeavyG said:

JohnInCarolina said:

@HeavyG - just started the video, I'm intrigued.

I am also intrigued about his thermometer that he mentions at the beginning.  Do you have one?  I've always felt the Meater lacks when it comes to forecasting when the protein will be done, and his seems like it could be a bit smarter on that tack.  

I do have a couple. Preordered when they were first announced and they delivered about a year ago.

They're pretty slick. Noticeably thinner than the Meater. The predictive aspect is "ballpark" in my limited experience with them. Young has stated that as they continue to gather more data from peoples cooks that they (Combustion) will be able to better dial in the predictive abilities.

Young has been rather active in the reddit sub - https://www.reddit.com/r/combustion_inc/ so if you are interested that sub is worth a read.

Nice try. John doesn't want Chris Young's feedback.  Chris Young is part of the deep state with a capitalist need to lie and hawk overblown goods on unsuspecting Duke professors.  Reddit is a bastion of misinformation.

He only wants @Botch 's feedback.

paqman

@Canugghead interesting video, I'm really not sure about cooking on high with non-stick.  She insists there is no need to be concerned and I am using the same pans; I may give it a try.

I've been taught to add fat/oil to hot skillets and to never add it to a cold pan and to avoid smoking oil... That may be why she is having so much problems with the traditional method.

paqman

Thanks for sharing that video @HeavyG

paqman

JohnInCarolina said:

@HeavyG - just started the video, I'm intrigued.

I am also intrigued about his thermometer that he mentions at the beginning. 

Hmmm, I'm intrigued too.  This looks promising.  He publishes open-source development frameworks on GitHub.  That may be the hardware I've been waiting for.

Thatgrimguy

JohnInCarolina said:

@HeavyG - just started the video, I'm intrigued.

I am also intrigued about his thermometer that he mentions at the beginning.  Do you have one?  I've always felt the Meater lacks when it comes to forecasting when the protein will be done, and his seems like it could be a bit smarter on that tack.  

I own one and absolutely love it!! It works great, I haven’t missed a perfect medium rare since buying it.

dbCooper

@paqman - A couple reviews that may be of interest...

https://www.nakedwhiz.com/productreviews/combustion/combustion1.htm

https://www.nakedwhiz.com/productreviews/combustionreb/creb-2.htm

JohnInCarolina

Canugghead said:

Cold searing?
Former chemistry major turned chef. Skip to the 5:10 mark if you don't want to watch the boring SV part.

https://youtu.be/uJcO1W_TD74?feature=shared

I enjoyed this one, Gary.  Lots of useful tips and tricks in it.

Botch

Meater now has a "Meater 2" out, which also has multiple sensors and is now safe to over 900º, fwiw:
 
https://store-us.meater.com/products/meater-2-plus

Canugghead

paqman said:

@Canugghead interesting video, I'm really not sure about cooking on high with non-stick.  She insists there is no need to be concerned and I am using the same pans; I may give it a try.

I've been taught to add fat/oil to hot skillets and to never add it to a cold pan and to avoid smoking oil... That may be why she is having so much problems with the traditional method.

IMO she dramatised the traditional method to contrast it with her cold searing technique.

Canugghead

JohnInCarolina said:

Canugghead said:

Cold searing?
Former chemistry major turned chef. Skip to the 5:10 mark if you don't want to watch the boring SV part.

https://youtu.be/uJcO1W_TD74?feature=shared

I enjoyed this one, Gary.  Lots of useful tips and tricks in it.

@JohnInCarolina and @paqman I think you'll like this too
https://youtu.be/rzL07v6w8AA?feature=shared

JohnInCarolina

@Canugghead - I’ve seen that one before.  I generally like her videos.  They are informative with a minimal amount of fluff.  

HeavyG

Botch said:

Meater now has a "Meater 2" out, which also has multiple sensors and is now safe to over 900º, fwiw:
 
https://store-us.meater.com/products/meater-2-plus

There is at least one more player in the multiple sensor/predictive analysis game - Typhur.

They recently came out with their model that looks pretty slick. One small thing they've done that is a useful touch is labeled each thermo so you can easily tell one from another. It's a small detail but with my pair of Combustion thermos you have to try and remember (I write a note) which is which.

One potential little problem I see is that as nice as their display is it's likely to be just like their instant read thermo and be kinda hard to read outside at noon on a cloudless day.



https://www.typhur.com/products/sync-wireless-thermometer

Anybody that may be interested in buying these can use this code which should be good for one more week to get 20% off - THATDUDE20

P.S. I am just a customer and not the CEO of Typhur so I'm not a deep state capitalist spouting overblown corporate propaganda just to hawk my wares so rest easy @Ozzie_Isaac.

JohnInCarolina

One thought I’ve had for a while: how predictive can any probe be based on temperature measurements alone?  In particular I’m thinking about things like pork shoulders and briskets, where the stall is a big x-factor.

Botch

JohnInCarolina said:

One thought I’ve had for a while: how predictive can any probe be based on temperature measurements alone?  In particular I’m thinking about things like pork shoulders and briskets, where the stall is a big x-factor.

The sensor closest to the surface of the meat hits 160º, and the software notes the temp doesn't change for x minutes, the software then notes when the next-deeper sensor hits 160º, and how long it takes to start rising again, etc.  I dunno, just spitballin' here.  
Overall the piece of meat cools at the surface, when liquid water turns to steam; does it turn to steam to escape deeper within the meat, when the water level "above" it finally vacates enough?  Or, since this all happens at well below the boiling point of water, maybe its not conversion from liq water to steam that causes the stall at all, but rather the conversion of solid collagen to liquid?  
Regardless of the "mechanics" of the stall, since the data from many cooks can be read by these manufacturers, they may be able to build a predictive model via iteration with that much data, and come up with something that works in "most" cases.  
Now my head hurts.  

JohnInCarolina

Botch said:

JohnInCarolina said:

One thought I’ve had for a while: how predictive can any probe be based on temperature measurements alone?  In particular I’m thinking about things like pork shoulders and briskets, where the stall is a big x-factor.

The sensor closest to the surface of the meat hits 160º, and the software notes the temp doesn't change for x minutes, the software then notes when the next-deeper sensor hits 160º, and how long it takes to start rising again, etc.  I dunno, just spitballin' here.  
Overall the piece of meat cools at the surface, when liquid water turns to steam; does it turn to steam to escape deeper within the meat, when the water level "above" it finally vacates enough?  Or, since this all happens at well below the boiling point of water, maybe its not conversion from liq water to steam that causes the stall at all, but rather the conversion of solid collagen to liquid?  
Regardless of the "mechanics" of the stall, since the data from many cooks can be read by these manufacturers, they may be able to build a predictive model via iteration with that much data, and come up with something that works in "most" cases.  
Now my head hurts.  

You are focused on the moment when the meat is in the stall.  No doubt once it’s in it, then it becomes much more easier to forecast.  I was talking about much earlier in the cook.

Data from other cooks by all the users could certainly help, although I think some additional info (such as the initial weight of the protein) could be helpful.  Although that could perhaps be inferred from the temperature measurements themselves.