Steak

Bone in ribeye steak

Posted by Gary

If you want to skip the introduction, you can jump to the recipe.

Weight chart correct on Saturday 20230708. The thick horizontal line represents the goal weight.

Introduction

Dear Reader, 

I hope you have enjoyed your week. Mine has been terrific, fabulous even. 

Do you know the feeling when you’ve lost something and think you’ll never see it again, and then you find it? That feeling! That’s the feeling I have this week. 

Apart from this feeling of euphoria, this week, I’ve been exploring the role of diet and insulin resistance in developing Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM). I’ve been revising the endocrine system’s management of adipocytes and how low insulin levels cause fatty acid retention in adipocytes. Increasing the insulin by stimulating the pancreatic islet cells with sugar worsens the situation. Therefore, to burn the fatty acids, the insulin concentration has to be below a threshold that varies between individuals. The bottom line is minimising carbohydrates avoids raising the concentration of insulin. I didn’t find endocrinology all that interesting in medical school. My attention depends on the skills of the teacher. Self-interest-directed learning makes a difference in my level of interest.

Part of last week’s YouTube exploration involved listening and reading about Timothy Noakes from the Republic of South Africa (RSA). 

Noakes advocates for low carbohydrate, healthy fat (LCHF) (also known as real food) eating to prevent T2DM and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The ultimate aim is to stave off metabolic syndrome.

I’ve decided to transition from CSIRO TWD to LCHF eating to stave off insulin resistance and avoid T2DM as well as metabolic syndrome. The main difference between the two is the handling of fat. TWD is low fat while LCHF encourages good fat. Good fat doesn’t stimulate the release of insulin in the same quantity as protein and carbohydrates.

Tim Noakes led me to Gary Taubes and Nina Teicholz. Both are journalists with science backgrounds. Gary is best known for his books on low carbohydrate, healthy fat eating and the history behind many approaches. The book I read this week is The Case for Keto. I’ll read Good Calories, Bad Calories next. Nina is best known for her book The Big Fat Surprise.

Between the books on low carbohydrate, and healthy fat eating, I relaxed and listened to some chapters of Love Stories, which Kathleen sent me as a gift. The book is a series of vignettes told by the author, who asks strangers to share with him a love story. Set in contemporary Brisbane, and as I listen to him narrate his book (Kathleen knows I prefer listening over reading), it draws me to the streets of the central business district and the suburbs he mentions, which I’m familiar with.

The vignettes are moving with humour and solemnity, reflecting Trent Dalton’s casual writing style.

Thanks, Kathleen.

Recipe

Equipment

  • Precision cooker
  • Water bath
  • Frypan
  • Stick blender

Ingredients

  • Bone-in ribeye steak
  • Salt
  • Butter
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Curry powder
  • Lettuce leaves
  • Avocado
  • Olive oil
  • Olives

Instructions

  1. Season the steak and place it into a vacuum bag.
  2. Seal the bag and cook at 55 °C for 2 hours.
  3. Remove the steak and dry the surface with a paper towel.
  4. Sear the steak in a frypan with some butter.
  5. Put three egg yolks into a tall cup and blend.
  6. Add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and two teaspoons of curry powder and blend.
  7. Melt 120 g of butter and pour slowly into the cup while blending.
  8. Keep the cup of sauce warm.
  9. Dice an avocado and toss with some lettuce leaves and olives. Dress the salad with apple cider vinegar and olive oil.
  10. Arrange everything on a plate.
  11. Give thanks to the Lord.
  12. Eat with a steak knife and a fork.
  13. Gnaw the meat and fat from the bone, then lick your fingers and lips.

Thoughts on the meal

What’s not to like? A nice steak and a thick gooey sauce along with a fresh salad. The meat was tender and beefy with fantastic mouthfeel. The sauce was thick, creamy, and salty and coated the inside of my mouth, tongue, and lips. The salad, especially the apple cider vinegar helped cut the richness of the sauce and the beef. A perfect meal to share with a perfect person.

Final thoughts

I decided this week to finish the CSIRO TWD. I’ve achieved my goal weight, and I feel confident I can maintain it without paying a monthly fee for the software application. I always have the option of starting again if I need to. I’m grateful to Kathleen for getting me onto it and helping me achieve a healthy body weight.

  • How do you feel when you find something you thought you lost?
  • Do you ever revisit material you may have covered at school and find it’s easier to understand in later life?
  • How was your week?

Photographs

Bone in ribeye steak and scotch fillet steak. The scotch fillet steak is for next week.
Seasoned bone in ribeye steak and scotch fillet steak. The scotch fillet steak is for next week.
Green and black olives
Egg yolks
Bone in ribeye steak pre-searing
Bone in ribeye steak seared
Bone in ribeye steak seared
Bone in ribeye steak with curry flavoured hollandaise sauce and a olive, avocado, and lettuce salad dressed with apple cider vinegar and olive oil

Easter tri-cheeses celeriac mash

Posted by Gary

Easter Sunday Dinner. Sous vide porterhouse steak with Easter tri-cheeses Vegemite celeriac mash.
Easter Sunday Dinner. Sous vide porterhouse steak with Easter tri-cheeses Vegemite celeriac mash.

 

Easter tri-cheeses celeriac mash

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Celeriac mash is a new love of mine. I’ve been making it a little recently to enjoy with steak. I was on Twitter earlier today and my friend, Zena, mentioned she was keen to try mac and cheese made with brie, parmesan, and blue cheeses. Given I’m low carb living at the moment, I thought I’d try three cheeses with my Vegemite celeriac mash. I call it my Easter tri-cheeses Vegemite celeriac mash.

If you’re on Twitter, check out Zena, and follow her.

I bought everything from Coles.

I cooked with my Anova Culinary Precision Cooker.

Continue reading →

Oven roasted scotch fillet steak with cheesy creamy vegetables Meater review

Posted by Gary

Oven roasted scotch fillet steak with cheesy creamy vegetables

MEATER® review

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At the beginning of every January, Trevor Long, Chris Bowen and Geoff Quattromani from the EFTM podcast make their annual pilgrimage to CES in Las Vegas. EFTM is a technology, motor car and lifestyle podcast primarily aimed at blokes. It’s not safe for work (NSFW), it’s not safe for kids to listen to, and, it is very blokey. While at CES Geoff wrote a review of the MEATER®️ meat thermometer on the EFTM website.

This is a photograph of my scotch fillet steak cooked rare with the cheesy creamy horseradish flavoured vegetables in a dish. The meat is cut and obviously rare.

While I own and use very basic meat thermometers, using one requires opening and closing the oven door multiples times. I prefer not to open the door until the food is ready. The Bluetooth and wireless capability of the MEATER®️ meat thermometer sounded like a good solution. It would mean I could cook meat for the right period of time without overcooking the flesh.

I went to the MEATER®️ website and looked through all the information and decided to buy one. The manufacturers have an Australian agent and as soon as I completed the order I received an e-mail explaining the product was ordered but there would be a slight delay. About a week later I received another e-mail informing me of another slight delay. All in all, the total waiting time was about a month. This didn’t really worry me and I was grateful for the regular updates.

When my new MEATER®️ meat thermometer arrived at my post office box, I was really impressed with the no-frills packaging. It gave me the feeling of a precision instrument.

This is a photograph of the MEATER® in its box

I’ve used my MEATER®️ meat thermometer about half a dozen times now in chicken (Maryland pieces), beef (scotch fillet steak) and pork (chops). It’s been brilliant. The meat has been cooked well and each meal has been distinguished by moist, tender and juicy animal flesh. I’m yet to try lamb, but I can’t imagine there will be any problems.

The iOS app works well and I’ve not experienced any Bluetooth connection problems. On Instagram and Twitter search for #meatermade to get an idea of the sorts of meals, people are cooking with their MEATER®️ meat thermometer. After each meal is cooked, I get an e-mail survey asking me how my meal was. I’ll probably turn this feature off when the novelty wears off. Notifications in the app work well and five minutes (this can be adjusted) before the end of the cooking time a tone is emitted and it gives you enough time to prepare to get the meat out and to allow the meat to rest.

This is a screenshot from the MEATER® iOS app of tonight's cook.

Leave the MEATER®️ meat thermometer in the meat until resting is complete and then simply wash it in warm soapy water. It comes in a wooden box which houses an AAA battery which charges the probe before each use.

This is a photograph of the box which my MEATER® came in.

Recipe

This is a photograph of my scotch fillet steak cooked rare with the cheesy creamy horseradish flavoured vegetables in a dish. The meat is cut and obviously rare.
Print
Oven roasted scotch fillet steak with cheesy creamy vegetables
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
40 mins
 
Oven roasted scotch fillet steak using the MEATER®️ meat thermometer to achieve a perfect medium rare steak which I served with some cheesy creamy vegetables.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Australian
Servings: 1
Calories: 500 kcal
Author: Gary
Ingredients
  • 1 Scotch fillet steak seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and vacuum packed.
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Peas
  • Corn
  • Cream
  • Cheese grated
  • Horseradish cream
Instructions
  1. Pat the steak dry and season both sides with iodised salt, black pepper and garlic powder.
  2. Vacuum pack and refrigerate overnight.
    This is a photograph of the seasoned scotch fillet steak in its vacuum packing.
  3. Remove the steak from the refrigerator an hour before cooking to get it to room temperature.
    This is a photograph of the scotch fillet steak with the MEATER® inserted
  4. Insert the MEATER®️ meat thermometer into the steak and place on a baking sheet.

  5. Place the steak into a preheated oven (200 °C/400 °F).

  6. Cook using the MEATER®️ App.
  7. Rest the meat as per the app.
  8. While the steak was cooking put the broccoli, cauliflower, peas and corn into a microwave radiation safe container and cook using microwave radiation until the broccoli is soft.
  9. Drain the vegetables and put them in an ovenproof dish with some cream and cheese.
  10. When the steak and Brussels sprouts are removed from the oven, put the vegetables into the oven, turn the heat up to high to brown the cheese.
  11. Sear the steak with a torch or use a hot frying pan or if you want the best, go outside and use a flamethrower.
    This is a photograph of the rare scotch fillet steak which I've cut into slices.
  12. Serve the steak and vegetables on a plate.
    This is a photograph of my scotch fillet steak cooked rare with the cheesy creamy horseradish flavoured vegetables in a dish. The meat is cut and obviously rare.
  13. Shoot a photograph.
  14. Savour the meal.
  15. Write the recipe.
  16. Write the blog post.
  17. Hope your readers will share the post on social media.
Recipe Notes

I do not work out, look up or calculate the energy content of my meals. In this recipe plugin I have to add a figure, so I default to 500 Calories (500,000 calories).

Photographs

As well as some photographs of dishes I’ve previously cooked using the MEATER®.

Click on one image and then scroll through all the photographs.

Poppy and sesame seed crusted Chicken Maryland with Meater thermometer.
Scotch fillet steak with vegetables. The meat was oven baked with the MEATER thermometer.
Tuesday dinner. Poppy and sesame seed crusted Chicken Maryland with fennel and tomato lime salad.

Questions and answers

What’s the advantage of using a meat thermometer?

The most important reason is food safety. You do not want to undercook your meat. This is especially true for poultry. Always shop, prepare and cook with an assumption in your head that every chicken, duck, turkey and goose contains Salmonella and Campylobacter in its main cavity. Given the proximity of the main body cavity with the major cut of flesh, bacterial contamination is really easy.

For chicken, you want the internal temperature to get to about 75 °C/167 °F.

For mammals, most cuts are large muscle bundles and are effectively isolated from the body cavities. Mammal meat is relatively safe when it comes to pathogenic bacteria assuming the meat processing and butchering have been managed safely.

Because, most mammalian meat is best eaten rare or bordering on medium rare, precise temperature measurement is an advantage. Hence, the advantage of a meat thermometer.

What’s your favourite cut of beef?

There’s a lot of argument on what makes a good steak. In my find, a good steak tastes beefy and it is tender. The best compromise for pan frying in my limited experience is scotch fillet or rib eye fillet steak.

The flavour though of porterhouse or rump cap is really rich and if I could cook that so it was tender I’d be really happy.

There may be a change on that front soon. I’ve purchased a water recirculator and I’m going to experiment with sous vide cooking.

Should you use a steak knife when eating steak?

OMG, yes. Cutting steak effectively and efficiently adds to the whole eating experience. While you can cut a properly cooked steak with a butter knife, why would you? A well-weighted steak knife makes all the difference. A well-balanced steak knife is a thing of beauty. A well-made steak knife is a tool to treasure, protect and maintain.

You seem to like the MEATER®️ meat thermometer. Were you paid by them for this review?

No, Yummy Lummy currently receives no sponsorship or financial support. If MEATER®️ wants to send me products to try, I’m happy to discuss an opportunity.

Update (Tuesday, 13 February, 2018)

I was asked about the price of the MEATER®, I was able to buy it on-line in January 2018 for AUD$129.

Final words

So I’ve dipped my toes back into podcasting. I recently closed off my health and medical podcast so I can now focus entirely on food blogging.

I will be recording and dropping a regular weekly show soon. It will be called, “The Yummy Lummy Cooking for one podcast.”

What I’ve done recently is start a super short random show named, “Random Yummy.” I’ve dropped two shows so far. You can find them at:

https://YummyLummy.com/RY0001

https://YummyLummy.com/RY0002

Let me know what you think.

So dear reader, do you regularly use a meat thermometer? Let me know in the comments section below.

Dijon mustard and chives crusted scotch fillet steak

Posted by Gary

Scotch fillet steak on a Saturday night is even better if it’s a steak sandwich

I watched a Nicko’s Kitchen video on YouTube recently on how to cook a perfect scotch fillet steak. My technique is slightly different in that I follow the Heston Blumenthal method of rapid flipping every fifteen to twenty seconds.

 

Anyway, I wanted a steak sandwich for dinner. I liked the way Nicko crusted his steak by using Dijon mustard and chopped chives. It looked very pretty. It also added a nice taste too. 

What you’ll need

Scotch fillet steak

Salt

Olive oil

Butter

Thyme

Chives

Dijon mustard

Cracked pepper

Lettuce

Tomato

Swiss cheese slices

Bread roll

Here’s what you do

Slice the bread roll into halves

Apply some Dijon mustard to the inside of each half

Add a slice of Swiss cheese

Put the bread under a grill for a few minutes to slightly melt the cheese

Remove some lettuce leaves and wash them

Slice the tomato and allow it to rest on some paper towel

Apple some pepper to one side of the tomato

The steak should have been in the refrigerator for about half a day at least uncovered

Take the steak out at least an hour before you’re ready to cook to get it to room temperature

Rub some olive oil all over the steak

Season the steak with salt

Get a pan smoking hot

Put the steak in the pan and flip every 15 to 20 seconds and cook until you like it

I like my steak rare

Add some thyme and a bit of butter and allow the butter to melt and the thyme to flavour the meat

Let the steak rest for at least 5 minutes

Coat one side of the steak with Dijon Mustard

Flip the steak over onto a plate of chopped chives and coat the steak

Scotch fillet steak with chives and Dijon mustard Gary Lum
Scotch fillet steak with chives and Dijon mustard [Click on the photograph for a full view]
Slice into the desired thickness

Prepare the steak sandwich with the bread roll and melted cheese

Enjoy a nice juicy steak sandwich

Scotch fillet steak with chives and Dijon mustard sandwich Gary Lum
Scotch fillet steak with chives and Dijon mustard sandwich [Click on the photo for a full view]

Parting words

I regularly post photographs of food to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Please feel free to connect with me on any social media platform.
I also have a podcast. It’s not food related but each show is short and it’s named Medical Fun Facts. You can find it in the iTunes podcast store as well as Stitcher. A show drops every Monday and Tuesday. It has a little cynicism, a little scepticism and occasionally some sarcasm.

What I’ve eaten this week

Posted by Gary

Another week

It’s been a good week in food. While my predictability remains high, there has been some variation. I’ve also been trying to vary how I share what I’ve been eating. I’m using Snapchat more especially video which I share via Instagram. I’ve also been producing a few more YouTube videos to share how I have prepared food. I set up a page for them.

Split pea and ham soup

Last Sunday I made split pea and ham soup again in an attempt to get it to look more green. Instead of carrot I used potato. It wasn’t much greener.

 

Slow cooker split green pea and ham soup with Jalapeño peppers and chilli for kick
Slow cooker split green pea and ham soup with Jalapeño peppers and chilli for kick

Salmon

I cooked salmon in paper one night and a quick pan fried version the following evening.

Salmon cooked in paper with sugar snap peas and onion served with avocado
Salmon cooked in paper with sugar snap peas and onion served with avocado

Salmon cooked in paper with sugar snap peas and onion served with avocado
Salmon cooked in paper with sugar snap peas and onion served with avocado

Pan fried salmon with pearl barley couscous and chickpeas
Pan fried salmon with pearl barley couscous and chickpeas

Chicken Maryland

On Wednesday night I made cheesy Chicken Maryland with leftover slow cooker oyster blade steak.

Slow cooker oyster blade steak with Chicken Maryland served with avocado
Slow cooker oyster blade steak with Chicken Maryland served with avocado

On Friday evening I wrapped my Chicken Maryland in Pialligo estate artisan bacon

Bacon wrapped chicken Maryland
Bacon wrapped chicken Maryland

Chicken schnitzel wrap

On Thursday at lunch time I had a chicken schnitzel with chips wrap with friends

Royal chicken schnitzel chip butty with pink lemonade
Royal chicken schnitzel chip butty with pink lemonade

McDonald’s Double Quarter Pounder with a large vanilla thick shake

Thursday was a long day. I started with a 6 am teleconference and ended with a lecture at the ANU Medical School from 5.30 to 7.15 pm. I stopped at McDonalds on the way back to the apartment.

#dinner of champions from @mcdonaldsau #snapchat #iphone #instafood #foodporn #yummy

A video posted by Yummy Lummy Gary Lum Food Blog (@yummylummyblog) on

Raisin toast after a 6 am teleconference #breakfast #yummy #delicious #instafood #foodporn #iphone #snapchat

A video posted by Yummy Lummy Gary Lum Food Blog (@yummylummyblog) on

 

Roast pork with crispy crackling and potatoes

On Friday while working at The Canberra Hospital I enjoyed a meal of roast pork with crispy crackling and potatoes

Roast pig with crispy crackling and spuds #lunch #yummy #delicious #instafood #foodporn #iphone #snapchat

A video posted by Yummy Lummy Gary Lum Food Blog (@yummylummyblog) on

 

Bacon and eggs

Saturday morning called for bacon and eggs

Pialligo Estate bacon and eggs
Pialligo Estate bacon and eggs

Garlo’s pie and sausage roll

Saturday lunch was a little extravagant with a pie and sausage roll

Garlo’s pie and sausage roll for #lunch #delicious #yummy #foodporn #instafood #iphone #snapchat

A video posted by Gary Lum (@garydlum) on

Garlo's beef and mushroom pie with Worcestershire sauce and a Garlo's sausage roll with barbecue sauce
Garlo’s beef and mushroom pie with Worcestershire sauce and a Garlo’s sausage roll with barbecue sauce

 

Fried noodles

Saturday night was ‘vegetarian’ fried noodles with vegetables

Fried noodles with cheese and vegetables
Fried noodles with cheese and vegetables

Pelicans on Lake Ginninderra

It’s a 3 pelican day on #lakeginninderra #belconnen #canberra #cbr #iphone #snapchat

A video posted by Gary Lum (@garydlum) on

Pelicans on Lake Ginninderra
Pelicans on Lake Ginninderra

Pelicans on Lake Ginninderra
Pelicans on Lake Ginninderra

Park bench on Lake Ginninderra
Park bench on Lake Ginninderra

Pelicans on Lake Ginninderra
Pelicans on Lake Ginninderra

Pelicans on Lake Ginninderra
Pelicans on Lake Ginninderra