The food lab better home cooking through science ( PDFDrive ) 276

As you can see, the meat cooled in the liquid ended up with a good 3 percent more moisture than the one cooled in the air This is because cooler meat can hold moisture more easily than hot meat So, as the meat cools in the liquid, some of the liquid is reabsorbed I also found that then allowing the pot roast to rest in the refrigerator for up to days actually improved both flavor and texture, which means that for the ideal pot roast experience, you ought to cook the thing several days before you plan to eat it STEWING BEEF T he best cuts of beef for stewing or braising have plenty of robust beefy flavor and lots of connective tissue to break down into rich gelatin Here are a few of my favorites: • Chuck comes from the shoulder of the steer and is intensely beefy, with a good deal of fat The best chuck cuts for braising are the 7-bone and the chuck roll I prefer the latter, which is a boneless cut that makes for easier slicing Look for wellmarbled pieces with a nice cylindrical shape for even cooking • Brisket comes from the steer’s chest A whole brisket contains two parts: the flat (also called “thin cut” or “lean”) and the point (also called “deck” or “moist”) The flat is more commonly available in supermarkets, but if you can find the point, it’s worth buying for its larger amount of connective tissue, fat, and flavor Brisket is not quite as rich as chuck and has a distinctive metallic, grassy aroma • Flap meat, also known as sirloin tip, is generally sold as an inexpensive steak, but it’s great stewed, which makes it one of the most versatile steaks around A whole flap steak is a rectangular block of meat about 1½ inches thick, weighing about to pounds, with a very strong ... for even cooking • Brisket comes from the steer’s chest A whole brisket contains two parts: the flat (also called “thin cut” or “lean”) and the point (also called “deck” or “moist”) The flat... few of my favorites: • Chuck comes from the shoulder of the steer and is intensely beefy, with a good deal of fat The best chuck cuts for braising are the 7-bone and the chuck roll I prefer the latter, which is... called “deck” or “moist”) The flat is more commonly available in supermarkets, but if you can find the point, it’s worth buying for its larger amount of connective tissue, fat, and flavor Brisket