Absolutly useless trivia — No l
Posted by Pat Kershaw on November 25, 2006
Most people assume that we sear steaks in order to “seal in thejuices”. This is completely false. Technically speaking, a steak cooked at high temperatures contains less of its own juice, as that
alluring sizzling noise is actually the sound of the meat’s own liquid evaporating into thin air. (For maximum retention of natural juices, cook the steak slow and steady, and don’t salt until the end).
Nevertheless, our intuitions aren’t compelety crazy: even if a well-seared steak is literally drier, it still tastes juicier. The disquieting explanation of this culinary illusion is that a well-seared steak – its Maillard crust crisp and crackling, its interior plush and bloody – makes us drool in anticipation. As a result, when we eat the more appetizing – yet less juicy – steak, the meat seems to be juicier. However, what we are actually sensing is our own saliva, which the brain induced our salivary glands to release.
Our personal decision to drool warps our sensory experience of the steak!
Technorati Tags: Yrivia, Meat, cooking
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