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Almost no skill required to cook a steak

263 points · 304 comments · yusyd

  1. MostlyStable · · focus · HN ↗
    I take the point, but I think the author picked a poor analogy. Cooking even an excellent steak is actually not that hard. In fact, I'd argue that it's among the easiest things to master/make at a top level quality at home. Does it require some modicum of attention and understanding? Sure. But starting with a high quality cut, owning a meat-thermometer, and knowing about reverse searing is about all it takes to reliably and easily get a near perfect steak every time.

    There are far, far better cooking examples out there.

    1. belorn · · focus · HN ↗
      I wonder if something is lost to translation. Cooking a stake could be the simple act of putting the steak in the oven with basically zero seasoning with a thermometer and then wait until medium rare with some optional searing. It could also mean trim the meat, cut into slices, seasoning, and frying/grilling them to each persons personal taste, which include well-done.

      Perfect grilled steak, especially well-done, is something I find very few people have the experience or skills to do well, especially over a coal grill where the heat won't be constant and the person also need to first have good experience in making a good and even coal bed.

      1. NooneAtAll3 · · focus · HN ↗
        is "cooking" here used in some kind of very specific sense?

        isn't it just a word for "making food", so would include grilling as well?

        1. retrac · · focus · HN ↗
          As a native speaker of English (Canadian) to me cooking involves heat and some degree of change in form. Chopping up a salad is not cooking, nor is chopping up fruit, nor is making a sandwich from cold ingredients. Grilling is cooking, though.
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