Re: Propane torch for steaks

April 22, 2002

Lynn-

>I often use a small propane torch to brown meats.

Sounds interesting, but wouldn't you wind up eating some propane residue

and combustion products?

-

April 22, 2002

I imagine there is some combustion product on the surface of the meat. I think

it would be comparable to the combustion product left on meat after it's in

contact with dry metal heated to a high temperature. You would avoid the

byproducts of fat heated to high temperature, which you would get if any fat was

used to saute a steak in a pan. I think the propane torch method would be

comparable to cooking a steak over flame on a grill. I hold the torch about a

foot away from the meat, and I use the lowest setting that keeps the flame

burning.

I don't know about propane residue. I don't how completely propane burns or if

some residue is left. I don't taste anything like propane when I've cooked this

way. I think that unless you ate a steak completely raw, no matter what method

you used, you'd get some contamination from the cooking method. And then you'd

have to worry about bacterial contamination.

Lynn

>I often use a small propane torch to brown meats.

Sounds interesting, but wouldn't you wind up eating some propane residue

and combustion products?

April 22, 2002

At 12:04 AM 4/22/2002 -0600, you wrote:

>I imagine there is some combustion product on the surface of the meat. I

>think it would be comparable to the combustion product left on meat after

>it's in contact with dry metal heated to a high temperature. You would

>avoid the byproducts of fat heated to high temperature, which you would

>get if any fat was used to saute a steak in a pan. I think the propane

>torch method would be comparable to cooking a steak over flame on a

>grill. I hold the torch about a foot away from the meat, and I use the

>lowest setting that keeps the flame burning.

>

>I don't know about propane residue. I don't how completely propane burns

>or if some residue is left. I don't taste anything like propane when I've

>cooked this way. I think that unless you ate a steak completely raw, no

>matter what method you used, you'd get some contamination from the cooking

>method. And then you'd have to worry about bacterial contamination.

>Lynn

> >I often use a small propane torch to brown meats.

>

> Sounds interesting, but wouldn't you wind up eating some propane

> residue and combustion products?

>

Propane is a colorless odorless naturally occurring gas but is also

produced as byproduct petroleum refining. It is as clean burning as Natural

Gas. When it is burned at high temperatures the byproducts of combustion

are water and carbon dioxide. You will see propane used as fuel for engines

on lift trucks inside warehouses.

April 22, 2002

>>> I think that unless you ate a steak completely raw, no matter what

method you used, you'd get some contamination from the cooking method. And

then you'd have to worry about bacterial contamination.

***Well, I don't see how lightly sauteeing a steak in butter would produce

contaminated endproducts. Or even sauteeing in lard or some other highly

saturated fat.

Does anyone here simply broil their steaks? Any concerns with this method of

cooking meat? I guess I feel I'm not going to completely avoid all possible

oxidized fat or other harmful end products, but would like to find a cooking

method that produces a great tasting piece of meat, and is not on the *high*

end of the harmful end product scale...is there any such method?

Suze Fisher

Web Design & Development

http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3shjg/

mailto:s.fisher22@...

April 22, 2002

I know Sally warns against too much barbequing (darn!) in NT--and if you do it

to be sure not to have the meat in direct contact with the flame. I think the

" charred " effect has some carcinogenic hazards. Not sure of the details here

and I don't have NT handy...

April 22, 2002

At 07:03 AM 4/22/2002 -0400, you wrote:

>Does anyone here simply broil their steaks? Any concerns with this method of

>cooking meat? I guess I feel I'm not going to completely avoid all possible

>oxidized fat or other harmful end products, but would like to find a cooking

>method that produces a great tasting piece of meat, and is not on the *high*

>end of the harmful end product scale...is there any such method?

>

>Suze Fisher

To my mind, the simplest and best method is to get one of those cast-iron

" grill " pans (they are cheap, about $10 last I checked). It has little

ridges so the fats and juices drip to the bottom. Season it according to

the directions. Get it hot on the stove, then toss the steak on it, cook as

long as you like, the turn it over. After you are done cooking, throw some

water on the hot pan (it makes a nice cloud of steam) and it will clean

itself. Cooking for 5 people, I've tried every method on the market, and

that's the easiest! Also the tastiest.

The carmelized spots where the meat cooks probably are carcinogenic to some

degree. Not as much as barbequeing. If you eat the steak with some

antioxidants that helps. And avoid nitrated foods. People who eat beef are

supposed to get more cancer, but lately the thought is that it may not be

the carmelization process, but rather that a lot of the beef consumed is in

the form of nitrate or nitrite preserved beef. I don't know, but figure

human beings have been eating grilled large animals for a LONG time and

that's why we love the taste so much!

If you want to be healthier though, I think stewing or braising is safer as

far as carcinogens. And there is a lot to be said for a good stew with good

stock too!

Heidi Schuppenhauer

Trillium Custom Software Inc.

heidis@...

April 23, 2002

Suze Fisher wrote:

>

> >>> I think that unless you ate a steak completely raw, no matter what

> method you used, you'd get some contamination from the cooking method. And

> then you'd have to worry about bacterial contamination.

>

> ***Well, I don't see how lightly sauteeing a steak in butter would produce

> contaminated endproducts. Or even sauteeing in lard or some other highly

> saturated fat.

>

> Does anyone here simply broil their steaks? Any concerns with this method of

> cooking meat? I guess I feel I'm not going to completely avoid all possible

> oxidized fat or other harmful end products, but would like to find a cooking

> method that produces a great tasting piece of meat, and is not on the *high*

> end of the harmful end product scale...is there any such method?

I almost always broil mine medium-rare. I like them grilled too, but

being apartment bound, the grill is a pain to set up and break down.

One of the tips I found from my favorite steakhouse is that when you're

done grilling the steak melt a pat of butter on it. It makes it look

nice, gives it a nice texture, and adds to the flavor as well.

Using a torch to cook the steak so that you have a well cooked/charred

outside and a cool red center produces a style called " Pittsburgh " ,

which some people like a lot. It's usually produced on a grill by

putting oil or fat on the coals under the steak so that flames flare up

around it and produce the same effect.

ly, as long as the meat is good quality grass fed beef I don't

think the method of cooking matters much. If you have enough

antioxidants in your diet then they'll take care of any free radicals

you eat on your grilled meat.

Keep in mind, in many traditional societies where they eat beef they

cook it by placing it directly on the coals or toasting it in the fire.

The bottom line is eat what makes you happy.

Alan Petrillo

--

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a career. Aviation is a way of life.

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April 24, 2002

I'd like to clarify a misconception that's appeared about my propane torch

method. I use the same torch my husband uses when he solders copper pipes.

When I mentioned using the torch to char, the char was only in reference to

vegetables with waxy skin, particularly green ortega chilis. Mexican food

preparation calls for chilis to be roasted (and I char them) so that the waxy

skin will peel off from the underlying substrate. The waxy skin does not have

much fat content, so you don't have the danger of oxidized fats, which I agree

are a cause for concern. After removing the blackened peel, the underlying

pepper or whatever is barely heated, much less then if it was broiled or

roasted. There is no burnt taste. A number of folks have converted to this way

of preparing fresh green chilis. I find the vegetable to be more digestible if

the indigestible waxy skin is removed.

When I use the torch with meat, I only apply enough heat to brown the meat

surface. Because I can move the propane torch flame easily around any surface

irregularities and also around the sides of the meat, the meat is uniformly

browned and is never blackened or charred. I don't have any blackened grill

lines either. With much less smoke produced than compared to grilling,

barbecuing, or broiling, I think there is less oxidized fat compared to those

methods. I do not believe it is comparable to having flame flare up all around

it, since the torch flame is very localized and cooks only a very small part of

the meat at any one time. I find it's an easy way to prepare meat, but I

suspect the idea of using a torch intimidates a lot of people.