Steak Master Class - Buyer Beware!!!

[NutsAboutGolf]

2 hours ago, Mike981 said:

Well isn't this a fun thread, thank you all!

 

You got me excited to try to use our Sous Vide again. My wife and I didn't have very good luck our first few times, I think one of the issues was our steaks were not thick enough. I have to get over making mistakes as I learn, but that is a tough one as it was ingrained in me as a child, "we do not waste food."

 

I'm sure we will figure it out as we both love to cook.

Has anyone tried fish using your Sous Vide?

 

First, need to stay on topic, does celebrity have a steak and fish cooking class?  With that out of the way...

 

Here's serious-eats article on SVing salmon, it gives the complete breakdown with different SV temps, skin on vs skin off, etc

https://www.seriouseats.com/sous-vide-salmon-recipe

 

[NutsAboutGolf]

4 hours ago, Tyler414 said:

No coarse black pepper, all your doing is burning the pepper.  Pepper after cooked.

Four minutes is way too long.

 

You are correct that 99% of the time, 4mins on high is too much; I missed it was high heat earlier 

 

Many restaurants and pro chefs pepper their steaks before cooking, pepper does burn but the taste is a good one.  Can pepper before and after.  Here's an example from the most famous pro chef on the planet

  

[cruisegirlppp]

On 4/24/2024 at 9:44 PM, jwlane said:

And all us shareholders say "Thank you very much!"

And therein lies the rub-it's good for us shareholders but bad for us as passengers.🙂

[jean87510]

It truly never ceases to amaze me what cruise lines will come up with to charge their passengers.  Equally amazing is what people will pay for.  (myself included!)  Some of the onboard stuff is just busy stuff to use up OBC.  This one for $60 to cook a steak....  Isn't the Lawn club grill meal on a whole cheaper than this?  

[NutsAboutGolf]

Come to think of it, once you pay the cover, you have 3 options, they cook it for you, you can cook it without assistance or you can cook it with crew assistance?

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

1 hour ago, jean87510 said:

It truly never ceases to amaze me what cruise lines will come up with to charge their passengers.  Equally amazing is what people will pay for.  (myself included!)  Some of the onboard stuff is just busy stuff to use up OBC.  This one for $60 to cook a steak....  Isn't the Lawn club grill meal on a whole cheaper than this?  

 

Ugh... heading to Melting Pot this afternoon for a birthday (to pay to cook my own food). I'll keep a smile pasted on my face - LOL

 

Tom

[PTC DAWG]

2 hours ago, jean87510 said:

It truly never ceases to amaze me what cruise lines will come up with to charge their passengers.  Equally amazing is what people will pay for.  (myself included!)  Some of the onboard stuff is just busy stuff to use up OBC.  This one for $60 to cook a steak....  Isn't the Lawn club grill meal on a whole cheaper than this?  

I suppose for someone who has never cooked a steak, this would be interesting...so I could see the appeal in that regard.  

[jean87510]

2 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

I suppose for someone who has never cooked a steak, this would be interesting...so I could see the appeal in that regard.  

Are there actually people out there who have never cooked a steak?  

 

The one I thought was interesting but a bit pricey was the glass blowing.  A lot of people on our Equinox sailing last year watched that.  A few participants.  On a Norwegian Sydney to Tahiti cruise I was just on had art classes that were $20 per session for an hour I believe.

 

The cooking ones or cupcake decorating 🤔.  But that's me.  As you say, maybe people have never frosted a cupcake.  I'm not sure I'd pay to do it.

[Lena11033]

32 minutes ago, jean87510 said:

Are there actually people out there who have never cooked a steak?  

 

I haven't 🙃

But then I wouldn't pay for it on a cruise ship either

[FlyingCruiser2]

5 hours ago, jean87510 said:

It truly never ceases to amaze me what cruise lines will come up with to charge their passengers.  Equally amazing is what people will pay for.  (myself included!)  Some of the onboard stuff is just busy stuff to use up OBC.  This one for $60 to cook a steak....  Isn't the Lawn club grill meal on a whole cheaper than this?  

 

One cruise director, when asked if there was a charge for the Tender, replied “No, but only because we hadn’t thought of it before now”.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

34 minutes ago, jean87510 said:

Are there actually people out there who have never cooked a steak?  

 

...

 

1 minute ago, Lena11033 said:

 

I haven't 🙃

But then I wouldn't pay for it on a cruise ship either

 

Us CC'ers, we're a diverse group - with a shared obsession. 🙂

 

Tom

[PTC DAWG]

47 minutes ago, jean87510 said:

Are there actually people out there who have never cooked a steak?  

 

The one I thought was interesting but a bit pricey was the glass blowing.  A lot of people on our Equinox sailing last year watched that.  A few participants.  On a Norwegian Sydney to Tahiti cruise I was just on had art classes that were $20 per session for an hour I believe.

 

The cooking ones or cupcake decorating 🤔.  But that's me.  As you say, maybe people have never frosted a cupcake.  I'm not sure I'd pay to do it.

DAMIFINO

[GlitterFemme]

1 hour ago, jean87510 said:

Are there actually people out there who have never cooked a steak?

 

I haven't, but only because I stopped eating red meat before I learned to cook. So I can't be the target market for this class 🤣

[billc23]

2 hours ago, jean87510 said:

Are there actually people out there who have never cooked a steak?  

 

My DIL never has. She could not believe that I have never made Maki (Sushi Rolls) or Tamagoyaki. 

[billc23]

2 hours ago, jean87510 said:

Are there actually people out there who have never cooked a steak?  

 

My DIL never has. She could not believe that I have never made Maki (Sushi Rolls) or Tamagoyaki. 

[Milhouse]

Chris Young, who was involved with the Modernist Cusine book and founded ChefSteps and their Joule sous vide machine, has a pretty informative Youtube channel.  He has a number of videos on steak preparation where he does empirical experiments and goes into the scientific reason on what works and doesn't.  

A couple of common concepts he addresses:

Frequent flipping is good for even doneness but you need to allow for more carryover cooking

You should temper your steak for a more evenly cooked steak (except when cooking sous vide or using reserse sear)

Resting doesn't keep meat juicy

 

I enjoy learning what optimal techniques are but I also very much appreciate good results with mimimal effort too.  🙂

Edited April 26 by Milhouse
typo

[markeb]

5 hours ago, jean87510 said:

Are there actually people out there who have never cooked a steak?  

 

The one I thought was interesting but a bit pricey was the glass blowing.  A lot of people on our Equinox sailing last year watched that.  A few participants.  On a Norwegian Sydney to Tahiti cruise I was just on had art classes that were $20 per session for an hour I believe.

 

The cooking ones or cupcake decorating 🤔.  But that's me.  As you say, maybe people have never frosted a cupcake.  I'm not sure I'd pay to do it.

 

A lot of people pay for experiences. That's what we're doing by cruising, isn't it?

 

You cook it steak places were pretty popular a few years back. Haven't looked for one in years. It wasn't about the steak; it was the experience.

 

Cook your own steak, paint and wine shops, cupcake decorating, and art classes have nothing to do with the product or not knowing how to cook a steak or frost a cupcake. It's the experience. The cupcake experience on RCL's Freedom and Oasis class ships was always booked solid. People sign up for the mixology classes on Celebrity. And wine tastings. The glass blowing is a lot of fun. It's all the same. People are buying an experience and maybe they learn a little in the process. That's actually a recurring theme in most marketing to Millenials in particular; they buy experiences over products.

 

No issue if you don't get it. Just means you're not the target market. But they're successful enough that there is a target market.

[jean87510]

38 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

A lot of people pay for experiences. That's what we're doing by cruising, isn't it?

 

You cook it steak places were pretty popular a few years back. Haven't looked for one in years. It wasn't about the steak; it was the experience.

 

Cook your own steak, paint and wine shops, cupcake decorating, and art classes have nothing to do with the product or not knowing how to cook a steak or frost a cupcake. It's the experience. The cupcake experience on RCL's Freedom and Oasis class ships was always booked solid. People sign up for the mixology classes on Celebrity. And wine tastings. The glass blowing is a lot of fun. It's all the same. People are buying an experience and maybe they learn a little in the process. That's actually a recurring theme in most marketing to Millenials in particular; they buy experiences over products.

 

No issue if you don't get it. Just means you're not the target market. But they're successful enough that there is a target market.

No I don't and would rather have the cash.  But people probably don't understand things that interest me on a cruise ship (gym, buffet, no shows, no gambling, no trivia, no chairs near pool...).  Regardless, I will continue to stand on my hill of $60 pp to learn how to make a steak is too much when there are many YouTube videos plus bbq shows out there for free showing one exactly how to do it.

[FlyingCruiser2]

On 4/24/2024 at 12:24 PM, mnocket said:

I don't know if this is still the case, but it used to be that you could cook your own steak alongside the chef when dining at the LCG. Seems one could get a more personalized and hands-on experience doing this than attending the steak Master Class Ship Experience.

We ate at Lawn Club Grill last night.  They no longer allow guest participation due to “some unfortunate instances”.

 

BTW - one of top 2 best meals we’ve had in the 6 days on board, and we’ve been to all the Speciality Restaurants.   There’s just something about eating outdoors with the grill smoke wafting by.

 

 

[mnocket]

2 hours ago, FlyingCruiser2 said:

We ate at Lawn Club Grill last night.  They no longer allow guest participation due to “some unfortunate instances”.

 

BTW - one of top 2 best meals we’ve had in the 6 days on board, and we’ve been to all the Speciality Restaurants.   There’s just something about eating outdoors with the grill smoke wafting by.

 

 

I agree.  I love the LCG 😋  Too bad they no longer allow people to participate. 

[MoWanchuk]

On 4/25/2024 at 1:46 AM, billc23 said:

Sous vide is a cooking technique that involves vacuum-sealing food in a bag and cooking it in a precisely regulated water bath. This low-temperature, long-time cooking method produces results that are impossible to achieve through any other cooking method. It kinda takes the fun out of cooking but can achieve great results. The key is having a water bath at a precise temperature. Great results with chicken, pork, etc. Worth reading about if you enjoy cooking                                                                                                

 

 

 

 

I am against cruelty to animals. Never sous vide a steak, unless you don't know how to grill or are time constrained. It's great for butter poaching things like lobster, or fish.  A steak is not meant to be cooked in hot water. Even if it's own juices, it's still fatty water. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

16 minutes ago, MoWanchuk said:

I am against cruelty to animals. Never sous vide a steak, unless you don't know how to grill or are time constrained. It's great for butter poaching things like lobster, or fish.  A steak is not meant to be cooked in hot water. Even if it's own juices, it's still fatty water. 

 

How's the cliche go, opinions are like noses, everyone has one!  A certain ex-president orders his Peter Lugers steak extra well done with a side of ketchup; I've never been president, who am I to tell him to order his steak differently?   I share why it's better or worse to do something a certain way.  This is why when you sous vide a steak as you get a better taste that's difficult to accidentally overcook it

 

[billc23]

54 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 I share why it's better or worse to do something a certain way.  This is why when you sous vide a steak as you get a better taste that's difficult to accidentally overcook it

I have the original Anova device (2014) and it is great. See the link in my post 35 for what may be an even better method. 

 

[NutsAboutGolf]

1 hour ago, billc23 said:

I have the original Anova device (2014) and it is great. See the link in my post 35 for what may be an even better method. 

 

 

To stay on topic...How much do you tip the steak master class chef?  With that out of the way... 🙃

 

Great looking steak and sear.  I've been a big fan of hers and saw the video before, I just watched the conclusion as I didn't remember her cooking method.  She does an old-school reverse sear, with an oven yet presents different temps/times relative to its thickness and sears each side for around 90 seconds but says to use your judgment.  I haven't tried it but will; she doesn't pre-salt, I don't agree with that

 

If you want a faster result, as I mentioned earlier, "Cold sear" putting a cold steak in a cold pan is all the rage as it comes close to SVing and is fairly fast requiring only a skillet.  A test chef for ATK/CI claimed they developed the method, here's one of their videos, the cold sear method starts around 5:15 

 

Also on ATK, I haven't seen this anywhere else (not say they were first) but you put 1/4" of oil in the skillet and you pick up the steaks for a second before putting it back to ensure the oil is getting into all the nooks and crannies.  You're pan-frying it but the results are gorgeous crust

Edited April 27 by NutsAboutGolf

[billc23]

6 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

To stay on topic...How much do you tip the steak master class chef?  With that out of the way... 🙃

$10... Thanks for the info. I will try the cold sear method when I return home next month.