CCE
(Keyrock the unfrozen caveman lawyer; your world frightens & confuses me)
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Thanks, I do appreciate your comment. First let me say that I went back and took at better look at my turkey charts, and I was mistaken. Apologies for that. Those 50-52 temps were my first recorded check after beginning to cook, usually recorded at 20 minute intervals. I didn’t include the pre-cook or “zero time” temp in the chart but instead had it up at the top of the excel sheet.
Edit: I tried to fix in the above post but apparently the version of Discourse used here has a shorter time frame for permitted edits - maybe I should delete the post?
Still, those initial temps were in the 40-44 degree range - in the food bacterial danger zone - which is your point.
However, you might recall that ServSafe or other guidelines have a 4-hour window for that danger zone (over 41°F, under 140°F), at which point food must be discarded. Whereas I recognize that what I’m doing is in conflict with another rule that simply says poultry (chicken especially but this also includes turkey) should not be out of a refrigerator for more than 2 hours, period, no matter the ambient temp (unless over 90, in which case 1 hour).
I did read that “magic kitchen” thread but don’t remember if I participated in it. It’s really too bad that the owners didn’t at least leave the website available as a searchable archive. But I’m not a tech person and don’t know what that might cost them.
A couple of those myths seems a bit like straw man or outdated.
Searing is to build a crust for flavor. Not to “lock” them in.
Seasoning at the end is actually valid, but the myth focused on the salt. Salt in the beginning and non-salt rubs at the end so the seasonings don’t burn.
Resting is another controversy and somewhat of a myth, but I do rest a couple minutes as I plate other items. Otherwise I prefer the steak hot.
The problem is mine, not Kenji’s. I have trouble with instructions that suggest a bestway to do something. And I tend to choose the least complicated way to do something that creates the result I’m looking for.
If you get the result you’re looking for, that’s what counts. What I like about Kenji is that he experiments. I have the feeling that one can learn a lot from him. Except when I completely disagree.
I’ve been obsessed with prepping my steak with Koji, a few days in advance. It adds great flavor. I’ve moved away from sous vide - I think some flavor is lost in the fluid that leaches out. A reverse sear or just time in a cast iron pan cooked from room termperature. I use some trimmed beef fat to lubricate the pan. Just some montreal skeak seasoning, or salt pepper and a very slight dash of hot sauce.
We like our steak simple - brought to room temp, rubbed with a bit of olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and thrown into a hot carbon steel grill pan to sear on both sides. Then basted with butter until medium rare. We prefer a Delmonico or NY Strip.
