ouchie

Cuts, burns, scrapes, and scars are part of working in a kitchen. Injuries are pretty common in the kitchen; sharp knives, hot stoves, steam, oil, cookware, and more are all hazards. Every movement in a kitchen should be done with a sense of urgency. Movement is never rushed even though it may look that way. Everything is achieved through precise focus or innate instinct.

The injuries one sustains while working don't feel painful or hurt. Instead, they're simply just a nuisance to deal. They slow you down and have to tend to them, injuries throw you off stride. They're primarily caused because you rushed what you were doing or weren't concentrating on the task at hand.

I've sustained numerous cuts, nicks, and burns. I've carved off pieces from my fingers, bled profusely, scalded myself, and have heard a hot pan sizzle in my bare hand. None of them have been extremely painful. They've all just been a stinging reminder that I've slipped up somewhere in my work.

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white jacket

The white chef coat is probably one of the most recognizable physical feature of all cooks. It's made of thick cotton to protect from the heat of the kitchen, rolled back French cuffs, thermometer sleeve pockets, and double breasted so stains can be hidden quickly. To me, wearing this jacket signifies the devotion to cooking seriously.

Anyone that knows me and sees me in person will say that I wear a lot of black. It's true, I've worn a lot of dark colours since my teenage years. It's only recently that I've begun to branch out into the world of colours. If I was ever caught wearing white it would be an undershirt. Having me wearing white or a lot of colours and my friends will probably say it will throw off the natural balance of the world.

I work in a corporate office and am one of two people to wear chef whites. I'm noticeably different from everyone else with dress shirts. The other person wearing whites only has the coat on when cooking, my coat goes on in the morning and doesn't come off until I leave. Some probably think this practice is odd but the coat is something physical that defines me.

I really like wearing the coat and the feelings it bring. It symbolizes what I'm working towards and the person that I am slowly becoming. It fits me and who I am, and that's all that matters.

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I love the smell of rot in the morning...

It smells like, victory....

Dry aging meat is something that top restaurants around the world will do. Usually this process must occur in very controlled conditions of temperature and humidity as to ensure proper aging. After all, the meat is just being allowed to rot. I love food, I'm also daring with what I eat and how I experiment. In short, I dry aged a standing rib roast in my home refrigerator.

Dry aging is a timely process. As the meat is allowed to age it dries out and loses moisture, this concentrates the beef flavour. A downside to this is that the loss in weight (from the lost water) increases the cost of the meat. Also, enzymes within the meat break downs the muscle tissues and results in a tenderer piece of meat.

I love roast beef, specifically, I love standing rib roasts. I refuse to call a standing rib roast, "prime rib" unless the beef has come cut from USDA certified Prime beef. If I called every rib roast as prime rib then I may as well call canned tuna "sushi grade tuna". They're two completely different things. Great beef is something special and something to be appreciated. Cooking a rib roast can be simple but for great results you need to begin with great beef, this is what the experiment was about.

I purchased a Canadian AA grade rib roast that weighed about 3 kg. I aged it in my fridge for 6 days and took photos every 48 hours to document that aging process and how it transformed the cut of meat. At the end of the process I trimmed the meat of leathery and dark portions as well as trimming a thin layer of dried out fat from the cap.

0 hours

48 hours

4 days

6 days

Trim

I seasoned the roast with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. I begin the roasting process at a high temperature to sear the meat and then lower the temperature to continue roast. The exact process is 450F for 15 minutes and then lowered to 300F and continue roasting for 15 minutes per pound. I actually learned this technique from the Chef at Home cooking show, this method has never failed me.

Cooking the roast was tricky due to the fact that it had lost water weight from drying out. I estimated that it lost at least 1.5 lbs and cooked it as if it were 5 lbs. Towards the last half hour of roasting I probed the meat using an instant read thermometer to ensure proper degree of doneness.

THE RESULT

Appearance: Medium-Rare beef. Red meat through the cut that dulls in colour towards the edges indicated a higher degree of doneness.

Aroma: Strong beef aroma. Most noticeable upon the first slice in the beef. Fat portions also had stronger beef aroma that expected.

Flavour: Stronger beef flavour in the portions closer to the exterior cut of the meat.

Texture: Tender meat. Most tender portions were those closer to the exterior of the meat. Well done portions were surprisingly tender, having a consistency typical of braised meats.

This experiment was worth it. Next time I want to do it for twice as long and with a better cut of beef. I'll up the ante from AA grade to AAA.

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