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RECIPE BREAKDOWN🤯

When to add pepper to food?

Should you add pepper before or after cooking?

In general, spices have volatile aromatics that lose their potency over time, so using them last minute makes for a stronger flavor. At the same time, heat and fat can unlock more of a spice’s soluble aromatics. So is it better to pepper meat or vegetables before or after cooking?

In testing, Ethan found that both are valid methods that highlight slightly different expressions of the pepper:

Before searing → results in a balanced pepper flavor with no tingle

This is probably the most common method. Adding pepper right before searing provides a balanced pepper flavor and allows it to become part of the steak’s crust.

• As the pepper cooks in the steaks fat, some of it’s aroma molecules are dissolved and infused into the surface. Some people claim that pepper could burn during cooking, but it’s pretty resistant and usually won’t go bitter during cooking.

However, the tingly compound in pepper (piperine) quickly dissipates, so you don’t get the fresh-cracked black pepper effect.

Adding pepper way before cooking (such as during a brine or sous vide) will result in a much mellower flavor since more of the aromatics break down with time.

After searing → results in maximum pepper flavor & tingle

If you are after that piperine tingle this is the choice for you. Cranking fresh pepper on after grilling will provide the most pepper forward flavor.

• Another benefit is that you can get a better sear on steaks since the meat surface is completely flat. Pepper ground too coarsely can interfere with the steak’s contact on the pan.

In practice, a combination of before and after cooking (steaks or anything in general) gives you the best of both worlds!

RECIPE RECOMMENDATIONS ✅

Bring out the pepper

If you’re a pepper lover, we’ve got you covered with these spice forward dishes:

FOOD TRENDS 🚀

Tiramisu takeover

Why do people love tiramisu so much?

The classic Italian dessert is made from ladyfingers dipped in espresso layered with a mascarpone custard, and topped with cacao powder.

So why has it gone viral?

1) Tiramisu nails a contrast of flavor and textures:

• There’s a richness from mascarpone, bitterness from espresso and cacao powder, and sweetness from sugar.

• Its layers alternate from dense and creamy to cakey and light, making each bite interesting.

2) It’s a customizable framework: you can swap out the creamy component, add booze to the soaking liquid, or change up the flavor profiles (like Thai tea-flavored tiramisu).

3) The tiramisu drawer gained crazy publicity. A restaurant posted about having a drawer in their kitchen filled with the tiramisu they serve to guests.

• People are now showing videos using their own refrigerator drawers to make tiramisu, which has created endless social chatter on if the trend has gone too far, propelling its popularity forward.

While we don’t recommend clearing out the crisper drawer, we’ve always been fans of balanced desserts that aren’t purely sweet.

READER Q&A 🧠

Thick vs. thin steaks

Answer: For any steak, you need to create a well-browned crust from the sear, yet nail the internal temperature. Thick vs thin steaks pose different challenges on the way.

If the steak is too thin, the searing all the way to a deep crust can overcook the steak on the inside. However, thin steaks can be done in minutes with proper execution.

Thicker steaks don’t have that issue as much because you can sear them for longer without overcooking the inside. Yet once you have a good crust, you may have to use an oven or basting to finish cooking the meat through which requires more time and technique.

Is one better than the other? It’s all personal preference:

• Some people prefer the higher ratio of savory Maillard crust found in thin steaks. Super thick steaks are mostly pure beef flavor with minimal crust.

• Other people want more rare beef, and value tenderness over crust.

At the end of the day, steak is subjective. What matters is that you nail the fundamentals according to your preferences: salt, crust, internal temp, and then added aromatics. We’ve made tons of content on steak fundamentals, so if you want to dive deeper, here are a few places to revisit:

• Steak fundamentals masterclass

• Cheap vs expensive steak: how different are they really?

• Steak temperatures 101

Have a culinary question? Reply to send it in for a chance to be featured and get your question answered.

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Bacon deviled eggs

This week’s dinner winner comes from Karl K, who made I’ve made Bacon & Deviled Eggs with a filling of bacon fat, mayo, dijon mustard, chipotle powder, and garnished with chive batons. Well done!

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: A Food Filled Hike Through Camino de Santiago

In a minute or less: Fresh Shrimp Isn't Always Fresh

What we’re watching: Mortadella Pizza Sandwich

Food science: Brining Basics

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