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The notion of comfort food is, for many people, a big plate of meat. But so many of us have grown up with parents who cooked it to death, resulting in a chewy and horrid texture that not even the dog would eat! If you’re wondering how to be a better chef, cooking meat is a very fine art. So let’s show you some of the best tips to get the most out of cooking meat.
High-Quality Ingredients
If you want to do some tasty homework you should go to your local steakhouse. There’s always a great one near you. The Cattlemen’s Steakhouse in Oklahoma City is one great example that focuses on the experience, but it’s always about the ingredients first and foremost. High-quality steaks will have a far greater flavor than a cheap cut. When it comes to choosing beef, you need to look for fat marbling, which may cost a little bit more but will result in a much better taste.
Marinades Are Your Secret Weapon
The mixtures of spices, herbs, and oils, as well as the meat juices themselves, will add flavor. Even something as simple as homemade chicken stock can add fantastic flavor to things like scrambled eggs. When cooking meat, you should use marinades to your advantage. Putting the meat in a marinade before you start cooking gives it time to soak up all of those wonderful flavors.
Look at How You Handle the Meat During Cooking
One of the common mistakes we all make when cooking meat, especially on a grill, is poking the meat. When you poke grilled meat, it can mean the proteins become dryer. When you turn meat on a grill, you should use a spatula or tongs. Stabbing the meat will leak the juices out, resulting in very dry and tough meat with no flavor. Additionally, you may think that pressing on your meat is a great way to gauge whether it’s cooked or not; this also means that the juices are being pushed out. Likewise, if you are cooking burgers during summer, stop flipping them more than once. Flavor is the name of the game and reducing the flips will aid caramelization.
Let It Reach Room Temperature Before You Cook
You’ve got to give your meat the opportunity to breathe. A good rule of thumb is to let it hit approximately 72 degrees outside of the fridge, making it more flavorful and juicy, and it will cook better.
Let It Rest
We’re all short on time, but if you can give your meat an extra 5 minutes to rest on a cutting board or a plate before you cut it, the meat juices will return to the surface, making for a really tasty piece of meat.
Learn to Touch the Meat
If you want to be a better cook, the best technique so you can add more flavor to meat is to just handle it better. You may feel squeamish about touching raw meat, but this is the key to helping you take your cooking up to the levels of greatness by adding more herbs and spices, and letting it all permeate throughout. If necessary, get some handling gloves, but always follow good hygiene when handling raw meat!
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