What is up everyone. The proper way to cook a frozen steak is the traditional way. NOT REVERSE SEAR. If you reverse, the steak will defrost and loose the purpose of being frozen in the first place (which is edge to edge doneness). That's how everyone that says cooking a frozen steak does! So I tested it out against reverse sear method. If you are commenting that they should be cook the same, its because you are not familiar with how others cook a frozen steak. And as you saw the results by you not knowing how, you are doing it the RIGHT WAY! Frozen steaks belong in the FREEZER!
What a nonsense content! The only place for a frozen steak is in the freezer!! Defrost it first and prepare the same or simply don't do it. Next time I get suggested such nonsense I will not only block you but report you for wasting my time! 😉
OohzyJohnDow I agree with you 100% you should tell the people that says FROZEN steaks are the best, THEY ARE OUT OF THEIR MIND! and they should be ARRESTED FOR THIS MADNESS!!!!!
Hey, Guga my man, the reason the seasoning stuck to the frozen steak is because salt lowers the freezing point of water quite a bit. We use salt treatment here in the north east U.S. to de-ice roads. As soon as that salt hits the meat you get a layer of below-standard-freezing-temp but now liquid water gluing the seasoning down. And water has a massive amount of heat capacitance, making it an amazing insulator, which is why you should always let steak come up to room temperature before cooking. It really helps even cooking. In fact, I would be willing to bet that placing a steak in a slow, gentle warmer for a few hours before bringing it to actual safe cooking temps would produce a more consistent-throughout cooked steak. I would love to see you try it, might make a good video!
PitmasterX did a similar test, he took a ''frozen'' (-1,5C) A cold steak and a room temp steak, the colder steaks needed a tiny bit longer, but the end result was that the frozen and cold steak was more juicy and tender, and they weren't as overcooked on the edges as the room temp.
If you do that, what is the purpose of cooking a frozen steak? The reason you cook a steak frozen is to get edge to edge doneness. Cooking it reverse sear will thaw out the steak making this experiment invalid for everyone that says cooking a steak froze is better than a thawed steak.
Guga did it tight. In terms of time and effort, reverse sear sear is pretty much the same as traditional sear. In terms of quality of output reverse sear is better than traditional sear. I think he's done that test before so no need to repeat it. It might have been interesting to see if frozen vs non frozen traditional sear would make much difference but in the end if reverse seared fresh steak is better than both, it doesn't matter.
Guga Foods i only want to point out that, in this case, to have a fair comparison between different starting steaks you should use the same method of cooking or at least say why you choose a different one. I think this is the point a lot of comments are about, a more "scientific" approach. Anyway thanks for your videos :)
You're missing the point. Even if that's the method usually used for frozen steaks, using two different methods for two different steaks means you don't know what is the reason for the results. Is it the cooking method that made it taste like X? Or is it the fact that is was frozen? You don't know. It's basic experiment design. Change ONE variable.. that way you know its the the ONE change that made A different from B.
Guga thanks for this video. You show us what is cooking all about: techniques, trial and error, but fundamentally fun and sharing with the people you love. I can almost feel like I’m at your table!
I discovered your channel recently but its amazing the progress you had on your channel, im writing this 2021 and video quality and steak quality has changed beautifully love your vids
i completely agree with you, I prefer the fresh reverse sear method too. I find Cooking frozen steak also usually makes it more watery than usual, which dilutes the flavor of the meat.
I would like to see a comparison of a steak that has been frozen, then slow thawed, vs a fresh steak. I think the results will show which was frozen, even though many argue that. But, let’s find out (same cooking method)😁 BTW, cool music on this one !
The difference is the timing at which you put on the seasoning. For the frozen steak u need to sear it first and then put the seasoning on it and after seasoning u put it on indirect heat. Because on searing the seasoning gets burned/loses a lot so it cant penetrate the meat if the seasoning has been seared as well right away. Try seasoning after searing the frozen steak not before.
For sushi, I was told that there is no difference between instant frozen and thawed one vs. fresh one. Thus, I would want to know if it stays the same for beef.
@Paul Li : Have some respect m8 ! I watched Pitmaster X his vid on the subject and it was a well build up test . He did a fair compair between Rev sear , Sous vide and frozen .You also have to take into account that it isn't as easy for us from Holland/Belgium to get the meat that Guga is using for his test . And i am also sure that GugaFoods/sousvide evrything an PitmasterX would agree that a more constructive comment would be in its place here . As a BBQ/SousVide novice i am always happy to see a you-tube post from eighter as they are both very helpful to me .
Frozen is good for pan sear and finish in the oven high heat. Some oil in pan high heat get nice crust on the outside and because its frozen its not cooked deep just nice crust then finish in over 6 to 10 minutes depending on your preference.
Yes, that is the correct way. That is the best way. You have to cook the steak thawed, and the best way to thaw is doing it slowly overnight as I did on this video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7UDFO-ifqC8.html
Hey Guga. You cooked it Sous Vide, not on the grill. Let's get thawed in a comparison as well. Also, how about comparing various seasonings in a heads-up? I'd love to see a tournament-style elimination of the best seasonings for steaks on the grill. Rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano, sage, dill, etc. Might be cool to see one for different salt types (himalayan salt, bog salt, mineral salt, sea salt, hickory smoked salt, mesquite smoked salt, whiskey salt). And maybe also which peppers are best (meco chipotle, morita chipotle, cayenne, paprika, smoked hungarian paprika, putting pepper in a marinade, putting pepper before cooking, putting pepper after cooking). I'd love to see what you can come up with. Good luck.
I absolutely enjoy your steak videos! Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I am a steak lover and I love learning the details that you provide to all of us viewers and what I like best is you include your family and friends in your videos. The only thing better than steak is steak and family! Much respect to you sir!
In Sweden, we have a dish called "tjälknöl", made from frozen steak. Its cooked over long time in a low owen in one big piece, without seasoning. After done, you put the meat in a container with sauce for a few days in the frigde, before eating. The dish came from before modern things such as fridges, central heating etcetera. It was a way to handle meat in winter, when there was constantly sub zero outside. Right done, it can be really, really good and very different from a normal steak.
I like how affectionate you are to your son. Not many father's give a kiss to their son's, especially on video! I always miss my daughter every chance I get. Even though she is a teen in her 20's!
In a pan searing method - a frozen steak does allow for a better crust forming; it benefits from a longer sear time - because starting from a frozen state, it won’t overcook the doneness for a proper crust unlike a steal allowed to come to room temp
What about seasoning a steak and then throwing it in the freezer? Would it marinate for a bit before it was completely frozen? Also, how would that compare to a steak that is seasoned, frozen, then pulled out and thawed before cooking? Maybe you could do a comparison across four steaks: A. Seasoned fresh steak (Control) B. Seasoned first, then frozen, then cooked Frozen C. Seasoned first, then frozen, then thaw it in the fridge for a day and cook? D. Freeze unseasoned, then thaw it, season at the same time as the fresh steak and cook?
A lot of my steaks I cook from frozen. Except for big expensive cuts. I like to buy eye of rounds or chuck rounds in those six steak packs if I’m trying to save money, freeze them, and cook by pan searing and finished in the oven. What are usually tough pieces of meat, I find the freezing, pan searing, and oven method makes them juicy, tasty, and tender.
I don't understand why people are suggesting to use the same method. I've never heard of cooking steak from frozen before but I immediately thought after reading the title, "Huh, if it's frozen then you probably can just pan sear it". I mean, it seems straight forward. The point is comparing the best way to cook a frozen steak, and the best way to cook a fresh steak. A thawed steak would have been interesting I have to say, but that wasn't the point of the video
The salt in the seasoning will slightly melt the outer layer of the steak a little bit and the cold from the inside will then counteract that and make it stick.
Maybe you should have cooked them both the same way. I don't know if it's the fresh one is better or the way you cooked it made it better. Love your experiments though.
Guga you are the best man, love your videos and the whole concept behind them...one question because it's still a bit unclear to me. If I have a fresh steak or an unfrozen steak (unfrozen in the fridge over 24 hrs...I know I know hehehe), so both in room temperature and I season them with salt....how long do I keep them seasoned before I put them on the fire...and do I keep them out or putting them back in the fridge?
Please do a video/comparison/test of FROZEN steak after it was sous vided, defrostred and grilled COMPARED to a normal frozen steak(defrosted and grilled) Pleaaaase! With other words: Steak#1) Sous vide a steak, then freeze it for two weeks. After two weeks defrost and grill it. Steak#2) Keep normal steak frozen for two week. Then defrost it, sous vide it and then grill it. Compare them. "Let's do it" from South-Africa. :-) Big fan! Keep it coming....
Great video, and interesting experiment. But I freeze my steaks because I buy then in bulk from my butcher to save a few $$. I plan ahead for my BBQ and thaw the steaks in the fridge overnight, so that it looses very little moisture. When it's time to BBQ, the steak is at room temp, and I treat it like any fresh steak. I might try the frozen method out of curiosity however. Recently bought a barrel smoker, and so far have done ribs and chicken. My next big smoker test will be a half Beef Tenderloin, about five good 2" New York strip steaks when cut after smoking. That one I will do fresh.
The reason i sear frozen, is to keep the meat inside from cooking as well at high temperature. I also like to sear frozen after sous vide as well. I have a (tough) oso buco 2lb roast that i cooked at 133 degrees Fahrenheit for 72 hours, then froze it, then seared it frozen.... and then simmered it in sauce until it came back to 133 degrees Fahrenheit again. YOU are starting with tender steaks in this video, which dont need to be cooked at low temperatures... thanks for your videos
Big fan. Some thoughts though... 1. Maybe it is not "fresh vs. frozen." Instead, maybe it is "frozen vs. thawed." My experience is that cooking the steak from frozen is better than thawing the steak. Clearly, fresh is better than both of those. 2. If you are comparing different steaks or other conditions, should you not cook them the same way each time?
GuGa, great videos man. One question...Did you thaw out the fresh steak or was it just refrigerated and bought recently? I was looking at some of the comments and you stated that you thawed it out and the frozen was just Frozen like a brick. Thanks Man, much love for the channel.
If you do that, what is the purpose of cooking a frozen steak? The reason you cook a steak frozen is to get edge to edge doneness. Cooking it reverse sear will thaw out the steak making this experiment invalid for everyone that says cooking a steak froze is better than a thawed steak.
Dan Martins I agree this is not apple to apple comparison. I did several test myself cooking fresh and frozen steak. When using the traditional method, the fresh steak tend to have a lot more white matter, especially if I brought it up to room temperature before cooking, and the frozen steak tend to have a lot less white matter if I cook it frozen.
Great video Guga! But using different cooking methods, seems to be not 100% comparable... and a third option with a steak already unfrozen could be interesting to compare. Thanks for the video!
If you do that, what is the purpose of cooking a frozen steak? The reason you cook a steak frozen is to get edge to edge doneness. Cooking it reverse sear will thaw out the steak making this experiment invalid for everyone that says cooking a steak froze is better than a thawed steak.
Guga Foods great point! I was looking from a different point of view, but I agree with your statement... now I got your idea on the test, thanks for explaining! Keep up the great work! These tests help me on improving my cooking skills!
If you noticed when cut the frozen one has only a little bit of char on top with the rest done perfect medium rare. The fresh one has more char cooked through the top. The frozen one in my opinion looks better but the proof is in the tasting....
I agree with the other comments to thaw the frozen one then cook them exactly the same when they are at the same temperature. When the meat is frozen it is possible that the tissues are broken down which could possibly make it either more tender or less juicy.
I suspect the original idea came from before reverse searing, let alone sous vide, was a common technique. The big risk in searing/cooking over direct heat is either having that big grey band across the outside of the steak, or leaving the center undercooked. In theory, searing a frozen steak reduces that risk because you're less likely to overcook the inside when searing the outside; even in this comparison, the frozen steak seemed noticeably more red than the other one. The thing is... well, first, are you looking at steaks or eating them? Second, the reverse sear and sous vide are both fairly common techniques now, so the grey band is a much smaller risk than it is when only cooking with direct heat.
I would like this video a hundred times if I could. It's awesome how you make your family and friends participate in your experiment and RU-vid journey.
Hi Guga, can you please list the music you used at around 0:30 minutes. It sounds really nice and I'm wondering if the instrumental has a name. That said, very nice video, as always. Keep up the good work!
A fair comparison is not between a fresh steak vs a frozen steak. Most of us don't have the luxury of only cooking fresh meat; most of the time we're taking the meat out of the freezer. So, freeze both steaks and run the experiment: sear the frozen and finish cooking indirect. The other, thaw and reverse sear.
Yesterday my wife cooked fresh beef stake and wow I was full of energy and I guess vitamins and minerals, I even had lead in my pencil lol. I haven't had fresh beef stake in years and the difference was night & day. Normally we would eat at a restaurant or eat cooked from frozen in our home. But fresh leaves you feeling completely different even a little ill if you haven't had rich food for a time. I guess its like shop garlic vs home grown too. Take a clove, stick it in soil and wait :-) You get a full slow mild flavor vs a shallow hit
Howdy from Canada ! Love your videos what about a frozen steak ie cowboy steaks thawed x 48 hours then cooked? I’ve been bbqing them for years and love them!!
I travel a lot for work so I end up cooking steaks from frozen quite often. Come home from the airport Friday night, grab a steak from the freezer, season and sear both sides in a cast iron skillet. Throw in an oven preheated at 275* for 18-20 min. Its a delicious steak from frozen to the cutting board in like 30 minutes. Perfect? No. But trust me its gooood.
Can you do this again with an unfrozen control, a frozen then thawed steak and a frozen solid one? It'll be interesting to see if the one that was frozen and thawed is in the middle or if it's not even a contender.
