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Terminology Question

4K views 43 replies 15 participants last post by  phatch 
#1 ·
Consider a frozen steak that is defrosting. It defrosts enough that it can be sliced, but it is definitely still frozen in the middle. What would this condition be called?

I work for a major electronics and appliance company. Our refrigerators have a function that will bring a piece of meat to this state, which is currently labeled "Thaw." Of course, most people equate "thawed" with "fully defrosted," so naturally they're not happy when they put a frozen steak and hit the "Thaw" button, and then come back and it's not completely soft. We were trying to find a term that would describe sliceable yet still somewhat forzen meat. Does such a term exist in the culinary world?
 
#2 ·
Interesting question. I think of that state as "partially frozen" -- which is how the cookbooks in my collection describe it. So maybe you might use "partial thaw"? (Along the lines of partly cloudy = partly sunny, kind of yin and yang :look: )

I think that would be a great function to have! Does it speed the process, so that if you don't have time to leave something in the fridge proper for a day or more to completely thaw safely, you could use that function to get it thawed part way faster, and then move it to the fridge to finish thawing?

FYI: in official cookbook-speak in the U.S., frozen foods are thawed; equipment is defrosted. :rolleyes:
 
#5 ·
Well see, I would respectfully disagree. I posted the semifreddo to say that it would most likely be semi frozen since this is a comon term elswhere.
Again, what do I know:lol: I don't even know where the gas pedal is, on my Icebox.
pan
 
#7 ·
Well in general W. Texas terminology for a piece of meat in the condition described would be "halfast defrosted." Now if you reversed the procedure and was trying to freeze it but was not quite there yet would be "halfast froze." Now some illiterate hick from E. Texas is liable to claim the meat is halfast froze in both scenarios. The E. Texas folks tend not to have many branches in the family tree structure. Sometime the family tree just look like a post...they attend family reunions to try to pick up chicks etc. The closer it gets to Arkieville the worse it gets if you get my drift wink wink.

bigwheel
 
#10 ·
Hey Bigwheel

While I enjoy your posts as entertaining and informative about barbecue, chili, and other Texan cultural issues, I must object to your stereotyping of people from different cultures. My son-in law is from E. Texas and I have good friends and relatives who hail from Arkansas. They are nothing at all like what you describe and it hurts me to hear them and their compatriots characterized as you have in your recent posts. Why is it not OK to stereotype African-Americans, Jews and other groups, but it's perfectly fine to lambast disadvantaged southerners?

I also have many friends and associates who are muslim and come from places such as Lebanon, Iran, Jordan and Afghanistan. They are some of the best cooks I've ever met and I always relish an invitation to their homes to enjoy a meal. I have worked with many of them in professional food service environments and have found them to be hard working, meticulous and courageous in their beliefs and dedication to its practice. (It's a very difficult thing to work in a restaurant kitchen all day during the month of Ramadan and not eat, nibble or even drink a glass of water until after sunset!) They live humble, modest lives with commitment to their faith and a strong sense of personal sacrifice for the greater good of their communities (something your beloved GW "Shrub" could never know the meaning of.)

I do not write to try to change your mind about anything, only expose you to a different perspective. I believe all people benefit from a little more exposure to those who live outside their immediate realm of experience.

Please do not refer to my friends as "********"-they, and I, appreciate that characterization no more than you would being referred to as a "Cracker" or the "N"-word for that matter.
 
#11 ·
Muddy,:D
I will have to say that semi frozen gives you a visual where as semi defrosted seems to be a job not finished. Semi defr. could be 2 min out of the freezer and a little less frozen where as semi frozen tell the icebox user that it is a lot colder.
I think you should put up a vote. If I win you send me a semi frozen steak, and if you win I will send you a semi defrosted steak. I will conceed that your description probably works better for mailing.
Are we on:lips: ?
panWatch it, the pans hot:lol:
 
#15 ·
It does of course: Useful. - A culinary curtesy. The saving grace. No more half cooked thaws, (Nukes). The panic button. Dinner control. Mongol Horde control. Meal equaliser. Meat saver. Instant Decision. Martini excuse. If something is half thawed safely, we are in business mate. How long would the remaining thaw time take. Little indeed, I am guessing.
 
#16 ·
Muddy,
I think risby make a good point for you.
"should be labelled partial defrost because the function of the button is to initiate that process". don't you?
We probably need to do this. What's a Lobel?

BTW, I have a very good friend who works for the FBI. He's a specialist in communications, codes etc. I will be sending him some of Dianes posts for him to translate for me. It will make it easier for me to partake in more threads:talk: :eek: :suprise:
 
#18 ·
Well Pan, I hope he is a Limey, 'cause people just don't 'get me'. I think I am perfectly straight forward, as one should be. What is more, I have no accent whatsoever. Everybody else does, but not me, I am a Kiwi, and we don't have accents. No time to take on an accent bro, too busy scooping up the scollops. hehehehehe

Could be a bucket of mussells involved here, y'know how these things are.. A bit of corrogated iron, a bit of a fire, it would be be better if someone remembered to bring the bread and butter. But if someone had, it would be gone at lunchtime anyway. It smells funny if you try and hide it under the car. Anyway the dogs would get it before you had a chance.

Not sure the FBI could help mate. Lot of those guys look like they spent too much time in the top paddock. Slows the brain, but they make great milkers. There are some good old blokes up Darwin way, even Townsville, if you want to go all modern. Y'know, the east coast. But I really think you would do best with a NZ southland farmer. Mostly they just flip a finger at cattle sales, but I heard one speak once. He said "I do" and his mother cried like a baby. Then pushed him off her lap. He was 72 at the time and found it quite a shock. But that's life I suppose.

I do not mean to be obtruse, but if I am, just say, or ask, if you can be bothered. Kindest regards. Dale De Morgan (Mrs) Diane.
 
#19 ·
Muddy,
Please, a butcher is only as good as his product. I don't have to go to NY to get beef. Every rancher down here has a few fatties put back for friends. Plus ,if the grass the've been chewin is not spread on the floor of the dry age box, It ain't worth eatin.:rolleyes:

Diane,
in the voice of my favorite comedian Lewis Black. wwaa wwaa WHAT???
 
#20 ·
Pan,

Of course, there are always quality suppliers. It's just that more people reading this thread will understand the level of quality represented by the name Lobel's than the names of your rancher friends who may only set aside the best meat for friends only. You asked... ;)
 
#22 ·
I personally would humbly question that statement. We could even put it to a poll. I myself have never heard of Lobels, but I have heard countless stories about ranchers, butchers and restaurants in Texas that serve amazing steaks at relatively decent prices. So then the poll would be:
  • Have you ever heard of Lobels butchers?
  • Have you ever heard of Texas beef being high quality?
Now don't get all nitpicky about the sentence "the names of your rancher friends " we're talking about level of quality. Texas rancher beef vs. Lobels.
Again, not who is better, but what is more recognizable.
 
#23 ·
Muddy,
I think we just have an age difference. I might have heard of Lobels (maybe in the Bronx?) but back when I was runnin in NY each neighborhood had it's butcher. I thought people identify beef, with the source? no?
I have not been back to the east Treemont area or the South Bronx, for that matter in a long time. I just cant recall any ranches in the Bronx, except for the Zoo:suprise:
In the past 30 yrs here in Texas, I've learned that beef is a comodity here. mOST OF THE GOOD BEEF GOES TO YOUR LOBELS,Oh sorry cap key, where they can step on it multiple times. So that is why I mentiooned ranchers. BTW I'm speaking of bar ranches, not the guy with 1oo head.
Muddy,
I love to dissagree with ya, but I still love ya. Ok, I'll send a steak from the online butcher, maybe even a Lobels hat:look: :cool: :roll:

I would like to take you to a big ranch where they have a steak house in town. You'd probably get the same quality as Lobbies. Corse we'd have to fit you up in a pair boots:lol: :lips:
 
#24 ·
Well got to freely admit from my humble roots as small town Texas po white oil field trash..my perspective on the Texas cattle industry might be slightly tilted. We was mo heavily involved with pinto beans cornbread and fried tates ya know? So kindly consider my views on the matter as far less than authoritative..and if any of my opinyawns can be proven wrong or even outdated..I gladly take it all back of course:) Now have met a few Texas type ranchers over the years and I just cant quite figger out where they are hiding the fatties? Suspect the logical place to look would be in their backporch freezers. It's a real common practice for them to feed out a few for personal consumption..whilst the majority is grass fed and destined for hamburger meat heaven or the Select grade section at Kroger to be fed to health conscious yups as super lean good for ya type stuff. Now they aint generally overly ambitious to share them few obese examples with strangers and/or non kinfolks. Now where they could ship off the skinny ones to put some meat on the bones I just aint sure. Last feed lot I got a whiff of was up at Amarillo and aint even sure it still be in that smelly bidness. Just talked to my old vino salesman pal the other day..and he say nearly all of the high dollar fancy smancy steakhouses in the DFW area gets their steaks shipped all from the same place...which is Arnold Brothers in Chicago. Maybe that is where the Texas Fatties wind up after they stop off in Amarillo or Colarada to get pudged up. Just thinking out loud here of course.

bigwheel
 
#25 ·
No problem. I wasn't getting "nitpicky", I was merely jesting as per the bet proposed above and specifying my own personal parameters in direct response to Panini.

As you said, it's "...not who is better, but what is more recognizable." My point exactly. Everyone is different and knowledge and information are not always equally distributed. So at this point, anyone reading this thread has now heard of Lobel's of NY in Manhattan on Madison Ave (read about their history). As far as I'm concerned, anyone who raises cattle for food and slaughters them had better have quality meat no matter where they're raised, be it Texas or Timbuktu.

And you're right, "...we're talking about level of quality" as well. Both Texas ranchers and Lobel's provide the best of the best. I have a feeling that I personally would have a better chance at getting the best of the best if I purchased from Lobel's rather than a Texas rancher who may or may not choose to or be able to provide me with the exact cut I want since most of the premium cuts are already sold as confirmed by above posts.

The Lobel family has been butchering for several generations and is known for dry-aging their beef four to six weeks - now that's what I'm after. If no one has heard of dry-aging beef, it brings out the beef flavor and increases tenderness because flavors are concentrated and enzymes break down. "It is known that tenderness decreases immediately after slaughter while rigor mortis takes place (taking 6 to 12 hours to complete); then tenderness increases gradually." "Dry-aged beef has a wonderful, rich, beefy taste I associate with fine beef," says Bruce Aidells, author (with Denis Kelly) of The Complete Meat Cookbook. "It's mellow and intense."

Basically dry aging beef makes a fantastic steak - phenomenal. Top steak houses dry-age beef for up to 4 months. Cook's Illustrated and Alton Brown support this technique and provide methods which consumers can use at home to achieve a similar goal. Most butchers no longer dry-age beef because of dry-aged beef loses weight (intensifying the flavors) which means less beef costs more money. Money that average consumers aren't willing to spend.

Dry-Aged Beef: Try a Little Tenderness

A good steak is a good steak. I don't care if my neighbor raised it as long as it's good. My preference is the bone-in rib-eye steak or the T-bone. Filet mignons don't have enough flavor or texture for me. All I know is that I'm sure I'd appreciate any kobe (or more specifically Tajima) beef and Lobel's, hence my quick response to the initial proposal.

So panini, here's a toast to the wonderful tangents threads can take! :beer:
 
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