Kitchen Sauna: Part 2
Steamed Cod Plate... Cheffed Up or Dressed Down
Greetings Friends, 🔥 💧
Back-to Back drops this weekend for your Culinary Pleasure 🙌
Following up on The Most Underrated Cooking Technique: Steaming!
We went over basic ground rules and suggestions… today we are going to hit some finer details to make sure your steamed proteins come out extraordinarily delicious.
First a little housekeeping.
Food Costs & Cooking at Home
Saw a tweet today that resonated on how can continue to save $$$ by cooking at home, from my buddy BowtiedBernard:
This is exactly the approach to be taking now. By in bulk, and make things that can keep forever. I did an entire Substack on Bacon 🥓 last year… definitely check it out. Easy to make at home, and tastier than any bacon you can buy in the store… full details here on a traditional bacon and an OG style French 🇫🇷 one too! ⬇️
Coffee ☕️
Octopod Premium Coffees are roasting tomorrow and will be shipping out Tues/Weds. Remember this month I’m sending a free guide to making your own Cold Brew at home. No heat required… will last for 7 days in your fridge. Convenient, Easy & Delicious!
The Octopod May Blend is crafted with cold brew in mind specifically, and a wonderful Colombia 🇨🇴 is shipping out alongside it. (Free Shipping for Subscribers)
Steaming Specifics:
As you start steaming more, you’ll want to ensure that you have an idea of the perfect doneness temps for specific proteins. Because steaming is perfect for lean proteins, the moist environment is perfect for gentle cooking that will yield delicious results.
Make no mistake though, you can definitely overcook your proteins and be left with a dry chewy mess, no matter how good your steaming setup is.
Target Temperatures:
Most people would just Google “USDA Temperature Guide”… and you’d be really disappointed. If you like dry and overcooked proteins then by all means… do just that 😆
The reality is that most people have been spooked and scared from their childhood about food poisoning, raw meat and undercooked foods (specifically chicken and pork get cooked 3x to death 😬 ).
Food safety is no laughing matter, however we have gone so overboard in one direction that common sense is no longer common…
Carry-Over
Before we get to some of my target temps, it’s crucial we understand that when you remove a protein from a pan (or steamer), the cooking process does not magically stop. You’ve been applying heat and as such, the protein is holding heat that will continue the cooking process even at room temperature.
This is a process known as carry over. So we should be shooting for Target temperatures under our goal temperature because there will be carry over. Type of heat and size of protein will play big factors but it’s mostly common sense
Example: a standing 3-bone 🍖 Rib Roast will require much more resting time, and will carryover much more than a 6oz portion of Cod.
So here’s a helpful reference for pulling your proteins for maximum texture and flavor. Remember to rest for approx 5 mins on portion cuts below.
Chicken Breast (Boneless Skinless, or Bone-In, Skin On): 150F
Chicken Thigh (Boneless Skinless): 165F
Pork Tenderloin: 140F
Cod/Pollock: 145F
Halibut: 145F
Salmon: 130-135F
Sea Trout: 130-135F
Thermometers:
Since the topic will likely come up, I use mainly a cake tester that I hold underneath my lower lip to gauge heat. (Old kitchen habit when you weren’t allowed to use probe thermometers because the puncture hole would be too big).
For thermometers ThermoWorks is high quality consistent and reliable. If you want an economy model that works just as well, the thermometers from InkBird are really functional, great value and available on Amazon Prime. (I’m not an affiliate for either).
Ok let’s take all the lessons and tips from the last 2 Substacks and make a banging Steamed Cod that’s wrapped in squash and zucchini ribbons.
I’m going to chef this up a bit, but you don’t have to. You can do the wrapped and steamed fish in 10 mins during the week. You can also wrap a few at a time and steam on demand… or bust this out as a course for a smart dinner party and get a great wow factor…
Let’s Cook! 👨🍳 🙌 🔥 🐠 💧
