The blog of cooking-ez.com
Wipe meats and fish before cooking
When you want to cook meat or fish, there's a very simple yet very important step to take before you even start: It's to dry, or wipe, each side of the meat or fish, sometimes called "dabbing" or "sponging".
But why? And how? Let me explain.
But why? And how? Let me explain.
733 2 5
Last modified on: April 14th 2024
Keywords for this post:CookingDryingDryingMeatFishKitchen towelPaper towelPaper towelWipe meats and fish before cooking
When we're about to cook meat, we often take it out of the fridge, where it was wrapped in paper.
If it's been waiting a while, you've probably already noticed that it's moist, sometimes even almost wet, which is normal, as meat naturally exudes a little muscle fluid when it's resting.
The same goes for fish and scallops, which naturally become moist and slightly sticky when they wait a little too long before cooking.
This moisture isn't a problem in itself, but it can be a bit of a hindrance to cooking, because if you put the meat directly into the hot pan (for example), the moisture will, with the heat of the pan, create a little film of steam between the meat and the bottom (of the pan).
On the one hand, this film will reduce the cooking heat, thus increasing cooking time, but above all it will slow down caramelization (the famous Maillard reactions), and unfortunately your meat won't brown as well, and won't taste as good.
As you can see, it's no big deal, but the solution is so simple that it would be a shame to do without it: simply dry the meat well, dabbing it with a cloth or paper towel, before seasoning and cooking.
The same goes for fish and scallops: simply pat dry with kitchen paper before seasoning and cooking.
It's a reflex that restaurant chefs have: they systematically dry all their meats and fish before cooking them.
It's in our interest to follow their example...
To sum up: You should always dry meat or fish by dabbing it with a paper towel or tea towel before cooking, to ensure better cooking and coloring.
If it's been waiting a while, you've probably already noticed that it's moist, sometimes even almost wet, which is normal, as meat naturally exudes a little muscle fluid when it's resting.
The same goes for fish and scallops, which naturally become moist and slightly sticky when they wait a little too long before cooking.
This moisture isn't a problem in itself, but it can be a bit of a hindrance to cooking, because if you put the meat directly into the hot pan (for example), the moisture will, with the heat of the pan, create a little film of steam between the meat and the bottom (of the pan).
On the one hand, this film will reduce the cooking heat, thus increasing cooking time, but above all it will slow down caramelization (the famous Maillard reactions), and unfortunately your meat won't brown as well, and won't taste as good.
As you can see, it's no big deal, but the solution is so simple that it would be a shame to do without it: simply dry the meat well, dabbing it with a cloth or paper towel, before seasoning and cooking.
The same goes for fish and scallops: simply pat dry with kitchen paper before seasoning and cooking.
It's a reflex that restaurant chefs have: they systematically dry all their meats and fish before cooking them.
It's in our interest to follow their example...
To sum up: You should always dry meat or fish by dabbing it with a paper towel or tea towel before cooking, to ensure better cooking and coloring.
Lasts posts
Toss the salad
When you've finished preparing a salad, green or otherwise, it's usually time to add the dressing and toss. It's often said to "toss the salad", which means to season and mix. Is it easy? Not so easy...2,3635 March 8th 2024
Half milk, half cream
In a multitude of recipes, savoury or sweet, milk is used as the main ingredient, or at least as the main liquid ingredient. Milk is used instead of water, for example, because milk contains a proportion of fat, which adds roundness and softness to the recipe. This mellowness is very pleasant on...2,300 February 27th 2024
Cutting soft cheeses
As you may have already noticed, when you have to use a "soft" cheese in a recipe - their exact name is "soft cheese" - such as Camembert, Munster or Mont d'or, it's not easy to make anything other than thick slices.2,4385 February 20th 2024
It's spinning too fast!
When you need to grate or slice vegetables, you generally use an electric machine that does all the work: a food processor, a mixer with a "slicer" extension or similar. Are these machines really suitable? Generally speaking, yes of course, but there's one criterion that often poses a problem,...5,3365 November 12th 2023
When I was a kid, I didn't like...
Maybe you've already made this strange observation: when you were a kid, there were things you hated, but as an adult it's almost the opposite? For example, you used to hate spinach or chicory, but now you love it?4,9565 November 5th 2023
Other pages you may also like
Toss the salad
When you've finished preparing a salad, green or otherwise, it's usually time to add the dressing and toss. It's often said to "toss the salad", which means to season and mix. Is it easy? Not so easy...2,3635 March 8th 2024
It's spinning too fast!
When you need to grate or slice vegetables, you generally use an electric machine that does all the work: a food processor, a mixer with a "slicer" extension or similar. Are these machines really suitable? Generally speaking, yes of course, but there's one criterion that often poses a problem,...5,3365 November 12th 2023
The right weight of pastry for a pie
Let's try to solve a thorny problem: How much dough will I need when I make my next pie? You're planning to make a pie, you're going to use your favourite mould or circle, but how much pastry will you need to fill it completely with a well spread pastry, without being too thin, or on the contrary...58K4.3 March 20th 2020
Cutting soft cheeses
As you may have already noticed, when you have to use a "soft" cheese in a recipe - their exact name is "soft cheese" - such as Camembert, Munster or Mont d'or, it's not easy to make anything other than thick slices.2,4385 February 20th 2024
Candied fruits: don't get ripped off
Do you like candied fruit? You might like to nibble a handful or add it to a recipe, like a classic fruit cake or delicious Italian specialities like panettone or sicilian epiphany pie.53K 24.2 June 21th 2017
Follow this page
If you are interested in this page, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the page is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.