range, the higher the temperature, the faster the enzymes work Some accelerated “aging” can take place during cooking If meat is quickly seared or blanched in boiling water to eliminate microbes on its surface, and then heated up slowly during the cooking — for example, by braising or roasting in a slow oven — then the aging enzymes within the meat can be very active for several hours before they denature Large 50 lb/23 kg slowroasted “steamship” rounds of beef spend 10 hours or more rising to 120–130ºF/50–55ºC, and come out more tender than small portions of the same cut cooked quickly Aging Meat in Plastic and in the Kitchen Despite the contribution that aging can make to meat quality, the modern meat industry generally avoids it, since it means tying up its assets in cold storage and losing about 20% of the meat’s original weight to evaporation and laborious trimming of the dried, rancid, sometimes moldy surface Most meat is now butchered into retail cuts at the packing plant shortly after slaughter, wrapped in plastic, and shipped to market immediately, with an average of 4 to 10 days between slaughter and sale Such meat is sometimes wet-aged, or kept in its plastic wrap for some days or weeks, where it’s shielded from oxygen and retains moisture while its enzymes work Wet-aged meat can develop some of the flavor and tenderness of dry-aged meat, but not the same concentration of flavor Cooks can age meat in the kitchen Simply buying meat several days before it’s needed will mean some informal aging in the refrigerator, where it can be kept tightly wrapped, or uncovered to allow some evaporation and concentration (Loose or no wrapping may cause dry spots, the absorption of undesirable odors, and the necessity of some trimming; this works best with large roasts, not steaks and chops.) And as we’ve ... oxygen and retains moisture while its enzymes work Wet-aged meat can develop some of the flavor and tenderness of dry-aged meat, but not the same concentration of flavor Cooks can age meat in the kitchen. .. will mean some informal aging in the refrigerator, where it can be kept tightly wrapped, or uncovered to allow some evaporation and concentration (Loose or no wrapping may cause dry spots, the absorption of undesirable odors, and the necessity of. .. wrapping may cause dry spots, the absorption of undesirable odors, and the necessity of some trimming; this works best with large roasts, not steaks and chops.) And as we’ve