On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 311

temperatures, below 250ºF/125ºC, the moist meat surface dries very slowly As moisture evaporates, it actually cools the surface, so despite the oven temperature, the surface temperature of the meat may be as low as 160ºF/70ºC This means relatively little surface browning and long cooking times, but also very gentle heating of the interior, minimal moisture loss, a relatively uniform doneness within the meat, and a large window of time in which the meat is properly done In addition, a slow inner temperature rise to 140ºF/60ºC — over the course of several hours in a large roast — allows the meat’s own protein-breaking enzymes to some tenderizing (p 144) Ovens equipped with fans to force the hot air over the meat (“forced convection”) improve surface browning at low roasting temperatures Low-temperature roasting is suited to both tender cuts, whose moistness it preserves, and tough cuts that benefit from long cooking to dissolve collagen into gelatin High Oven Temperatures At high oven temperatures, 400ºF/200ºC and above, the meat surface quickly browns and develops the characteristic roasted flavor, and cooking times are short On the other hand, the meat loses a lot of moisture, its outer portions end up much hotter than the center, and the center can go from done to overdone in just a few minutes High-temperature roasting is ideal for tender and relatively small cuts of meat that cook through quickly, and whose surface wouldn’t have time to brown without the exposure to high heat Moderate Oven Temperatures Moderate temperatures, around 350ºF/175ºC, offer a compromise that produces acceptable results with many cuts of meat So does a two-stage cooking: for example, starting the oven at a high temperature for an initial browning (or ... 400ºF/200ºC and above, the meat surface quickly browns and develops the characteristic roasted flavor, and cooking times are short On the other hand, the meat loses a lot of moisture, its outer portions end... up much hotter than the center, and the center can go from done to overdone in just a few minutes High-temperature roasting is ideal for tender and relatively small cuts of meat that cook through quickly, and whose surface... wouldn’t have time to brown without the exposure to high heat Moderate Oven Temperatures Moderate temperatures, around 350ºF/175ºC, offer a compromise that produces acceptable results with many cuts of meat So does