Have you ever asked yourself the secret of the tenderness of the steak from the inside, while its outer crust is crunchy?
And did your children ever ask you why the delicious juice in the minced meat inside the samosa, which they ate at their relatives, when you prepare it very dry?
Chefs and housewives did not disagree on a matter as they did on the correct way to season meat, and whether salt should be added before or after cooking;
Everyone thinks they're right, so here's what the culinary experts have come up with on the seasoning 'dilemma'.
amount of salt
You will be surprised to know that you are using the wrong salt;
You need salt that is large in grain, easy to sprinkle, and low in sodium;
Therefore, chefs usually use kosher salt to coarse its grains, and a tablespoon of “kosher” salt contains an amount of sodium equivalent to the amount found in a teaspoon of table salt, and the purpose of choosing low salt salt is to enhance the flavor of meat without becoming salty.
When do we add black pepper?
If you like the heat of black pepper on the tongue, do not lose its flavor by burning it in the oil, wait until the meat is fully cooked, cut it into strips, and then season it with pepper, to preserve its volatile oils, and you can grind black pepper over the meat to get a stronger flavor.
If you want to reduce the strength of black pepper, add about a teaspoon per pound of meat before cooking it, and the heat will reduce its taste, but it will still be present in every bite.
If you want to tone down the strength of black pepper, add 1 teaspoon per pound of meat, before cooking it (German)
crunchy surface of the meat
Some culinary experts recommend seasoning the meat with salt and black pepper first, and then preparing the rest of the meal, before cooking the meat;
The salt pulls some of the moisture off the surface of the meat, giving it a grilled, restaurant-style crust, and it also gives you a strong crunch when seasoning the chicken as well.
Pat the meat dry with a paper towel on all sides, and sprinkle the salt from at least 30 centimeters away, on all sides of the meat, to make one even layer of salt, or use about 1 teaspoon of kosher salt for every pound of meat.
Salt before or after?
The culinary experts at the "Meat Gourmet" club refuse to add salt to meat before cooking, and explain their theory that salting raw meat draws moisture from it and dries it, to increase its hardness after cooking.
The same theory applies to marinating without salt or sodium, plus the mixture of onions, garlic, and white honey does not penetrate or absorb red meat cells, making marinating meat for hours a futile effort.
Sprinkle salt from a distance of at least 30 centimeters on all sides of the meat, to make one even layer of salt (the island)
Meat seasoning time
On the other hand, Harold McGee, author of "On Food and Cooking" and a columnist for the New York Times, has countered the assumptions of anti-seasoning advocates and exposed their weakness, arguing that while a high concentration of salt has a drying effect However, salt helps cells retain water, and the length of seasoning time increases the distribution of salt evenly.
Cooking editor, Oliver Schwaner, tested this theory, bringing in two tough cuts of meat, one seasoned 24 hours before cooking, and the other just an hour before cooking.
Schwaner used the same amount of salt on each piece of meat, three-quarters of a teaspoon per pound, and weighed the meat before salting and before and after cooking, to see if the early marinating produced the juices. Either cut of meat loses water weight from the salting.
Marinating meat for grilling
Gordon Ramsay, a judge on the US version of the competitive cooking show Master Chef, explains how to cook a signature steak.
Ramsay recommends sprinkling salt and black pepper on both sides of the steak in a dish, while the pan is heating, and a little oil must be added to the pan, after that we put the slice in the pan, add rosemary, thyme, then remove the piece of meat from the pan, and put butter and chopped mushrooms in its place. And garlic in the pan, then return the steak, before adding a few tablespoons of broth and cream, and when the mixture boils, remove it from the heat, and add fresh parsley over the meat.
Rub leaves of herbs, such as thyme, basil and mint, between your palms for instant flavor before adding them to the meat (Shutterstock)
Minced meat seasoning
Salt added to raw ground beef draws out its moisture, causing it to dry out and release water vapor as it cooks, and prevents it from turning brown.
Salting becomes completely unacceptable in the case of minced meat, due to its lack of cohesion and weakness in front of salt, and the same applies to the rest of the spices for minced meat, even herbal ones. The minced meat can be seasoned with anything after cooking, whether with salt, pepper, taco seasoning, or masala.
Meat seasoning
Rub leaves of herbs, such as thyme, basil and mint, between your palms for instant flavor before adding them to the meat, and place towards the end of the cooking process for a more distinct flavour. Unground spices and bay leaves release their flavor slowly, making them ideal for foods that take longer to cook. Cooking, just tie in cheesecloth or roll into a tea ball before adding to foods for easy removal after cooking.