Carry Over Cooking
David Berman • July 21, 2023
How many times have you cooked something to a perfect temperature only to serve it 10 or 20 minutes later and find it over done?
It is important to realize that whatever you are cooking, and let's focus on steak because I can, is absorbing energy from your cooking source – an oven, a pan, a grill, etc. The energy it absorbs brings it from raw, to medium rare, to medium, to medium well, and then [God Forbid] well done.
The space between those levels of doneness can be measured in a minute or less depending on how hot your cooking source is, the amount of energy it is emitting. A grill top at 600 degrees Fahrenheit will progress through those stages far quicker than one at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
The rate of rise in doneness is also dependent on the size or thickness of the steak and how much energy it is going to take to get it to where you want it done. A 1.5” steak [which is the thickness I always recommend] takes more energy than a 1” steak. Hence one of my reasons for never buying “thin” ribeye or NY strip steaks.
Sidebar: There is a misconception that you take your steaks out of the refrigerator 30 minutes or an hour before you cook them to get them to room temperature. That is false. Do this test – temp your steak in the fridge with your thermapen and then take it out and temp it again 30 minutes later. Let me know if it reached room temperature.
Carry over cooking is what happens when the energy you have placed in your steak continues to cook it after you have taken it off the heat source. Just because you take it off the grill does not mean that the stored energy in the steak all of a sudden disappears and stops exerting its forces. That stored energy will continue to exert itself and continue the cooking process – it will slow down because once off the heat source no more new energy is being entered into the steak.
Think of your car and its gas tank. You fill it up full and you have 400 miles of range when you leave for your trip. You can only turn your car on and cannot turn it off. Your destination is 350 miles away. You get out at mile #350 but your car goes until its source of energy is fully depleted another 50 miles.
That is exactly what happens in steaks and other food you cook. And you need to take that into account. If you don’t, you end up with overcooked steaks, dry overcooked chicken, etc.
Sidebar: If you use your MEATER probe to assist you in cooking your steaks, they do a good job taking that into account re the carry over cooking that will occur automatically.
In general, what I do to aim for a medium rare steak (132-135 degrees) is bring it to 127 or 128 degrees and take it off. With chicken, 155 to 160 degrees, depending on how I am cooking it (spatchcocked, whole rotisserie, etc).
It is far better to undercook steak, you can always add heat to it. There is no reversing the cooking process once you go past medium rare. It is also illegal (at least in my kitchen) to go past medium rare.
Wishes for a great day to all,
Hugs too,
David/
Read Next
By David Berman
•
January 31, 2025
Good morning and what is your goal today? If you can’t answer that question, do not get out of bed. If you start your day without a goal, without a destination, you are going to be wasting it - a rudderless ship that lets the waves and the wind determine where you end your day. Whatever the goal may be, or the number of them, make sure your day today is spent navigating towards something. Put a rudder on your daily navigation through life and aim at a port (or two) that you want to dock at. And make sure that port is worthy of your time and efforts. Wishes for a great and meaningful day to all, Hugs and love too, David/
By David Berman
•
January 27, 2025
What is Economics? It is the study of the use of scarce resources which have alternative uses. Wishes for a great day to all, each one a gift, Hugs too, David/
By David Berman
•
January 24, 2025
When you enter into a conversation with another human being, connect with them. Sounds silly, but more times than not, this simple rule is not followed Focus on that person Stand square to them Make and maintain eye contact Make them important to you Be there in the moment with them Do NOT get ready to speak before they are done speaking Complement them Put yourself in their place What do they want or need, or perhaps, what do you want or need Always be Positive Create as much value in the conversation as possible When the conversation is finished, keep it going, offer to be there for them, ask them to be there for you. There is nothing more powerful than a group of humans. That person is now your teammate, and you are now part of a group. Wishes for a great day, Each one a gift, Hugs too David/
By David Berman
•
January 22, 2025
What is the meaning of life? It is a question that is pondered often. It is also a question that you should never ponder. Ever! The Only question you should ask yourself about life, your life is: What positive value can I create in my life? What positive value can I create in my life for myself and others? Simple. Done. Wishes for a great day to all, each one a gift, Hugs too, David/
By David Berman
•
January 31, 2025
Good morning and what is your goal today? If you can’t answer that question, do not get out of bed. If you start your day without a goal, without a destination, you are going to be wasting it - a rudderless ship that lets the waves and the wind determine where you end your day. Whatever the goal may be, or the number of them, make sure your day today is spent navigating towards something. Put a rudder on your daily navigation through life and aim at a port (or two) that you want to dock at. And make sure that port is worthy of your time and efforts. Wishes for a great and meaningful day to all, Hugs and love too, David/
By David Berman
•
January 27, 2025
What is Economics? It is the study of the use of scarce resources which have alternative uses. Wishes for a great day to all, each one a gift, Hugs too, David/
By David Berman
•
January 24, 2025
When you enter into a conversation with another human being, connect with them. Sounds silly, but more times than not, this simple rule is not followed Focus on that person Stand square to them Make and maintain eye contact Make them important to you Be there in the moment with them Do NOT get ready to speak before they are done speaking Complement them Put yourself in their place What do they want or need, or perhaps, what do you want or need Always be Positive Create as much value in the conversation as possible When the conversation is finished, keep it going, offer to be there for them, ask them to be there for you. There is nothing more powerful than a group of humans. That person is now your teammate, and you are now part of a group. Wishes for a great day, Each one a gift, Hugs too David/
By David Berman
•
January 22, 2025
What is the meaning of life? It is a question that is pondered often. It is also a question that you should never ponder. Ever! The Only question you should ask yourself about life, your life is: What positive value can I create in my life? What positive value can I create in my life for myself and others? Simple. Done. Wishes for a great day to all, each one a gift, Hugs too, David/
By David Berman
•
January 14, 2025
Pyrex is glass that is heat and chemical resistant. Test tubes are made from it for that reason. Imagine….. That your parents are Pyrex test tubes. You were created not from human parents but by a concoction of elements and chemicals. And by accident. How would that make you feel? Now take that Pyrex test tube and imagine…. That there was an intelligent agent putting that recipe together in that test tube from where you originated. That you were created intentionally, for a purpose. Now you can see the importance of a belief in intelligent design as the origination of the Big Bang Theory. And obviously the fact that that is the best explanation as to its origin. The most important thing that you can have in life is a purpose to live for. Hard stop. Without purpose you are a rudderless boat in the sea of life. Wishes for a great day, Hugs and love too, David/
By David Berman
•
January 9, 2025
Functional Information is something that provides you with practical or useful or helpful or valuable information. Examples are a traffic sign, computer programming, a recipe, a dictionary, a fuel gauge, the alphabet. Functional information Always requires the effort of intelligent design. It does not happen by accident. It requires the effort of a “mind” or “agent”. For example, let’s say we remove any evidence of human existence on planet Earth and all that is left are computers. That a million years after human existence was erased, an alien life form lands on Planet Earth and discovers even one computer, or even the elements of decomposed computers such as transistors. What would they conclude? Would they think that the computers were created, self-assembled from the soil or water or air? That they evolved from the basic elements of the planet? Obviously not. Functional information is Always the product of intelligent design. “DNA is like a computer program but far, far more advanced than any software ever created”. - Bill Gates, The Road Ahead. Q? What is the origin of our DNA? Wishes for a great day, each one a gift, Hugs too, David/
By David Berman
•
January 7, 2025
Please don’t. Never, ever, ride a bicycle outside. It is not a matter of if you are going to fall or have an accident. It is only a matter of when. Over the past several weeks, including this morning on my way to work, several people riding a bicycle almost died. One was a good friend of mine who recently spent more than a week in the ICU, had emergency cervical spine decompression, a chest tube placed to reinflate his lung, and still does not have full function of one of his arms. The other was this morning. A person riding a bicycle fell on the 86th street transverse and, luckily for her, a person driving a car saw her on the road in the middle of the [busy] street, placed his car in the middle of the street and protected her from traffic traveling in both directions. Given it was pitch black with very little illumination from streetlamps located dozens of yards apart – a miracle she did not get run over by traffic. He got out of his car, lifted her off the pavement and carried her to the sidewalk. The ONLY bicycle you should ride is a Peloton or similar indoor bike, which I think is one of the best forms of exercise available. I have over 17,500 miles on my Peloton, without ever traveling one inch. Wishes for a great day to all, each one a gift, Hugs too, David/
By David Berman
•
November 26, 2024
This is my second post on dry brining, the first involved steaks . It is a gamechanger in a positive way. I also dry brine my turkey. And you follow the same principles. 1. Clean the turkey 2. Dry it off. 3. Use a cookie sheet and rack. a. I put aluminum foil on the cookie sheet to make clean up easier 4. Use a binder such as olive oil or butter. 5. Apply a light coat of salt to the turkey, both sides if you spatchcocked yours. a. I use Maldon Sea Salt 6. Put it in the refrigerator the day prior to cooking. Remember not to add any more salt when you season the turkey before you cook it. Wishes for a great day to all, Each one a gift, Hugs too, David/
By David Berman
•
November 20, 2024
If you have to cook one turkey, this is the ONLY way to do it. I say that with 99.99% confidence built over decades of cooking multiple turkeys. We average over 50 adults at our home every Thanksgiving. I make at least three turkeys for them. On occasion a 4th one pops up. There is nothing easier to make and better to eat than a spatchcocked turkey. And it makes no difference where you cook it. Inside or outside. Here is a link that demonstrates how to do it. Helpful hints: 1. Make sure the turkey is not frozen 2. Get a good pair of scissors. By taking out the turkey’s spine you get to cook the turkey without having to heat up the cavity – which causes your turkey to be overcooked, and dry year after year. Here are some other helpful tips: 1. 14-16lbs MAXIMUM. Never get a turkey larger than 16lbs 2. Dry Brine. If you can, spatchcock it the day before Thanksgiving and salt it. Put it on a baking pan/cookie sheet so the salt can be absorbed. This will create the juiciest turkey you ever tasted. 3. Seasoning. You do you. I like turkey made this way, simple. I take it out of the fridge an hour before I am going to cook it. Add some black pepper, granulated garlic, and onion powder. If you want some color, a touch of paprika. Either way, you do you. 4. Thermometer. I LOVE the Meater Probe . Get one. It will prevent you from overcooking your turkey and anything else you use it with. 5. 160 Degrees. Remove the turkey from the heat source when it hits 160 degrees. The carry over cooking will take it to 165 degrees and a degree higher or two. 6. WAIT. Do NOT slice the turkey for 15 to 20 minutes after you take it out of the heat source. Wishes for a great Thanksgiving to all, Each day is a gift, David/
By David Berman
•
November 15, 2024
If you have a curious mind and willingly entertain different points of view, then continue reading. If not, it might be best to stop here. Consider this a form of a trigger warning (still getting used to that concept). Did you or do you ever wonder about how you, how we humans got here? Do you believe we evolved from a “lower” form of life such as chimpanzees? Did you ever fully explore the concept of evolution? Did you find any gaps or holes as to why it may be the wrong answer as to how we got here? I don’t want to dive deep here. There is a book you should read that I just finished; it's free if you have a kindle- Darwin's Doubts. Here are some brief thoughts as to why the theory of evolution does not explain how humans got here. 1. The Big Bang Theory. That there was a birthing moment to our universe and the several Trillion other universes we know of. If you believe in the Big Bang Theory (a universally accepted theory) then how do you explain it being the Big Bang and Evolution? Something from nothing is not evolution. Put another way: Evolution is about survival, Not about arrival. 2. The Cambrian Explosion. It is an interval of time about 538.8 million years ago and is referred to as the Biological Big Bang. It lasted for about 13 – 25 million years and during that period there was an “explosion” of new life forms. There remains no explanation as to how so many new forms of life evolved so quickly – too short a period of time for evolution to have possibly been a cause. 3. Junk DNA. The theory of Evolution requires us to have DNA that is “junk”, that we evolved from to where we are. And that over the course of time, the amount of “useless” DNA would continue to increase as we evolved from lower forms of life. Less than 5% of our DNA is junk whereas if Evolution is how we got here the amount should be far greater. 4. Mutations in our DNA that occur early in biological development where it can lead to the greatest changes in form and function lead to death and demise universally. And if the “mutation” survived, and survived long enough the ability to reproduce itself is infinitely small. 5. Epigenetics. It is the “stuff” in your cells that is not DNA but controls the formation of your body. They are not susceptible to mutations in your DNA. Evolution by definition does not involve them. 6. Consciousness. What evolutionary benefit does it derive from? Why can we think about stuff outside the need for us to survive, much less thrive. Music, philosophy, physics, and pass this on to successive generations. Where did that evolve from? 7. Primordial Soup. That stuff billions of years after the Big Bang- that after the Earth was formed after the birth of our Sun supposedly gave rise to life. What was that primordial soup made of? Chemicals such as sodium and chloride. Where did they come from and how do you get to the formation of DNA much less a cell wall? The original chicken and egg question. You cannot have DNA without a cell wall to protect it, and you can’t have a cell wall without DNA. These are just a few holes in the dike that is the Theory of Evolution. I hope that you choose to explore this further. Why you should do so is important and will be an upcoming post. Wishes for a great day to all, each one a gift. Hugs too, David/
appreciate the gift of each day we are given
Let Us make it worth opening again and again
Never miss a new post! Sign up for the newsletter now:
Don't miss a new post!
Thank you for contacting us.
We will get back to you as soon as possible.
We will get back to you as soon as possible.
Oops, there was an error sending your message.
Please try again later.
Please try again later.
© 2025
All Rights Reserved | Each Day A Gift
Privacy Policy | Site by The Infinity Group
© 2025
All Rights Reserved | Each Day A Gift | Privacy Policy | Site by The Infinity Group