The things that divide us
Apr. 6th, 2019 11:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
plonqWhen I think of topics that divide us all, the obvious ones that come to mind are religion, politics and operating systems.
A couple more that are a little less obvious, but just as polarizing and evocative of passion are steaks and coffee.
If you want to trigger an argument with a steak purist, tell them that you like your meat cooked to well-done. I don't, because I think that is an abomination, but others hold surprisingly passionate view on the subject.
On a related note, I bought an inexpensive crème brûlée when we were down in Fargo last weekend to use for science in the kitchen. I've been getting mediocre results for steaks when I cook them in the sous vide and finish them in cast iron, so I wanted to try finishing one with a torch. To that end, I procured a cheap cut of sirloin from our local butcher so as not to potentially ruin a good steak. I seasoned it with smoked salt (somebody gave it to me many years ago, and keep forgetting I have it) and fresh ground pepper, then dropped it into a 131F water batch for two hours. When it was done, I removed it from the bag, patted it dry and then put it on a metal rack over the sink. I spent a couple of minutes searing it on all sides with my new torch, flipped it onto a plate and dug in with knife and fork.
It was extraordinarily good - probably the best steak I have ever cooked at home. Pretty impressive results from a $4 cut of meat. I think the only two things I would change on the next attempt would be to use a bit less salt, and spend a bit longer on it with the torch. I wish that I had taken a picture after I cut into it - it was just a small step over the boundary between rare and medium-rare, with a 1mm sear around the edges.
Getting back to the initial topic of steak fundamentalism among foodies though, I like to think that I fall on the moderate side of the fight. While I prefer my steak to be on the rarer end of the spectrum, and don't understand the appeal of dry, chewy meat, I will not condemn somebody for wanting their steaks well-done. I don't have to like what other people like, and vice-versa.
I think the debate over the internal temperature of one's steak is downright civil when compared to the debate over, well, pretty much anything to do with coffee. The meat debate is also much less snobbish.
I was reading a coffee forum this morning where somebody started a topic on how he had recently purchased a Chemex, and how pleased he was with the results. In very short order the discussion quickly degraded into an argument over whether Chemex or V60 created the most undrinkable swill. That is, one of them creates a perfect brew, while the other is even an affront to kitchen drains if you pour it there straight from the carafe.
Then there is the cream, no-cream schism. Rather, make that no-anything. There are purists who shrink from the very idea of anything polluting their coffee's pure fluids with other additives that might interfering with its rich notes of smoked molasses and bitter prune. If you thought that wine tasting notes were pretentious, try looking up a flavour wheel for coffee.
I've thought about trying a V60 or Chemex for my coffee, but I'm still satisfied with the results I get from my Aeropress. I am sure that coffee aficionados would be grinding their teeth to the gums if they saw how I made my coffee, but like those who prefer their steaks well-done, I like what I like. For now, I think the only bit coffee purchase over the next while will be a new grinder. My current grinder is about thirty years old, and its burrs have nearly ground themselves smooth. It gives an uneven, unpredictable grind and I think that changing it out for a better, modern grinder would be the biggest improvement I could make to my cuffert coffee situation.
Now I need to go brew another cup.
A couple more that are a little less obvious, but just as polarizing and evocative of passion are steaks and coffee.
If you want to trigger an argument with a steak purist, tell them that you like your meat cooked to well-done. I don't, because I think that is an abomination, but others hold surprisingly passionate view on the subject.
On a related note, I bought an inexpensive crème brûlée when we were down in Fargo last weekend to use for science in the kitchen. I've been getting mediocre results for steaks when I cook them in the sous vide and finish them in cast iron, so I wanted to try finishing one with a torch. To that end, I procured a cheap cut of sirloin from our local butcher so as not to potentially ruin a good steak. I seasoned it with smoked salt (somebody gave it to me many years ago, and keep forgetting I have it) and fresh ground pepper, then dropped it into a 131F water batch for two hours. When it was done, I removed it from the bag, patted it dry and then put it on a metal rack over the sink. I spent a couple of minutes searing it on all sides with my new torch, flipped it onto a plate and dug in with knife and fork.
It was extraordinarily good - probably the best steak I have ever cooked at home. Pretty impressive results from a $4 cut of meat. I think the only two things I would change on the next attempt would be to use a bit less salt, and spend a bit longer on it with the torch. I wish that I had taken a picture after I cut into it - it was just a small step over the boundary between rare and medium-rare, with a 1mm sear around the edges.
Getting back to the initial topic of steak fundamentalism among foodies though, I like to think that I fall on the moderate side of the fight. While I prefer my steak to be on the rarer end of the spectrum, and don't understand the appeal of dry, chewy meat, I will not condemn somebody for wanting their steaks well-done. I don't have to like what other people like, and vice-versa.
I think the debate over the internal temperature of one's steak is downright civil when compared to the debate over, well, pretty much anything to do with coffee. The meat debate is also much less snobbish.
I was reading a coffee forum this morning where somebody started a topic on how he had recently purchased a Chemex, and how pleased he was with the results. In very short order the discussion quickly degraded into an argument over whether Chemex or V60 created the most undrinkable swill. That is, one of them creates a perfect brew, while the other is even an affront to kitchen drains if you pour it there straight from the carafe.
Then there is the cream, no-cream schism. Rather, make that no-anything. There are purists who shrink from the very idea of anything polluting their coffee's pure fluids with other additives that might interfering with its rich notes of smoked molasses and bitter prune. If you thought that wine tasting notes were pretentious, try looking up a flavour wheel for coffee.
I've thought about trying a V60 or Chemex for my coffee, but I'm still satisfied with the results I get from my Aeropress. I am sure that coffee aficionados would be grinding their teeth to the gums if they saw how I made my coffee, but like those who prefer their steaks well-done, I like what I like. For now, I think the only bit coffee purchase over the next while will be a new grinder. My current grinder is about thirty years old, and its burrs have nearly ground themselves smooth. It gives an uneven, unpredictable grind and I think that changing it out for a better, modern grinder would be the biggest improvement I could make to my cuffert coffee situation.
Now I need to go brew another cup.
no subject
Date: 2019-04-07 12:13 pm (UTC)