# Rib Eye Steaks - Can You avert the tragedy?!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 9, 2012, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-eye-steaks-can-you-avert-the-tragedy/615232 "2012-03-09T04:48:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-eye-steaks-can-you-avert-the-tragedy/615232/21 "2012-03-09T19:01:59Z")
We broiled some the other night, they were excellent. Much better than the stove-top methods IMO. Grilling was out due to the weather. I have to go with those saying not to freeze them. There’s a decided difference between a steak that has been frozen and one that has not. Let’s just say that freezing does _not_ improve quality. (And I eat a lot of frozen meat; we have a deepfreeze and aren’t afraid to use it. 😛 But steaks are definitely better never frozen.) ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-eye-steaks-can-you-avert-the-tragedy/615232/22 "2012-03-09T19:06:45Z")
Oh. Take down the all the smoke detectors right before you start cooking 🙂 Searing/grilling and smoke detectors are a bad mix. And make sure to put them back up when your are done! ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-eye-steaks-can-you-avert-the-tragedy/615232/23 "2012-03-09T19:22:50Z")
> [@mehgs](#): > > Thanks for all the great tips, folks. > > I’d love to grill but our apartment building doesn’t allow it. Cast iron would probably be my second choice but I haven’t been able to properly season the pans I’ve tried. (More tips?)… Lightly oil, wipe away residue, bake at about for 350 for an hour or so, (carefully!) repeat as needed. [Basic tips and info here](http://www.lodgemfg.com/use-care-seasoned-cast-iron.asp), to start. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-eye-steaks-can-you-avert-the-tragedy/615232/24 "2012-03-09T19:39:48Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Lightly oil, wipe away residue, bake at about for 350 for an hour or so, (carefully!) repeat as needed. [Basic tips and info here](http://www.lodgemfg.com/use-care-seasoned-cast-iron.asp), to start. I’ve had great results with [flaxseed oil](http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2012/01/season-cast-iron-cookware-with-flax-seed-oil/). There’s a bit of controversy surrounding whether it is really better or not, and you certainly will get good results with the traditional methods of seasoning the pan, but from my own experience, I did find that flaxseed does appear to speed the process up significantly. ---
**Author:** ![mehgs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/74df32/32.png) [@mehgs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mehgs)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-eye-steaks-can-you-avert-the-tragedy/615232/25 "2012-03-09T19:42:20Z")
Thank you billfish678. I totally would have forgotten that. And thanks purplehorseshoe. I see where I went wrong. My dad has a perfectly seasoned pan and even though I used to do the unthinkable and soak it in hot soapy water, the pan laughed the abuse off like it was some kinda superhero. Of course I want my dad to live forever, but just in case he doesn’t, I want that pan as my inheritance. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-eye-steaks-can-you-avert-the-tragedy/615232/26 "2012-03-09T20:00:45Z")
> [@mehgs](#): > > Thank you billfish678. I totally would have forgotten that. > > And thanks purplehorseshoe. I see where I went wrong. My dad has a perfectly seasoned pan and even though I used to do the unthinkable and soak it in hot soapy water, the pan laughed the abuse off like it was some kinda superhero. Of course I want my dad to live forever, but just in case he doesn’t, I want that pan as my inheritance. Once you get the pan well-seasoned, it’s fine with soapy water, tomatoes, and the usual sort of stuff that people say destroys cast-iron seasoning. The pans aren’t anywhere near that delicate, but when you’re starting out, it helps to give them a little love. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-eye-steaks-can-you-avert-the-tragedy/615232/27 "2012-03-09T20:30:37Z")
People who think that well-done steaks are tough have never had a well-done steak made by a chef that knows what he’s doing. If rare meat were as tender as a good well-done steak, cows would fall apart standing in the field. But I know I’m in a minority on this point. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-eye-steaks-can-you-avert-the-tragedy/615232/28 "2012-03-09T20:36:57Z")
> [@howye](#): > > Well, it requires the steak to first be frozen. This is going to damage the cell structure of the meat. Upon thawing its going to give up its moisture more readily, no matter how it is cooked. > > In theory this is close to sous vide, which I would have no problem with. But in that method you are not required to start with a frozen steak. Nor is there a problem with frozen steak, per se, but the OP’s steak has not been frozen and there is no need to do so merely to cook it in a method that is dubious at best. I also have to question the use of butter to “brown” the steak. On a good cooking surface there is no need to add any type of fat. The steak has plenty. Beyond all of that, I am not going to put a very expensive ribeye in an oven for an hour. Even starting with a frozen steak you are just destroying one of the finest cuts of beef there is. Somebody wants to send me a couple steaks, I will give it a try and report back. > > The reverse cooking method is a good one. It is a very good method for roasts too. I cook all my steaks by putting them in a 275F oven for 15 minutes flip it leave in for another 15 minutes. Then sear in a very hot pan 1 minute on each side. The steaks are wonderful better than sous vide at 125F for a few hours then to the hot pan. I do not freeze the meat I agree that seems a wacky step. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-eye-steaks-can-you-avert-the-tragedy/615232/29 "2012-03-09T20:38:14Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > But I know I’m in a minority on this point. Yes. Yes, you are. I’ve had very good well-done steaks. They’re not even on the same level as good medium-rare steaks to me. It’s all about your taste, though. Some people (like my mother, for instance), will not eat their meat cooked all the way through. I’ve had plenty of well-done meat that’s been relatively tender and juicy. But it’s not on the same planet as a good medium rare or under steak. That said, the quality of the meat is a _big_ consideration for steaks at lower levels of doneness. If I get a select grade steak or one of the marginal choice grades, I prefer them at higher levels of doneness, because they tend to be chewy and tough to process at anything below medium or medium-well. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-eye-steaks-can-you-avert-the-tragedy/615232/30 "2012-03-09T20:39:30Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > I cook all my steaks by putting them in a 275F oven for 15 minutes flip it leave in for another 15 minutes. Then sear in a very hot pan 1 minute on each side. The steaks are wonderful better than sous vide at 125F for a few hours then to the hot pan. Listen to this guy. (ETA: Or woman. I don’t know–just mean it in a gender neutral sense.) ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-eye-steaks-can-you-avert-the-tragedy/615232/31 "2012-03-09T20:44:30Z")
We had this question last month. Where I gave my same advice. There might be something of interest there. > **[Best way to cook a rib eye?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=641972)** > > I have a piece of rib eye, about .8 pounds. Right now it’s frozen, but I’d like to cook it tomorrow. Thing is, I’ve never cooked a rib eye before. I’m thinking of marinating it, then browning in a skillet and finishing it in the oven. The... ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-eye-steaks-can-you-avert-the-tragedy/615232/32 "2012-03-09T20:55:40Z")
Beer cooler sous vide followed by a high-temp sear on a cast iron skillet is the only way I do steak at home now. As long as you have a digital thermometer (and, I suppose, a cooler), it’s very easy. A Foodsaver makes it easier, but Ziplocks work fine. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-eye-steaks-can-you-avert-the-tragedy/615232/33 "2012-03-09T23:12:05Z")
> [@typoink](#): > > Beer cooler sous vide followed by a high-temp sear on a cast iron skillet is the only way I do steak at home now. As long as you have a digital thermometer (and, I suppose, a cooler), it’s very easy. > > A Foodsaver makes it easier, but Ziplocks work fine. How large is your cooler, and what temperature is the water when you drop the steak in? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-eye-steaks-can-you-avert-the-tragedy/615232/34 "2012-03-10T02:58:57Z")
> [@howye](#): > > Why anybody would do this to an ungodly expensive ribeye is beyond me. The concept is sound. Beef enzymes tenderize the meat, but stop working at about 120º. The longer the internal temperature can be kept in that range, the more tender the meat will be. I don’t remember the exact numbers (which I read on Cook’s Illustrated), but it helps cheaper roasts come out tender and tasty. If I were to try, I probably wouldn’t freeze the steak, but I would get the temperature down as low as possible. I cook a lot, and I’d say I’m pretty darn good for an amateur. I have tried the poke test. I’ll use it at a cookout or if I’m tending grill at a relatives house when they don’t have a proper thermometer, but I find it nowhere near as accurate as a digital thermometer. I would never recommend trying it for the first time on an expensive steak. If someone really wants to learn that method, use it on steaks you would not mind overcooking until you get it right. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-eye-steaks-can-you-avert-the-tragedy/615232/35 "2012-03-11T19:15:06Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > How large is your cooler, and what temperature is the water when you drop the steak in? I use a fairly small cooler; I think it’s sized to hold about a twelve pack and ice. I’ve only done it a few times with steaks. Temp-wise, I “dial in” the temp to about 140. I fill it 2/3s with hot water from the tap (which is about 115) and then add boiling water from a kettle until it evens out around 140. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-eye-steaks-can-you-avert-the-tragedy/615232/36 "2012-03-11T19:50:03Z")
If you actually bother to read the Modernist Cuisine recipe, the meat goes in the freezer for 1 hour, not enough time to freeze anything but the surface of the meat. > [@Chronos](#): > > People who think that well-done steaks are tough have never had a well-done steak made by a chef that knows what he’s doing. If rare meat were as tender as a good well-done steak, cows would fall apart standing in the field. > > But I know I’m in a minority on this point. > [@](#): > > Tenderness is very highly prized—the tenderest cut of beef, the tenderloin, is also the most expensive cut of beef. When chewing, you deform and fracture the meat. The mechanical forces include shear, compressive, and tensile forces; most studies use a Warner–Bratzler (W–B) shear test perpendicular to the muscle fibers and this seems to correlate well with taste tests. Typically, W–B shear decreases from 50 °C/120 °F to 65 °C/150 °F and then increases up to 80 °C/175 °F. ([Sous vide cooking: A review - ScienceDirect](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878450X11000035)) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-eye-steaks-can-you-avert-the-tragedy/615232/37 "2012-03-11T22:18:35Z")
I have a cast iron pan I got for free at an antique shop. Burned/scoured off all the rust and crap, then did the flax seed oil seasoning treatment. It’s as black as sin and slick as snot on a doorknob. I take my steak and coat it on either side with kosher salt. Coated. No meat shows, it’s all salt. If I’m feeling fancy I’ll add in garlic granules and rosemary. Then I let it sit for a while on the counter–if it’s a thin steak maybe 15 minutes, an inch gets 45 minutes to an hour. When you come back to the steak you should see that lovely pink juice has leaked out, mixed with the salt and flavorings, and then headed back into that steak with its payload of awesomeness, breaking down connective tissue along the way. Rinse off the steaks and then dry really well. Then oil the steaks. Not the pan, the steaks. Take your cast iron pan and put it over your stove and get that thing hot. Toss on the steak and DO NOT MOVE IT. Leave it on for a minute or two, depending on the thickness, the flip once and toss into a 450 degree oven for another couple minutes. Best steak ever. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-eye-steaks-can-you-avert-the-tragedy/615232/38 "2012-03-11T23:20:24Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Serve 'im up a howling Peter Lorre face! [LILEKS (James) :: Institute :: Gallery :: Meat MEAT MEAT](http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/meat/4.html) [Oh, no!](http://www.mediabistro.com/agencyspy/files/original/Mr.Bill.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-eye-steaks-can-you-avert-the-tragedy/615232/39 "2012-03-13T03:48:33Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’ve had great results with [flaxseed oil](http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2012/01/season-cast-iron-cookware-with-flax-seed-oil/). There’s a bit of controversy surrounding whether it is really better or not, and you certainly will get good results with the traditional methods of seasoning the pan, but from my own experience, I did find that flaxseed does appear to speed the process up significantly. This is the BOMB for cast iron. All other seasoning tips just don’t stand up I will have to try the reverse cooking method. Maybe do a side by side with the frozen method. Frozen is also nice when there is a big sale on hunks of raw meat. Note: I did both the flaxseed seasoning and the frozen steak in January when my wife was stuck in China for 3 weeks. When she’s home, my experiments get 1 try and have to be superlative. When she’s not here, I can try a couple of things and finetune before springing them on her. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-eye-steaks-can-you-avert-the-tragedy/615232/40 "2012-03-13T04:35:44Z")
So, **mehgs** , how did it go? Your last post sounded like you had a good plan. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-eye-steaks-can-you-avert-the-tragedy/615232.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-eye-steaks-can-you-avert-the-tragedy/615232.md?page=3)