37 replies to this topic

[Yang Zongbao]

QUOTE (shunyadragon @ Feb 21 2009, 02:45 PM)
The posts appear to an over reaction to what I wrote. I did not express an opinion as which was the better food, nor did I say all Chinese have these tastes, but nonetheless, outside of Taiwan and Islamic minorities, few Chinese use the mint family aromatic herbs, nor do they generally like like cheese, particularly strong smelling cheeses. Chinese foods do have wonderful tastes, smells and flavors.

When I lived in Shenyang I had a close friend who was a chef at the Sheridan. We talked often about food. and he told me Chines food is indeed simpler than Western food, confirmed some of what I expressed here. I also ran a restaurant in Kunming for about a year and a half, until the 9/11 problems shut me down. I can cook Chinese fairly well and like it very much in many ways I prefer the simplicity of Chinese food, that is in some ways inherited from Daoist principles.


Chinese food is easier to prepare? Maybe some Chinese food simple to cook. But I feel that Western food are easier to cook.....

By the way, how long do you need to grill a medium rare steak, a well done steak and raw steak? 1 min, 3 mins, 5 mins?

Anyone with any ans? Please?

Depends on how thick the steak is, among other things. In any case, it may be better to google it or ask a culinary forum, so I advise we avoid tangenting off on how to grill a steak, unless someone would like to share a recipe.

For the record, I tend to just work on feel when I grill. However, it doesn't work every time.

[William O'Chee]

Depends on how thick the steak is, among other things. In any case, it may be better to google it or ask a culinary forum, so I advise we avoid tangenting off on how to grill a steak, unless someone would like to share a recipe.

For the record, I tend to just work on feel when I grill. However, it doesn't work every time.

I ws fortunate enough to have a cordon bleu chef in my unit in the Army. He wasn't there as a chef, but that had been his prior occupation. Every time we went on exercise I would try to find a way to get him to do the cooking. We ate extremely well!

His advice was to ensure the pan was very hot when you first put the steak in, and to seal both sides of the meat, and then drop the temperature down to cook it through the middle if you want it medium or well done.

My other observation is that it depends on the amount of intramuscular fat, which is known as marbling. This is the streaky white fat that is inside the meat rather than on the outside. Meat which has a lot of marbling will not become as tough as meat which has little or none, and so can be cooked differently The marbling generally comes from feeding the animal on grain rather than grass. Grass fed steak should be cut a little thinner and just cooked on both sides and removed from the heat.

The other tip is to make sure you allow the steak to rest after cooking. Rather than putting it straight onto a plate, allow it to sit on a plate for about three to four minutes, ad then put it onto the plate ion which it will be served. This allows the fibres of the meat to loosen and will make the steak a little more tender.

Apologies if this is a little tangential, but YZB did offer the alternative of continuing the discussion on steaks if someone had a recipe.

Edited by William O'Chee, 21 February 2009 - 06:51 PM.

[changsham]

William made a good point about the high initial heat to allow the steak to sear and then a final rest. IMO the best way to cook a steak is over charcaol. Cooks beautifully this way. Sear it both sides then move to the side to cook through more slowly to taste then put it it back in the middle for 30 seconds to allow the some of the fat to drip onto the coals so it smokes and burns back onto the steak.

I prefer the traditional Australian style free range grass fed beef. More tastier and healthier because it is leaner without excess fat. Can be tougher because the animals are exercised unlike the beasts held tightly in pens. Grain fed beef usually comes from feed lot pens is far more tender but can have little texture and unsatisfying flavour. I have also heard some horrible stories of what they feed cattle in feed lots. I prefer more naturally raised beef. For such a simple dish there are many opinions on how to cook and prepare a steak.

[shunyadragon]

QUOTE (shunyadragon @ Feb 21 2009, 02:45 PM)
The posts appear to an over reaction to what I wrote. I did not express an opinion as which was the better food, nor did I say all Chinese have these tastes, but nonetheless, outside of Taiwan and Islamic minorities, few Chinese use the mint family aromatic herbs, nor do they generally like like cheese, particularly strong smelling cheeses. Chinese foods do have wonderful tastes, smells and flavors.

When I lived in Shenyang I had a close friend who was a chef at the Sheridan. We talked often about food. and he told me Chines food is indeed simpler than Western food, confirmed some of what I expressed here. I also ran a restaurant in Kunming for about a year and a half, until the 9/11 problems shut me down. I can cook Chinese fairly well and like it very much in many ways I prefer the simplicity of Chinese food, that is in some ways inherited from Daoist principles.


Chinese food is easier to prepare? Maybe some Chinese food simple to cook. But I feel that Western food are easier to cook.....

By the way, how long do you need to grill a medium rare steak, a well done steak and raw steak? 1 min, 3 mins, 5 mins?

Anyone with any ans? Please?

I did not say easier to prepare, and steak does not represent western culinary art. If all you fix is simple steak, hamburger or other fast food than yeah, I gues it is a piece of cake, but again that does not represent western culinary arts.

[shawn]

I did not say easier to prepare, and steak does not represent western culinary art. If all you fix is simple steak, hamburger or other fast food than yeah, I gues it is a piece of cake, but again that does not represent western culinary arts.

Serious? What type of cooking represent western culinary arts?

[shunyadragon]

Serious? What type of cooking represent western culinary arts?

There are many culinary arts in the west, Italian, French, Spanish and various Mediterranian variations to name a few. The ability to bake the variety of European deserts is complex, and The to do the soups and stews of Europe with the proper spices and preparation sequence are also not easy. Talk to chef sometime and become enlightened.

There is nothing wrong or negative about the simplicity of Chinese culinary arts. The principles of the balance of yin and yang contribute to this simplicity and the specific proper dishes that should served together at a meal.

[chinamytime]

Tofu

Tofu, also called doufu or bean curd in china, is a food which originated in China. It has a long history in China. However, the detailed info about its origin is still uncertain. Nobodys knows who invent it and when it was invented. There are many versions about its origin. The famous one goes that it was invented by Liu An(179 BC-121 BC), grandson of the Emperor Gaozu of Han.

It is low in calories but high in calcium and/or magnesium. It aslo contains a relatively large amount of iron and contains little fat.

It can be cooked in various ways. You can eat it raw, or fry it, or bake it. It can be made into a variety of dishes and snacks, such as mapo tofu, tofu salad, stinky tofu, tofu brain, etc.

Edited by chinamytime, 20 September 2009 - 10:39 PM.

[raptorex]

Hmmm, how come im England during the Middle Ages, why did the English used stale bread as their plates (they would eat the breadafter the meal - it would be quite tasty as it would have soaked up the juices of the meat and veggies) and not "normal" plates?

This custom was present already in the time of the Romans. Their legionaries found this to be an effective way of eating while on march or in camps. You just took your bread, put some meat, or fish sauce or other things on it and eat. Then you could also eat the bread or discard it if you liked. No problems with heavy ceramic plates or dishwashing. It is probable that the English can have inherited this custom from the Romans that occupied Britain for nearly 400 years.

Some also claim that the Italian Pizza originally have the same roots.