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44 Comments:
Well, I poach all the time. You boil water and put about a tablespoon of salt in the water. Then what ever you want to cook, you put it in the boiling water for 10-15 minutes then it is ready.
izatryt at 2:35PM on 08/06/09
Would that be a good, healthy way to cook a steak?
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 2:38PM on 08/06/09
"Poaching is the process of gently simmering food in liquid, generally water, milk, stock or wine."
How to poach anything.
Another thread on Serious Eats about how to poach chicken.
Alaina Browne at 2:39PM on 08/06/09
That's the only way I cook steak. Hubby won't eat it any other way.
arm1970 at 2:42PM on 08/06/09
If you are cooking steak, you could add some pepper to the water too. Make sure the steak is still cold from the fridge before adding it to the boiling water.
izatryt at 2:43PM on 08/06/09
It would be good not to let the water actually boil while food is poaching, as this can dry out your food. I googled cook's illustrated version of poaching which is sort of steaming. This site has a good description of it with salmon:
http://joycooks.blogspot.com/2008/04/poached-salmon-with-herb-and-caper.html
lemonfair at 3:20PM on 08/06/09
This can't be a serious question... Can it?
Junie at 3:29PM on 08/06/09
You need help all right...
;)
wookie at 3:29PM on 08/06/09
Well, I know you're supposed to wrap bacon around a filet mignon, right? Will the bacon cook if the water isn't boiling?
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 3:31PM on 08/06/09
If you are not using boiling water, the steak won't be rare in the center. I have never used bacon, but I bet it won't.
izatryt at 3:36PM on 08/06/09
I THINK I've seen this done with pears before. Not sure. It made them look all....gloopy...
mollykate678 at 3:38PM on 08/06/09
@mollykate678 ~ If they seemed mushy at all, your water wasn't at a full rolling boil. The salt is very important as well.
izatryt at 3:48PM on 08/06/09
This must be some weird technique I've never heard of from one of those old Lithuanian cookbooks.
arm1970 at 3:49PM on 08/06/09
Poaching can be a creative way to utilize liquids to flavour the "poached" item.
I once had veneson poached in milk.
It was a really interesting application but I wouldn't know the correct technique. The meat had an irresistably velvety texture I had never experienced before!
@missTEX: Poaching can be done right and done wrong. If you aren't familiar I would suggest following a recipe: are you thinking of steak?
hungrychristel at 3:59PM on 08/06/09
That's why I was looking to you guys for help. I heard poaching is healthy.
And then, I think a I'll boil some marmalade and make a marmalade glaze.
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 4:20PM on 08/06/09
That sound like a delicious finishing sauce for the steak! Would you mind posting the recipe?
izatryt at 4:22PM on 08/06/09
1 Jar of marmalade and 1 can of ginger ale (Canada Dry)
Combine in a pan on the stove. Add chopped sage. Boil/simmer until it is reduced and thick. Right before you take it off the stove, add 1 Tablespoon heavy cream.
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 4:37PM on 08/06/09
I've always adored poached bacon...but it must be at a rolling boil for at least 45 minutes. I think there's a reference to it in the new film Julie&Julia.
bessfour at 4:38PM on 08/06/09
Are you going to glaze the steak before or after you wrap it in bacon?
brooke29 at 4:40PM on 08/06/09
I think both.
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 4:45PM on 08/06/09
I agree, poaching done wrong is just gross but when it's done right, it's amazing. Poaching the bacon around a steak seems odd to me since one of the things that makes bacon so good is the texture when it is caramelized and crispy. I'd probably make sure you have a good recipe or cook it some other way. You really can't go wrong with bacon and meat...other than poaching that is. The thought of poaching bacon and steak kinda worries me. But then again, I've never had it so you never know!
bigfatmouth at 4:48PM on 08/06/09
Poaching is healthy, but just to be clear, so is grilling, roasting, etc. if you're not adding additional fats.
chgoeditor at 4:48PM on 08/06/09
@ carol...have you ever tried steaming? It takes awhile, but it makes a great result.
ChelleyD01 at 4:54PM on 08/06/09
Poaching is also slang for stealing akin to the term's application to illegal hunting for pelts (taking someone else's lunch out of the work fridge or from a catered meeting, riding a ski lift without a lift ticket, using a state or national park without paying for parking or entrance, mooching off a neighbor's unlocked wifi, etc). That is the only way I would poach a steak, as I highly doubt a simmered/poached steak would be very good ... at least the way I enjoy steak :P
joyyy at 5:00PM on 08/06/09
@carol - I think it's a good idea!
brooke29 at 5:09PM on 08/06/09
@ChelleyD01 ~ Steaming! Wow, I have never done that. I bet the meat would be incredibly tender and moist. I have a nice stainless steamer insert. I am making ribeyes tomorrow night. I am going to try that method. About how long for medium rare? Mine are about 1 3/4" thick.
izatryt at 5:15PM on 08/06/09
@ChelleyD01- What a good idea! Can you tell me how?
@ brooke29- Do you mean stealing is a good idea?
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 5:20PM on 08/06/09
@carol - I actually was talking about glazing the steak both before and after you wrap it in bacon (and before you start poaching them, of course)... but @joyyy has a point!
@izatryt - are you wrapping yours in bacon, too?
brooke29 at 5:35PM on 08/06/09
@brooke29 ~ No, I am making a brown gravy and I don't care for bacon and meat together.
izatryt at 5:42PM on 08/06/09
Healthy steak? I marinate filets in a bag with powdered Ranch dressing and EVOO, or marinate with Cajun seasoning and a little pepper, or sesame ginger marinade...and ALWAYS grill. Poaching is for...bland chicken...
and @hungrychristel, putting venison in milk is normal down in TX to reduce the game taste, but it's still best on the grill or in chili...
dharmon at 5:43PM on 08/06/09
@izatryt - ah, I see. Care to share the brown gravy recipe?
brooke29 at 5:46PM on 08/06/09
LMAO, I withdraw my previous comment...
dharmon at 5:47PM on 08/06/09
@dharmon ~ Ew! Powdered ranch dressing? With meat? That sounds really fake.
izatryt at 5:47PM on 08/06/09
Hey...I know where to find you....
dharmon at 5:48PM on 08/06/09
@dharmon, and eggs.... chicken and eggs.
blizcheetah at 9:33PM on 08/06/09
There are generally 2 types of poaching: shallow poach and a deep poach.
there are any number of liquids that can be used in poaching from court bullions, to full on oil poaching and many in between. (see Harold McGee)
Poaching should be started at a light boil (to kill off any surface bacteria) then the temperature reduced and the poaching liquid should be allowed to drop to the intended internal cooking temp of whatever you are cooking. If you have this much control on the heat, you can poach from here to eternity and the fish/meat will remain at the desired doneness.
Boiling water with salt added is blanching, and is intended to set color and flavor of fruits and vegetables... This is not a recommended cooking method for meat or fish because even moist heat will dry meat or fish out.
Hope this helps!
Pavlov at 8:21AM on 08/07/09
Whenever I poach steak, I always add a package of lime Jell-O to the poaching liquid. It gives the meat a sweet yummy tang. I believe this is how Heston Blumenthal cooks all of his meat. And don't forget to serve it with a nob of peanut butter.
SqueezeBottle at 8:37AM on 08/07/09
I've poached elk kebabs in a beef/chicken stock with fresh herbs, I just wouldnt poach in water though, seems to me you want to add as much flavor as possible. and btw AB had a show he did on poaching that was very informative and he even recomends using an electric skillet, which is the was I've done it for years.
huneybumper at 8:51AM on 08/07/09
Poaching a steak in lime Jell-O? This has to be a joke. I am getting the dry heaves just thinking about it.
eeels at 10:48AM on 08/07/09
This has been a baffling thread. Poaching a steak in lime jello? I suspect my horizons need to be expanded. I don't know that I've had any beef poached. It's just not a common technique in teh Caribbean, where I trace my culinary roots. In my head, I can't really differentiate it from boiled andI am picturing a grey wobbly, gristly mass. Anyone have pics?
BananaMonkey at 10:55AM on 08/07/09
i would throw some nice crab legs in and call it surf & turf.
dearrie at 1:03PM on 08/08/09
Excuse me. I think my leg is getting longer and longer....;.
lemons at 2:37PM on 08/08/09
@lemons~ How does that work?
izatryt at 5:11PM on 08/08/09
If you soak it in the poaching liquid we're talking about, it just naturally lengthens.
lemons at 9:36AM on 08/09/09