Retiree behaviors in the time of inflation (2015, cancer, membership)
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So, a couple of weeks ago, I was in NYC, and was walking towards an ice cream stand in Bryant Park, facing a dude walking from the opposite direction with little bitty twin daughters who were each licking a very junior-sized ice cream. It was a small waffle cone, with a single smallish scoop of gelato-style ice cream with embedded bits of something like a chopped up strawberry. A small appetizing item, I thought I'd get one myself if the price is right. I figured the fair price for it would be $2, but what with Manhattan and inflation, I figured it would be $4, overpriced but still okay. Then I got to the ice cream stand, and the cost of this small cone with a single small scopp of gelato was $9.99 plus tax. I did not get it. I mean, I have 10 bucks, and like ice cream as much as anyone, but I am not paying that. I'm just not, and that's it, even if I never eat anything prepared by someone other than myself again.
I would've never that much when we were both working!
There Prime Strip were the only steaks we got until Covid and we started doing Sous Vide. That led us to online dry aged strips and once we hit stores again Wegmans dry aged. Sous Vide and Costco steaks are a no go for me.
Some of us don’t even regular access to a Costco, much less Wegmans. The food quality where I’m from isn’t remotely comparable to metro Raleigh.
There is nothing like good aged properly cooked steaks .
I enjoy Peter Lugers and Morton …..also when we were in Chicago , the Chicago cut steak house was tops ..expensive but tops .
These steaks are cooked in ovens 2x the temperature of our home stoves.
The 800-900 degree ovens sear and seal the aged steaks locking in the juices and flavor ….the steaks are actually taken out of the ovens and cooked on the 800 degree plate to perfection.
We have not been traveling much because of covid but we have been ramping up our food budget
My friend get into sous vide cooking and get a good unit. That is the middle step to perfect steaks everytime to match the same cut cooked anywhere. The first step is proper seasoning which is individual in preference. Seal the bad boy and sous vide to your desired temperature. Both of these steps will involve some trial and error at first. But once done right it will be as you want every time. The next step is how to sear. Being in NY you may be limited in options if there are any good ones at all in my mind and that of others. The two main ways are fire or heat. By fire I mean a flame produced hot by your grill etc. You want to paint the MF with fire to meet your ideal looking steak. I prefer using tongs and holding the bad boy directly over flame or a cast iron grate just above the flame. Paint it look the way you want. A steak right out of Sous Vide is down right ugly and doesn't look very good. The other method is cast iron heated to a very high temperature either over charcoal or gas grills or a gas stove indoors. Again you are going to paint the MF the way you want.
That brings up surface preparation of the steak. Prior to the initial seasoning and before pre grill seasoning make sure the surface is dry. Now you have choices after having Sous Vide. Your first choice is how long to let your steak cool down for. You must let it cool or you will over cook it when you sear it. If you want it at 135 and pull it out of the path at one 135 you will obviously be cooking it higher. So either use a ice bath if you want to cook right away or do as I just did put it in the refrigerator until you want to cook it which could be a few days later.
Once cooled pat it down and prepare the surface for searing. There are multiple ways to do this. Some use mayonnaise etc. My preferred method is to melt but add seasoning, garlic and a little duck fat. Let it chill in the fridge til you want to use it. soften it before use.
Coat one side of the steak and sides with the butter. If pan searing put some high burn oil in the pan. I prefer duck fat.
Put the steak buttered side down over the fire/heat and butter the up side and sides. Sear the MF and paint like a drummer playing a beat. This should only be a couple of minutes total. The fun part is using tongs and getting the the sides the way you want.
I am not a author and this may sound confusing but it really easy. Try with a regular strip and after a few times you will be perfect.
I like my steaks on grill, extra char please. Have you ever sous vide a cheap cut like an eye round? It becomes a beautiful roast. i like it better than prime rib.
Mechanically tenderized will be on the label if that is the case.
We love eye of round but don't sous vide. We smoke with a rotisserie.
I like my steaks on grill, extra char please. Have you ever sous vide a cheap cut like an eye round? It becomes a beautiful roast. i like it better than prime rib.
Mechanically tenderized will be on the label if that is the case.
Yes you can sous vide cheaper cuts of meat, they benefit from it more than prime rib. Sous Vide for prime rib basically keeps me from overcooking it which I've done a few times.
Some of us don’t even regular access to a Costco, much less Wegmans. The food quality where I’m from isn’t remotely comparable to metro Raleigh.
Like I said get out of the sticks and enjoy life. Lots of hiring for tech sorts in Charlotte and Raleigh.
I don't mean that negatively but if you want a Costco or a Wegman's or Whole Foods or Trader Joe's or Harris Teter you have to go where they are and that that tends to be higher income areas. If you want what your area offers, that is awesome for you. Not others but for you and that's what counts.
Just for clarification you aren't suggesting we shouldn't be talking about experiences related to ourselves but instead focus on others?
Yes you can sous vide cheaper cuts of meat, they benefit from it more than prime rib. Sous Vide for prime rib basically keeps me from overcooking it which I've done a few times.
We use both a Kamoda Joe and a Weber gasser. Love em both!
Not sure how I am going to sear the steak, when I do.
Fortunately for me, ice cream has never been a necessity on my adult menu. I had when I was at Mom's house and bought it when I had dental surgery but other wise, I was never buying it for myself. So when the Doctor told me I was a Type II....well that was one item that was no loss on the menu.
My a1c was hovering close enough that the doctor wanted to put me on metformin. I asked him to give me three months to get it down with diet and exercise. I loved ice cream and ate it almost every day, but I gave it up and had NO ICE CREAM FOR AN ENTIRE SUMMER. Finally got some on Labor Day.
I lost 27 pounds (did more than just give up ice cream, of course) and my blood sugar dropped to nearly normal levels. Now it's something I have very occasionally.
There was a time in my working years when I would get off the train after a tough day and go right from the station to the homemade ice cream place near my house before going home.
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