@@raidcrhonos Looks to be an 'in camera' effect, a real pan cut in half with a clear side on it, not any cheaty graphics method. You can tell from the small amounts of liquids that are sometimes caught between the pan and the clear side.
I was watching this on my TV and had to hop on my phone just to leave a comment. That steak/pan cross section is hands down one of the best things I’ve ever seen in any type of entertainment media. Not even high cost productions have even done something like that ! I couldn’t tell if it was real or not at first, even if it was just graphics, it would be impressive. But the fact that it’s real AND cooking at the same time just blew my mind. And all of those close ups with the animations on it. Your channel is easily one of my favorites and I appreciate and admire all the hard work you’ve been doing to provide top of the line quality for our entertainment. The fact that this video is a month old and only has 33k views is absolutely a crime. TH-cam needs to start pushing your content harder cause this sets an entirely whole new bar for creators, not just on this platform, but all platforms. Bravo 👏🏼
The production value of these videos is crazy. Your videos seem professional enough to almost have a Food Network watermark in the corner, but also amateur enough that it still feels like a TH-cam video. I applaud you.
The production value of this video is insane and your knowledge is amazing. Never stop making videos, i was a bit worried for a while when your last video was like 3-4 months ago and now i see that i have 3 weeks old videos to catch up to!!
"Magic is just science we don't understand yet." Chris, I love how you both challenge and confirm everything our grandma's taught is about cooking. Truly, appreciate what you do. Thank you!
So, I believe that the myth is that searing your steak first would seal in the juices as opposed to the reverse sear technique. Not just searing in general. Also, I believe Kenji Lopez-Alt did this experiment awhile back, testing the moisture retention on chicken breasts that were seared first or seared after cooking and found no improvement. He also tested the difference between wet vs dry brining vs no brine or marinade.
This seems so obvious when it's laid out but I've never considered it before this video. This is what all good chefs go for, the process of consuming the food prepared and it's enjoyment. Dude, great video and outstanding production. The information and way it's delivered is why you're one of MAYBE 3-4 people I am subscribed, why I thumbs up, and why I have your notifications on. You get the views because you provide legit content and don't go for clickbait. You deserve the success because you're working hard for it. I will be a customer of the thermometer too, very soon.
Becoming my go-to channel along with Kenji. When I was culinary director at a huge grocery store back in 2013 my co-worker and I messed around with your books quite a bit. Thanks for the video content. The pan cross-section is mind blowing.
Thanks Chris, so if i understand you correctly - by taking moisture out of the browned edge of the steak during the searing process, your mouth needs to fill with more saliva, as part of the way we eat foods which are drier and need more 'work' to help chew up and wash down to our stomach. And then because your mouth is wetter, you'll perceive the pink bit in the middle as relatively more 'juicy' even though it's actually covered in a dry crust. Presumably if you had trimmed off the outside of the seared steak - leaving just the medium rare fleshy bit - it would have the same mouthfeel as a similarly trimmed piece of sous vide steak when compared. The extra saliva is only happening because you have a bit of dry crust to chew and swallow. The logical extension to this is that instead of searing, you could get the same effect in terms of extra 'juice' by popping a piece of dry cardboard into your mouth with the pink fleshy meat. It would save you some cooking effort. Unfortunately, while the cardboard would contribute to extra saliva, causing some 'weight gain' in the cardboard, it's not as tasty as seared steak crust. I suppose this is why people sear their sousvide steaks after cooking, rather than simply serving them with a pile of shredded toilet roll tubes.
Been watching since I saw your hexclad video. Great stuff dude. I love the effort you put into each video. You really go above and beyond to make these videos perfect
Excellent video and good experiments for science in the kitchen. Theoretically, seared meat, having a drier surface, will cause us to eliminate more saliva during chewing, since it is essential to be able to better dissolve the components and feel the flavor better. It's the same thing that happens when you chew on a crunchy cookie versus a softer cookie. But that is the good thing about science, that we are always thinking critically. Greetings! 👍🧪
the best thing you can do for your steaks is a dry brine, salt them 24hrs beforehand heavily and then put them in the fridge with only a paper towel covering them. This draws out the moister of the steak and makes them tender. Then salt and pepper both sides before you put them in the smoker. Then reverse sear in a smoker. 1-1/1/2 hours in a smoker at 100°c and then sear off. Perfect steaks every time. Cook to whatever your guests desire, the reverse sear allows a medium rare without too much trouble, but you can easily go to however you want.
This is awesome. I'm a big fan of the MC books, got the series sitting on my shelf in front of me. A video series that captures some of the magic of the books is something I didn't know I needed, but I'm here for it.
I knew that searing, sealing in the juice HAD to be a myth. But I ALSO knew that a well seared steak SEEMED more tasty and juicy. I've never been able to reconcile these "facts". Now I CAN!!! Thank you, young man for an EXCELLENT and informative video. If I can make a steak even a TINY bit better, it's worth the effort. Thanks again.
Incredible. it makes so much sense. I know that in addition to salt, bitter foods like lemon and vinegar can stimulate salivation. Perhaps adding a side dish or topping to your steak that had these (or even just a vinaigrette with a salad before the meal) would increase the perception that the steak was even juicier? Like "revving up" the salivatory glands.
Chris doesn't just answer questions from his experience as a chef, he breaks down the science and gathers empirical data to produce tangible results and hard numbers that can't be denied. You can't argue with that.
Fantastic video!! Cutting a pan in half to show a cooking method was great. The saliva section was informative and I am glad you did it. I have subscribed.
Despite your final comments you did in the end demonstrate how and why this works with an experiment (I wont question the validity of the experiment that would be taking it too far for its purpose, it seems plausible enough to me) but that brings it all back science, thank goodness. Thank you for doing these, absolutely great.
I'm a new cook (been teaching myself using various sources) and I love a good scientific deep dive! Thank you so much for your videos and the unique information!! I'm definitely not overlooking the graphics of the section of the steak cooking in the pan - as an engineer, that's glorious. :)
one of the main reasons for the perpetuation of this myth is that for many "experts" the ONLY valid technique for searing a steak is to flip it once. when scientifically the opposite is actually true (as you have already demonstrated last year)
Very interesting video. There are a number of studies that measure salivary flow rates for different flavors. It would have been interesting to add seasoned steaks to the mix. Also since chewing plays a part in saliva production I’d be curious to see if a tough cut of beef produces more moisture then a tender cut.
The taste of food has always been subjective. My example: Back in the day when I worked for telephone repair service (Working outdoors in all weather conditions) I could sometimes be running late for work and skip breakfast. By 9 o'clock I was hungry as heck for eggs and bacon. Stopping at a local diner the anticipation of eggs and bacon and sausage, toast, brown beans and coffee would make the "taste" heavenly ! The same breakfast at home at the kitchen table could never match that late morning diner experience. The same thing applies when family gathers for BBQ steak, baked potatoes, steamed veggies, wine and laughter. The food tastes so much better. When really hungry even the cheeseburger will taste better. Great video !
Your conclusion is mind blowing. Never considered a factor aside from the food, saliva, would influence the taste of food at all, but once you said it, it made perfect sense.
Great video. Taught me something useful, interesting, obscure, and obvious in retrospect. And that pan footage was beautiful to behold. From now on, I'll be thinking of the implications of the impact of food on our senses affecting taste and texture as food is chewed. I'd never considered how deliciousness changes the environment of the mouth, changing the taste. But of course. Now I'm eager to learn more about how our response to deliciousness is part of why things are delicious at all. An underexplored subject, worthy of a great book. Keep this up and you're going to get TV show offers. But you might be even better doing this here on TH-cam. I'm sure your channel growth is rapid. One viral video could make you an A-list food TH-camr. You'll have hundreds of thousands of subscribers soon. Content of this quality, if produced regularly, will garner more than a million subscribers.
Hey Chris, great job as always! I do have a question though….. Would there be a difference in actual juiciness between hard sear method and the constantly flipping method of cooking the steak?
I guess it is the same principle that applies to more "crusty"bread like sourdough. The crust makes us produce more saliva and not only does it make the bread taste better, but it also helps digestion by "pre-digesting" it in our mouths. Amazing video!
The cross section……uhm….section of that video was great. Visually stunning. The content busts a myth long held. Chris it is great you can bring your knowledge and experience to everyone in a really accessible and fun way. 👍
This is legitimate lateral thinking. Never mind the cross section (which I don't even know how you did). Never mind that I still feel like this whole channel is an advertisement for your thermometer (it's on my Christmas list). This type of thinking is unique. And this channel is so good for that thinking. Good on you.
Cut the pan with a bandsaw, and carefully slices the steak at various times. Pretty much how I did things for Modernist Cuisine too, just harder in video because you can't Photoshop out every mistake as easily.
I love the dedication to challenge your beliefs. I also have a question, why does the seared piece have a greater measure of juices gained? Is it really causing the mouth the produce more saliva? I understand the premise of parching your mouth the yield start from an equal starting point. Yet are you weighing only the food? Or are you weighing the food plus the retained saliva create form chewing? What if the dedication zone of the seared piece being drier is cabals of collecting more saliva than the non-seared and that could mean it’s advantage of saliva retention yields a greater weight gain. I think you could answer this question using your cotton balls. After you remove the chewed piece of steak you could add cotton balls you previously weighed dry and then use them to collect the remaining saliva produced from chewing the steak. This could account for all the saliva produced and could answer if the seared steak is produces more saliva or if it’s the same amount saliva but rather it’s seared crust allows for more juices to be retained than the non-seared? Perhaps this is a moot point, where the retention is the factor to indicate juiciness. It’s interesting none the less, because it appears the intent is to determine which stimulates the most saliva production as indication of yielding juiciness, so if that’s the case, you would need to account for all the saliva produced, that retained in the chewed steak and that in the mouth. Also what if there is a factor of the non-seared having the capacity to loose more moisture from chewing where the seared steak has less moisture to loose. In that case you would need to evaluate on a curve to account for moisture to lean mass ratio. Also variations in intramuscular fat could be a factors so an exception lean muscle would be ideal to avoid intramuscular fat discrepancies. Not trying to be rude, just was a fun exercise analyze your experiment. That’s what makes your content fun!
Also, You mentioned that a hotter pan would only serve to overcook your exterior before the interior was cooked (wider gray band), and in another video I saw you lowered your pan temp depending on the size and thickness of the steak. I often get my pans to 500 degrees before I sear for a couple minutes, then finish in a low oven. Is this.... wrong? Would love to see a video comparing the hard sear (500 degrees) vs gentle sear (325).
it depends on how you're cooking the steak overall - if it's on the stove the whole time like he was discussing, gentle sear will get it more even. if you're using the oven to cook the internals, high temperature to establish the crust and avoid cooking the inside at all is the strat
I'm not sure why the math looks like 50% - 20% = 30% at 7:26. If the seared steak lost 20% of its weight during cooking, and then each slice gained 50% of its weight due to saliva, shouldn't the math look like 0.8 * 1.5 = 1.2? Meaning that each slice of the seared steak would have 20% more weight after the whole process?
So I thought about that, but ultimately decided what matters is the difference in juice is left in your mouth after an equal time of chewing. In a sense, starting juiciness doesn’t matter because the initial burst of juice is swallowed within a few seconds of the start of chewing. Said another way, we don’t actually care about the starting water content, we care about the sustained production of juice.
My goodness - leaving a comment just for the cross section of the pan. Incredible commitment to the craft
🙏
Yeah i have no idea how it was done. So good
@@raidcrhonos Looks to be an 'in camera' effect, a real pan cut in half with a clear side on it, not any cheaty graphics method.
You can tell from the small amounts of liquids that are sometimes caught between the pan and the clear side.
My guess is he went to grab one from when they shot for modernist cuisine. They already had tons of pots and pans cut in half
Yeah, I felt the same with that graphic 😎
the production value of your videos never ceases to amaze me
I was watching this on my TV and had to hop on my phone just to leave a comment. That steak/pan cross section is hands down one of the best things I’ve ever seen in any type of entertainment media. Not even high cost productions have even done something like that ! I couldn’t tell if it was real or not at first, even if it was just graphics, it would be impressive. But the fact that it’s real AND cooking at the same time just blew my mind. And all of those close ups with the animations on it.
Your channel is easily one of my favorites and I appreciate and admire all the hard work you’ve been doing to provide top of the line quality for our entertainment. The fact that this video is a month old and only has 33k views is absolutely a crime. TH-cam needs to start pushing your content harder cause this sets an entirely whole new bar for creators, not just on this platform, but all platforms. Bravo 👏🏼
The production value of these videos is crazy. Your videos seem professional enough to almost have a Food Network watermark in the corner, but also amateur enough that it still feels like a TH-cam video. I applaud you.
Now I want more modernist cuisine-esque cross section videos
Then you'll like the glass smoker I've been building for upcoming videos.
please tell me that will be a product someday!
@@ChrisYoungCooks Please make a video explaining if this cross section is CGI or real!
@@josephhenriod2651it’s real! In the first 30 secs you can see the half pan over his right shoulder
What a good lad, took one for the team.
I would never have thought of taste causing more saliva and hence a “juicer” steak.
I was wondering why the thumbnail was blurred out. I'm just glad his mind didn't trick him into thinking those cotton balls were marshmallows.
The production value of this video is insane and your knowledge is amazing. Never stop making videos, i was a bit worried for a while when your last video was like 3-4 months ago and now i see that i have 3 weeks old videos to catch up to!!
No one will ever think about this other than you. Great experiment!! Please keep up the good work!
"Magic is just science we don't understand yet." Chris, I love how you both challenge and confirm everything our grandma's taught is about cooking. Truly, appreciate what you do. Thank you!
So, I believe that the myth is that searing your steak first would seal in the juices as opposed to the reverse sear technique. Not just searing in general. Also, I believe Kenji Lopez-Alt did this experiment awhile back, testing the moisture retention on chicken breasts that were seared first or seared after cooking and found no improvement. He also tested the difference between wet vs dry brining vs no brine or marinade.
This seems so obvious when it's laid out but I've never considered it before this video. This is what all good chefs go for, the process of consuming the food prepared and it's enjoyment. Dude, great video and outstanding production. The information and way it's delivered is why you're one of MAYBE 3-4 people I am subscribed, why I thumbs up, and why I have your notifications on. You get the views because you provide legit content and don't go for clickbait. You deserve the success because you're working hard for it. I will be a customer of the thermometer too, very soon.
Your video production is TOP notch, and the questions you’re answering are very interesting. Keep it up!
Becoming my go-to channel along with Kenji. When I was culinary director at a huge grocery store back in 2013 my co-worker and I messed around with your books quite a bit. Thanks for the video content. The pan cross-section is mind blowing.
Very interesting and unique experiment. Love food science channels!!
Damn. The effects and visuals was astounding here. Great job, you should have a lot more subscribers.
The research and production level is amazing!!
Thanks Chris, so if i understand you correctly - by taking moisture out of the browned edge of the steak during the searing process, your mouth needs to fill with more saliva, as part of the way we eat foods which are drier and need more 'work' to help chew up and wash down to our stomach.
And then because your mouth is wetter, you'll perceive the pink bit in the middle as relatively more 'juicy' even though it's actually covered in a dry crust.
Presumably if you had trimmed off the outside of the seared steak - leaving just the medium rare fleshy bit - it would have the same mouthfeel as a similarly trimmed piece of sous vide steak when compared. The extra saliva is only happening because you have a bit of dry crust to chew and swallow.
The logical extension to this is that instead of searing, you could get the same effect in terms of extra 'juice' by popping a piece of dry cardboard into your mouth with the pink fleshy meat. It would save you some cooking effort. Unfortunately, while the cardboard would contribute to extra saliva, causing some 'weight gain' in the cardboard, it's not as tasty as seared steak crust.
I suppose this is why people sear their sousvide steaks after cooking, rather than simply serving them with a pile of shredded toilet roll tubes.
this is insanely good content, thank you Chris!
wth the production value is nuts
Amazing approach to analyze this! Just wow!
This is undoubtedly the best video on the subject. Excellent work.
the production value on these is insane!
Been watching since I saw your hexclad video. Great stuff dude. I love the effort you put into each video. You really go above and beyond to make these videos perfect
Really liked the content and the quality of the presentation, subscribed!
love your approach!
Excellent video and good experiments for science in the kitchen. Theoretically, seared meat, having a drier surface, will cause us to eliminate more saliva during chewing, since it is essential to be able to better dissolve the components and feel the flavor better. It's the same thing that happens when you chew on a crunchy cookie versus a softer cookie. But that is the good thing about science, that we are always thinking critically. Greetings! 👍🧪
lol this went in an unexpected direction
Really enjoying my Combustion thermometer and your videos. Please keep it up. This one is like Modernist Cuisine in video.
Such a great channel and informative videos!!! Thanks so much Chris!
Would love to see a behind the scenes video of this video!
the best thing you can do for your steaks is a dry brine, salt them 24hrs beforehand heavily and then put them in the fridge with only a paper towel covering them. This draws out the moister of the steak and makes them tender.
Then salt and pepper both sides before you put them in the smoker.
Then reverse sear in a smoker.
1-1/1/2 hours in a smoker at 100°c and then sear off.
Perfect steaks every time.
Cook to whatever your guests desire, the reverse sear allows a medium rare without too much trouble, but you can easily go to however you want.
Hands down one of the best cooking content in the internet!
I've watched a LOT of steak videos. This one was likely the most unique. I enjoy alternative perspectives. Thanks for bringing one.
This is awesome. I'm a big fan of the MC books, got the series sitting on my shelf in front of me. A video series that captures some of the magic of the books is something I didn't know I needed, but I'm here for it.
Fantastic work as always!
Wow. The production value here is off the charts. Very well-made video!
Came for the infotainment, stayed to try to figure out whether or not these graphical displays were incredible engineering or overtly expensive CGI.
Real video. Cut the pan in half with a bandsaw and used multiple shots for different exposures, then composited everything together.
Just found the channel and wanted you to know how much I’m loving it… thank you!
Sick channel man. Can't wait for it to get the recognition it deserves.
I knew that searing, sealing in the juice HAD to be a myth. But I ALSO knew that a well seared steak SEEMED more tasty and juicy. I've never been able to reconcile these "facts". Now I CAN!!! Thank you, young man for an EXCELLENT and informative video. If I can make a steak even a TINY bit better, it's worth the effort. Thanks again.
This is exactly the kind of quality, informed, science based content sorely needed.
Also you're doing Industrial Design properly.
That steak cutaway view in the pan just got you a new subscriber!
He cut the pan!! What a mad lad! A+ for dedication to teaching, that blew me away!
Your production value is incredible
INSANELY well filmed! Wow!
Fantastic content- many thanks Chris!
for some weird reason, my mouth stopped watering when I 1st heard about that last juiciness test... XD
What's up with that super thick steel bowl at 2:36 where can I get one of those!?
Incredible. it makes so much sense. I know that in addition to salt, bitter foods like lemon and vinegar can stimulate salivation. Perhaps adding a side dish or topping to your steak that had these (or even just a vinaigrette with a salad before the meal) would increase the perception that the steak was even juicier? Like "revving up" the salivatory glands.
Chris doesn't just answer questions from his experience as a chef, he breaks down the science and gathers empirical data to produce tangible results and hard numbers that can't be denied. You can't argue with that.
Wow...another great video. You always make the science behind cooking interesting. I'm blown away by your cut away frying pan.
Fantastic video!! Cutting a pan in half to show a cooking method was great. The saliva section was informative and I am glad you did it. I have subscribed.
That cross-section of the pan with the stake was absolute fire. That alone was worth a subscription.
Dude, just to add up to the chorus: awesome take with the cuted off pan and nice production overall. Better than many TV productions. Keep it up.
Great video. This really should have 1 million plus views
This is a terrific video and I am so glad you did that unpleasant experiment...!
Despite your final comments you did in the end demonstrate how and why this works with an experiment (I wont question the validity of the experiment that would be taking it too far for its purpose, it seems plausible enough to me) but that brings it all back science, thank goodness. Thank you for doing these, absolutely great.
I'm a new cook (been teaching myself using various sources) and I love a good scientific deep dive! Thank you so much for your videos and the unique information!! I'm definitely not overlooking the graphics of the section of the steak cooking in the pan - as an engineer, that's glorious. :)
one of the main reasons for the perpetuation of this myth is that for many "experts" the ONLY valid technique for searing a steak is to flip it once. when scientifically the opposite is actually true (as you have already demonstrated last year)
Awesome video and valuable info. Amazing
It is so incredibly unfair that this channel has fewer than 100k subscribers when it deserves to be in the 10m zone!
Very interesting video. There are a number of studies that measure salivary flow rates for different flavors. It would have been interesting to add seasoned steaks to the mix. Also since chewing plays a part in saliva production I’d be curious to see if a tough cut of beef produces more moisture then a tender cut.
This was going above and beyond what's expected for a TH-cam video. Amazing!
The taste of food has always been subjective. My example: Back in the day when I worked for telephone repair service (Working outdoors in all weather conditions) I could sometimes be running late for work and skip breakfast. By 9 o'clock I was hungry as heck for eggs and bacon. Stopping at a local diner the anticipation of eggs and bacon and sausage, toast, brown beans and coffee would make the "taste" heavenly ! The same breakfast at home at the kitchen table could never match that late morning diner experience.
The same thing applies when family gathers for BBQ steak, baked potatoes, steamed veggies, wine and laughter. The food tastes so much better.
When really hungry even the cheeseburger will taste better.
Great video !
Your conclusion is mind blowing. Never considered a factor aside from the food, saliva, would influence the taste of food at all, but once you said it, it made perfect sense.
Amazing video Chris!
Amazing work again, Chris! And I cackled a the gross stuff, too. 😂 [og Joule and Combustion customer here 👍🏼]
Great video. Taught me something useful, interesting, obscure, and obvious in retrospect. And that pan footage was beautiful to behold. From now on, I'll be thinking of the implications of the impact of food on our senses affecting taste and texture as food is chewed. I'd never considered how deliciousness changes the environment of the mouth, changing the taste. But of course. Now I'm eager to learn more about how our response to deliciousness is part of why things are delicious at all. An underexplored subject, worthy of a great book.
Keep this up and you're going to get TV show offers. But you might be even better doing this here on TH-cam. I'm sure your channel growth is rapid. One viral video could make you an A-list food TH-camr. You'll have hundreds of thousands of subscribers soon. Content of this quality, if produced regularly, will garner more than a million subscribers.
Too many cooking channels and this one is not. The mouth watering experiment is an eye opener.
Of anyone producing food videos on TH-cam, you have the greatest combination of production values and dedication to conducting actual science.
Bless your sacrificing heart. I litteraly gagged at my desk when you mentioned chewing on cottonballs...
Brilliant theory, proven very effectively and efficiently. BTW I didn't find the idea gross and the editing was very 'tastefully' done. 😊
You took one for the team, thank you!
These videos deserve millions of views.
You got my subscription with this video. Amazingly done!
Amazing content! May you get rich really soon, you certainly deserve it
Hey Chris, great job as always! I do have a question though….. Would there be a difference in actual juiciness between hard sear method and the constantly flipping method of cooking the steak?
Bruh the effort put into this was amazing
Bro, your videography is amazing
I'm more impressed by the gear used transparent pots and cutaway pans than the actual information covered.
Damn really high quality video, with actual experiments to see if it's true, and all in 8 minutes
I guess it is the same principle that applies to more "crusty"bread like sourdough. The crust makes us produce more saliva and not only does it make the bread taste better, but it also helps digestion by "pre-digesting" it in our mouths. Amazing video!
Hadn’t thought of it that way, but it does make sense.
That half cut pan footage is amazing!
Just found this channel and I’m pretty pumped that I did
The cross section……uhm….section of that video was great. Visually stunning. The content busts a myth long held. Chris it is great you can bring your knowledge and experience to everyone in a really accessible and fun way. 👍
Great Scott! We got another one, thanks for video
Just discovered this channel. My fav already. HIDDEN GEM!!!!!
Very good and informational video.
Saw the tweet first so here is some engagement!
This is legitimate lateral thinking. Never mind the cross section (which I don't even know how you did). Never mind that I still feel like this whole channel is an advertisement for your thermometer (it's on my Christmas list). This type of thinking is unique. And this channel is so good for that thinking. Good on you.
That's so interesting! Great job
I love the science behind your videos.
this is what I call commitment to science
How did you do the amazing pan cut away? It can’t be CG right? It looks too good!
Cut the pan with a bandsaw, and carefully slices the steak at various times. Pretty much how I did things for Modernist Cuisine too, just harder in video because you can't Photoshop out every mistake as easily.
@@ChrisYoungCooks can you share any pics? that sounds like it would look pretty wacky
@@ChrisYoungCooks your level of commitment is insane. Keep it up!!
I love the dedication to challenge your beliefs. I also have a question, why does the seared piece have a greater measure of juices gained? Is it really causing the mouth the produce more saliva? I understand the premise of parching your mouth the yield start from an equal starting point. Yet are you weighing only the food? Or are you weighing the food plus the retained saliva create form chewing? What if the dedication zone of the seared piece being drier is cabals of collecting more saliva than the non-seared and that could mean it’s advantage of saliva retention yields a greater weight gain. I think you could answer this question using your cotton balls. After you remove the chewed piece of steak you could add cotton balls you previously weighed dry and then use them to collect the remaining saliva produced from chewing the steak. This could account for all the saliva produced and could answer if the seared steak is produces more saliva or if it’s the same amount saliva but rather it’s seared crust allows for more juices to be retained than the non-seared? Perhaps this is a moot point, where the retention is the factor to indicate juiciness. It’s interesting none the less, because it appears the intent is to determine which stimulates the most saliva production as indication of yielding juiciness, so if that’s the case, you would need to account for all the saliva produced, that retained in the chewed steak and that in the mouth. Also what if there is a factor of the non-seared having the capacity to loose more moisture from chewing where the seared steak has less moisture to loose. In that case you would need to evaluate on a curve to account for moisture to lean mass ratio. Also variations in intramuscular fat could be a factors so an exception lean muscle would be ideal to avoid intramuscular fat discrepancies. Not trying to be rude, just was a fun exercise analyze your experiment. That’s what makes your content fun!
Also, You mentioned that a hotter pan would only serve to overcook your exterior before the interior was cooked (wider gray band), and in another video I saw you lowered your pan temp depending on the size and thickness of the steak. I often get my pans to 500 degrees before I sear for a couple minutes, then finish in a low oven. Is this.... wrong? Would love to see a video comparing the hard sear (500 degrees) vs gentle sear (325).
it depends on how you're cooking the steak overall - if it's on the stove the whole time like he was discussing, gentle sear will get it more even. if you're using the oven to cook the internals, high temperature to establish the crust and avoid cooking the inside at all is the strat
What do you use to make a video of this quality? Great stuff. Really. Would love to learn or be pointed in the right direction.
Bro did you really cut a pan in half? That's Flexseal level of production! Amazing, you get a subscriber
That's an astoudingly astute investigation about steak cooking. It makes the whole concept of scientific enterprise worthwhile to the epicurious.
I'm not sure why the math looks like 50% - 20% = 30% at 7:26. If the seared steak lost 20% of its weight during cooking, and then each slice gained 50% of its weight due to saliva, shouldn't the math look like 0.8 * 1.5 = 1.2? Meaning that each slice of the seared steak would have 20% more weight after the whole process?
So I thought about that, but ultimately decided what matters is the difference in juice is left in your mouth after an equal time of chewing. In a sense, starting juiciness doesn’t matter because the initial burst of juice is swallowed within a few seconds of the start of chewing. Said another way, we don’t actually care about the starting water content, we care about the sustained production of juice.
Nicely done!