The Time And Temperature Trap

The one question I always get asked is: How long do I need to cook it? While most chefs struggle with this question, it is one that you have to answer for supper clubs.

The answer to the how long to cook question is that it depends. There are all kinds of variables that come into play:

How hot is the grill, oven or pan?
How thick is the meat or whatever you are cooking
Was the item being cooked brought to room temperature before cooking?
Was the oven or grill repeatedly opened?
How many times was something turned on the grill or pan?

Even though time and temperature are not the best determinant of whether something is cooked correctly they are the easiest to follow and the most asked for. In my book: “Impromptu Friday Nights – A Guide to Supper Clubs” time and temperature ranges are provided as an indicator. I believe in the three keys outlined in my blog on how to cook the perfect steak.

Instant and external read Thermometers
Touch (How firm is the meat, the firmer the more well done)
Cut a little slice

With all of the above said, there had been a long-standing traditions in the Kenny family. The Prime Rib of Beef was always overcooked and whoever said grace would break out in tears. Today if there are any tears to be shed it isn’t because the beef is over done. The use of an external read thermometer and a little experience has ensured that the beef will be the perfect medium rare every time.

I am a fan of the Paula Dean Roast NEVER OPEN OVEN DOOR method.

Check it out:

It combines time temperature and an external read thermometer. The external read thermometer takes the guess-work out of the process. It also reduces the anxiety that not being able to open the oven door can create.

Experience also comes into play. What a lot of recipes don’t tell you is that meat will continue to cook after it is taken out of the oven. The best example is beef tenderloin. Many recipes call for it to be cooked to 130 degrees for medium rare. If you take it out of the oven at 130 degrees it will continue to cook to 145 degrees and a miserable well done.

Experience comes from practice. Whenever I write a supper club menu I test it first. We once had a supper club menu that called for a beef tenderloin to be cooked to 135 degrees for medium rare. The person who wrote the menu got the recipe from a well known source. If you take a tenderloin out of the oven at 135 you will get well done shoe leather. I was left with a dilemma. Say nothing and let some really good expensive beef be turned to shoe leather or say something and insult the person that wrote the menu. I tried to be diplomatic. The good news is that the tenderloins were cooked perfectly. The bad news is the person who I corrected thinks I am a jerk. She is probably right.

Cooking to temperature is a definite supper club challenge. A little practice and using thermometers really helps.

If you enjoy this blog and similar other stories/supper club lessons subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and be on the look out for my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs due out from Morgan James Publishing on January 30, 2018.If you enjoy this blog and similar other stories/supper club lessons subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and be on the look out for my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs due out from Morgan James Publishing on January 30, 2018.

Hero Recipes

Hero recipes are the ones that people keep coming back for. Gorgonzola Stuffed Shrimp Wrapped in Bacon is one that my supper club guys fight over and the wives ask for the recipe time and again.

Check out the recipe:

Think about it. It has all the basic food groups, shrimp bacon and cheese. Throw in the fact that it has lots of flavor from the grill/roasting process. Top it off with the addition of bacon, and everyone knows that if you add bacon to anything people will like it.

The great thing about Hero Recipes is that brands have been built around them. I worked at the old General Foods and the story is that their recipe for Germans Sweet Chocolate cake was the most asked for recipe in the history of General Foods. As a General Foods alumnus (The joke at Kraft was that on my tombstone it will say “He knew Coconut”) I can tell you that this recipe was a key driver behind the retail sales of Baker’s Chocolate and Baker’s Coconut. Given that the history of both these brands goes back to the 1800’s it really says something.

Check Out the Recipe

So now that I have written this book about supper clubs, maybe my recipe for Gorgonzola Stuffed Shrimp Wrapped in Bacon will propel the sales of my book “Impromptu Friday Nights – A Guide to Supper Clubs”. That would be great, but the book isn’t really about recipes. It is about how to organize a supper club and enjoy socializing over a meal.

I Don’t Cook But I Know Where to Buy – Memphis

In Yesterday’s blog I outlined the concept of having a supper club where you can socialize over a meal without cooking. It is really simple, you can buy everything you need for a great dinner party from restaurant takeout and/or markets.

I used the example of my daughter’s mother in law Helene who lives in Montauk. She doesn’t cook and puts on great dinner parties sourcing from local markets and restaurants. Skeptics have told me that it is easy in Montauk because it is the “Hamptons” where the rich and famous live. Of course you can get great stuff but you might have to fight off celebrities. Truth is while you might see Jerry Seinfeld, Ralph Lauren or Jimmy Fallon, but you are more likely to see ordinary Tom, Dick and Sally’s trying to find a place to eat.

I have a buddy Preston that has a lake house in Iuka Mississippi and he has the same culinary challenge there as Helene has in Montauk. There are plenty of restaurant options around the lake, but good luck getting in with a group during peak dinner hours in the summer. Take out is easy. Getting reservations for a large group on short notice is impossible.

THE ANSWER IS BUY IT AND BRING IT HOME!

I am writing this in Memphis so I have to start with BBQ. On my very first visit to Memphis in 1990 we went to the famous Corky’s for ribs. I ordered the rib platter and the waitress asked: “Do you like your ribs wet or dry?” I was clueless and mumbled: “excuse me?” She responded: “Y’all are a Yankee, you will like your ribs wet”. She was right.

In Memphis you can get your ribs “wet” (with sauce) or “dry” (with a dry seasoning rub). Either way they are great. After 27 years of living in Memphis I can tell you that most Memphians like their ribs dry and ALL Yankees like them Wet.

Following is an outline of an: “I Don’t Cook But I Know Where To Buy – Memphis Menu”. It identifies the menu items and where to get them. All the host has to do is delegate who gets what and you are on your way.

The bottom line is that you don’t need to be a great cook to throw a great supper club party. All you need to know is where to buy and that Yankees like their ribs wet.