March
1, 2005:
Fascinating Food Facts
Interview
with Harold McGee, author of the book, On
Food And Cooking
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Mike Carruthers:
You know when you cook a steak you've heard that you're suppose to sear it
on both sides at high temperature to keep in the juices… Harold
McGee:
That idea goes back to the nineteenth century and it turns
out to be an old chemist's tale, not an old cook's tale and it turns out just
to not be true. Food
scientist, Harold McGee, author of the book, On
Food And Cooking… If
you cook two pieces of meat side-by-side one at a high temperature to begin with
to sear the outside and then weigh them, the one that got seared actually loses
more moisture because it's been cooked at a higher temperature. Ever
wonder why when you cook a boneless piece of chicken it often comes out drier
than when you cook a piece of chicken with the bone still in it? The
reason for that is in order to make a piece of chicken boneless, you have to cut
the bone out and when you do that cutting you damage the tissue and make it easier
for moisture to be lost. So if you cook the piece of chicken or even a roast,
pork roast for example bone in, you're cooking a more intact piece of meat that's
able to retain it's juices better. Cooks
will tell you that you should never wash mushrooms rather you should brush them
or wipe them because when you brush them they soak up water. But
it turns out that if you just dunk mushrooms in the water and let them sit for
awhile and then actually weigh them they don't really absorb that much water.
And they don't lose that much flavor into the surrounding water if you go ahead
and cook them the mushrooms taste as good as ever. Tomorrow,
why are their holes in Swiss cheese? I'm Mike Carruthers and that's Something
You Should Know.
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