Comments on: Le Creuset Giveaway: The Way to Braise

By: Pat Barnes

Pat Barnes — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 12:13:59 +0000

I am going to cook this later in the day. I realize now that the actual recipe is VERY different from the video! You show a can of toms in the vid..no mention of them in the written recipe. Plus a lot of other deviations. The recipe is a lot more complicated that the video would lead one to believe. Since I already bought the short ribs,I am going to trt it anyway.

By: Andre Reis

Andre Reis — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 23:12:20 +0000

Gah, you tease us with a 5qt beautiful Caribbean-blue braiser, but Le Creuset doesn’t even sell it! They only have Caribbean blue on the 3-1/2qt.

What a shame, I really wanted to get exactly the one you used here.

By: Anthony Garzia

Anthony Garzia — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 02:30:41 +0000

Michael, nice braised short rib but with winter coming and comfort food as a necessity. It would have been an awesome video and recipe if you showed Osso Bucco( my favorite braise). Not only fun to cook but the pleasure in your guests faces when they indulge in the meal.

By: ruhlman

ruhlman — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 13:19:34 +0000

good point on microwave cooking.

By: Victoria

Victoria — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 01:54:11 +0000

I also love my red Le Creuset 5-quart braiser. My favorite braise is a pot roast using chuck from the really good butcher in the market at Grand Central. Yum, yum, yum – perfect for this time of the year. Your recipe sounds good, and I have some homemade tomato paste; this would be a perfect use for it. Thanks.

By: RanchoDeluxe

RanchoDeluxe — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 00:53:47 +0000

Love this – love my kiwi green Le Creuset braiser. Stove, oven, kamado oven. You’d have to pry mine out of my cold, dead hands…

By: Mantonat

Mantonat — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 20:17:33 +0000

I was actually going to thank you for listing 250F as a good braising temperature. I’ve seen so many recipes where the temp is listed at 325 or even 350, which is just too high to get tough meats tender while allowing the liquids to absorb into the meat. I don’t mind the extra cooking time as long as the results are superior.

By: Wendy Smith

Wendy Smith — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 19:51:24 +0000

I have used the recipe in the Silver Palate cookbook, the original one, for years. My husband loves, loves, loves braises. I think I might try the separation/refrigeration idea as it can be a bit greasy. Thanks! (Hope I win!)

By: Scordo

Scordo — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 18:33:50 +0000

Well said, Andrew. If the above were true in relation to the Italian culinary tradition then most of the food produced in the country would not come about via “real cooking.”

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 17:52:21 +0000

You can eat raw chicken!!! Your pal Bourdain did just that eating chicken sashimi on No Reservations. And not to beat a dead horse, because you graciously acknowledged my point (which directly benefits you as one whose livelihood is based on encouraging people to cook), but had you maintained that cooking be defined by transformation, you would be left in the unfortunate position of having to argue that microwaving a bag of popcorn kernels (which is extremely transformative) is a higher form of cooking than grilling a steak!

By: Tim

Tim — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 17:24:08 +0000

Gremolata is the step I always forget but it adds so much freshness. Thanks for the reminder!

By: Michael Ruhlman

Michael Ruhlman — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 17:14:44 +0000

You can eat and enjoy a raw steak, but not a raw chicken!

I was trying to make a point. But I agree with you that best to keep cooking definition broad. Your point is duly noted.

By: Michael Ruhlman

Michael Ruhlman — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 17:12:56 +0000

not as long as you cover immediately with plastic and fridge. it’s a great way to defat a braise.

By: Michael Ruhlman

Michael Ruhlman — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 17:12:13 +0000

yum, duck is fab for braising!

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 16:14:27 +0000

If grilling a steak is heating and not cooking, then roasting a chicken is also heating and not cooking. This would go against your own antidote to people complaining about not having time to cook (http://ruhlman.com/2010/01/america-too-stupid-to-cook/). By grilling a steak you are indeed transforming it from a less appetizing raw piece of meat into a delicious, juicy, warm, Maillardized cut that looks, smells, and tastes exquisite in comparison to its raw, relatively unpleasant predecessor. That’s cooking. Your definition of cooking above is too narrow. Yes, braising a tough cut into something tender or caramelizing onions may be more subtle and transformative methods of cooking than grilling a steak. But sourcing good meat, selecting the right cut of steak, seasoning it properly, knowing to warm it up towards room temperature, properly choosing the type of heat and vessel (e.g., hot grill or cast iron skillet), monitoring its progress and knowing how much heat should be applied and for how long, letting it rest for an appropriate length of time. Sorry, Michael, that’s cooking. And diminishing the thought that goes into such a process runs against your own advice to always THINK, which is one of the main elements that define cooking. You could just mindlessly grab any piece of meat and thoughtlessly heat it, but it’s not going to turn out as well if you don’t think. Better to keep encouraging people to cook for themselves and keeping that definition broad, rather than claiming that it’s not cooking if it’s not a mind-blowing transformation with an exquisite result.

By: erik

erik — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 16:12:05 +0000

hey michael – one question i always have with braising recipes. many of them call for cooling the meat in the liquid, and there is usually not enough liquid to cleanly remove the fat. i like that you separate in the recipe above, as it makes my life easier, but does the meat lose anything? does it matter what cut or type of meat?

thanks!

By: susan

*susan* — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 15:37:25 +0000

I have owned a brasier for years. Short ribs are good, but braised duck legs ragu is still my favorite “special” foods, or a lamb shoulder provençal, or… I love a good braise. I admit it.

By: Tasha Jaeger

Tasha Jaeger — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 15:31:55 +0000

I love braising – for my wedding I made braised brisket (yes, I catered my own wedding). I can imagine that this pot would be wonderful for brisket or my personal favorite pork belly. Thanks for another great recipe/video and giveaway!

By: Michael Ruhlman

Michael Ruhlman — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 15:31:54 +0000

It’s the big one, 5qt, and fabulous. 300 is correct! 250 will work but takes more time! thanks for the catch!

By: Andre Reis

Andre Reis — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 15:16:50 +0000

Really enjoyed the video. Two quick questions:
- What’s the size of the braiser you’re using in the video? I can’t tell if it’s the 3.5qt or the 5qt.
- In the video, you mention 300ºF as the perfect temperature for braising, but the recipe says 250ºF. Were the cooking times different, perhaps?

Comments on: Le Creuset Giveaway: The Way to Braise

By: Pat Barnes

By: Andre Reis

By: Anthony Garzia

By: ruhlman

By: Victoria

By: RanchoDeluxe

By: Mantonat

By: Wendy Smith

By: Scordo

By: Andrew

By: Tim

By: Michael Ruhlman

By: Michael Ruhlman

By: Michael Ruhlman

By: Andrew

By: erik

By: *susan*

By: Tasha Jaeger

By: Michael Ruhlman

By: Andre Reis

By: susan