A friend recommended cooking a roast by placing it in the oven at 500
degrees for 10 minutes per pound and then turning off the oven and letting
the roast stay in the oven for four hours. She says it comes out perfect
every time. Anybody tried this approach? What were the results?

On Sat 15 Jan 2005 11:53:04a, Dave tittered and giggled, and giggled and
tittered, and finally blurted out...

> A friend recommended cooking a roast by placing it in the oven at 500
> degrees for 10 minutes per pound and then turning off the oven and letting
> the roast stay in the oven for four hours. She says it comes out perfect
> every time. Anybody tried this approach? What were the results?

It works. The roast will be rare in the middle.

Dave wrote:
> A friend recommended cooking a roast by placing it in the oven at 500
> degrees for 10 minutes per pound and then turning off the oven and letting
> the roast stay in the oven for four hours. She says it comes out perfect
> every time. Anybody tried this approach? What were the results?
>
>
>
Rather than leaving the roast in for 4 hours, use a remote reading meat
thermometer like this
http://www.elise.com/store/B00004S4U...er__Clock.html
and pull the roast at the right internal temp, probably 125-130° or so.


And you don't have to shut the oven off - turn it down to say 275°.

--

================================================== =============
Regards

Louis Cohen

"Yes, yes, I will desalinate you, you grande morue!"

Émile Zola, Assommoir 1877

"Dave" > wrote in message
...
> A friend recommended cooking a roast by placing it in the oven at 500
> degrees for 10 minutes per pound and then turning off the oven and letting
> the roast stay in the oven for four hours. She says it comes out perfect
> every time. Anybody tried this approach? What were the results?
>

The timings are wrong. First have the beef at room temperature, oven
at 500, kitchen well ventilated.

Put the beef in for 5 min per pound for rare-medium rare. Turn off heat,
leave for two hours in unopened oven. Comes out perfectly, cooked the
same the entire way through.

Reference is Chef Ann Seranne printed in The New New York Times
Cookbook by Craig Caliborne. Fabulous recipe!

pavane

"Dave" > wrote in message
...
> A friend recommended cooking a roast by placing it in the oven at 500
> degrees for 10 minutes per pound and then turning off the oven and letting
> the roast stay in the oven for four hours. She says it comes out perfect
> every time. Anybody tried this approach? What were the results?
>

Sorry, Craig Claiborne authored the book. Slippery fingers today.

pavane

On Sun, 16 Jan 2005 21:02:50 GMT, "pavane"
> wrote:

> First have the beef at room temperature, oven
> at 500, kitchen well ventilated.

Room temperature meat is for sissies. I start my beef
COLD... that way, I even if I mess up the timing a bit it's
still rare.



sf

In article >,
"Dave" > wrote:

> A friend recommended cooking a roast by placing it in the oven at 500
> degrees for 10 minutes per pound and then turning off the oven and letting
> the roast stay in the oven for four hours. She says it comes out perfect
> every time. Anybody tried this approach? What were the results?

Can't possibly work in all ovens for all likely sizes and shapes of
roasts.

If you don't do roasts every day, day after day, in the same oven -- as
a professional chef does -- then use a meat thermometer.

I do agree that starting with room-temperature meat (room temperature
*all the way through*) is a very good idea, but watch out for bacterial
contamination. McGee suggests putting the meat in warm water in a
plastic bag to warm it.

Isaac

In article >,
"Dave" > wrote:

> A friend recommended cooking a roast by placing it in the oven at 500
> degrees for 10 minutes per pound and then turning off the oven and letting
> the roast stay in the oven for four hours. She says it comes out perfect
> every time. Anybody tried this approach? What were the results?

Can't possibly work in all ovens for all likely sizes and shapes of
roasts.

If you don't do roasts every day, day after day, in the same oven -- as
a professional chef does -- then use a meat thermometer.

I do agree that starting with room-temperature meat (room temperature
*all the way through*) is a very good idea, but watch out for bacterial
contamination. McGee suggests putting the meat in warm water in a
plastic bag to warm it.

Isaac

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 16 Jan 2005 21:02:50 GMT, "pavane"
> > wrote:
>
> > First have the beef at room temperature, oven
> > at 500, kitchen well ventilated.
>
> Room temperature meat is for sissies. I start my beef
> COLD... that way, I even if I mess up the timing a bit it's
> still rare.
>

That's funny. Do you know any good "...how many does it
take to..." jokes?

pavane

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 16 Jan 2005 21:02:50 GMT, "pavane"
> > wrote:
>
> > First have the beef at room temperature, oven
> > at 500, kitchen well ventilated.
>
> Room temperature meat is for sissies. I start my beef
> COLD... that way, I even if I mess up the timing a bit it's
> still rare.
>

That's funny. Do you know any good "...how many does it
take to..." jokes?

pavane

"Isaac Wingfield" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> "Dave" > wrote:
>
> > A friend recommended cooking a roast by placing it in the oven at 500
> > degrees for 10 minutes per pound and then turning off the oven and
letting
> > the roast stay in the oven for four hours. She says it comes out
perfect
> > every time. Anybody tried this approach? What were the results?
>
> Can't possibly work in all ovens for all likely sizes and shapes of
> roasts.
>
> If you don't do roasts every day, day after day, in the same oven -- as
> a professional chef does -- then use a meat thermometer.
>

It comes pretty close to doing just that...I have used that recipe since
the late 70's, in probably 12 different home ovens (moved a lot) and
as long as you use a room temp-ish standing rib roast it does indeed
work. And as the recipe requires the oven to be closed throughout the
cooking process you really can't use a meat thermometer, at least the
ones that were available back when the recipe was devised. And don't
forget that the timing should be 5 min per pound and a 2 hour rest, not
4 hours which would cool the roast far too much for any food safety.

pavane

"Isaac Wingfield" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> "Dave" > wrote:
>
> > A friend recommended cooking a roast by placing it in the oven at 500
> > degrees for 10 minutes per pound and then turning off the oven and
letting
> > the roast stay in the oven for four hours. She says it comes out
perfect
> > every time. Anybody tried this approach? What were the results?
>
> Can't possibly work in all ovens for all likely sizes and shapes of
> roasts.
>
> If you don't do roasts every day, day after day, in the same oven -- as
> a professional chef does -- then use a meat thermometer.
>

It comes pretty close to doing just that...I have used that recipe since
the late 70's, in probably 12 different home ovens (moved a lot) and
as long as you use a room temp-ish standing rib roast it does indeed
work. And as the recipe requires the oven to be closed throughout the
cooking process you really can't use a meat thermometer, at least the
ones that were available back when the recipe was devised. And don't
forget that the timing should be 5 min per pound and a 2 hour rest, not
4 hours which would cool the roast far too much for any food safety.

pavane

In article >,
"pavane" > wrote:

> "Isaac Wingfield" > wrote in message
> ...
> > In article >,
> > "Dave" > wrote:
> >
> > > A friend recommended cooking a roast by placing it in the oven at 500
> > > degrees for 10 minutes per pound and then turning off the oven and
> letting
> > > the roast stay in the oven for four hours. She says it comes out
> perfect
> > > every time. Anybody tried this approach? What were the results?
> >
> > Can't possibly work in all ovens for all likely sizes and shapes of
> > roasts.
> >
> > If you don't do roasts every day, day after day, in the same oven -- as
> > a professional chef does -- then use a meat thermometer.
> >
>
> It comes pretty close to doing just that...I have used that recipe since
> the late 70's, in probably 12 different home ovens (moved a lot) and
> as long as you use a room temp-ish standing rib roast it does indeed
> work. And as the recipe requires the oven to be closed throughout the
> cooking process you really can't use a meat thermometer, at least the
> ones that were available back when the recipe was devised. And don't
> forget that the timing should be 5 min per pound and a 2 hour rest, not
> 4 hours which would cool the roast far too much for any food safety.

I don't doubt that the roast woud always get cooked; I just don't think
that method would give as much control over the product as I like to
have -- plus or minus not more than a couple or three degrees F, let's
say.

I like to cook beef roasts not beyond medium-rare; if it's not very
pink, I'm not interested in serving it. I try to get my Christmas beef
tenderloin to the table at 128-130 F internal, for example. I don't
think the "set it and forget it" method would give anywhere close to the
control I need for that.

Isaac

On Tue 18 Jan 2005 09:42:31p, Isaac Wingfield tittered and giggled, and
giggled and tittered, and finally blurted out...

> I don't doubt that the roast woud always get cooked; I just don't think
> that method would give as much control over the product as I like to
> have -- plus or minus not more than a couple or three degrees F, let's
> say.
>
> I like to cook beef roasts not beyond medium-rare; if it's not very
> pink, I'm not interested in serving it. I try to get my Christmas beef
> tenderloin to the table at 128-130 F internal, for example. I don't
> think the "set it and forget it" method would give anywhere close to the
> control I need for that.
>
> Isaac
>

Can't please everybody... If it's very pink or red, I'm not interested in
eating it.

Wayne

In article >,
Wayne Boatwright > wrote:

> On Tue 18 Jan 2005 09:42:31p, Isaac Wingfield tittered and giggled, and
> giggled and tittered, and finally blurted out...
>
> > I don't doubt that the roast woud always get cooked; I just don't think
> > that method would give as much control over the product as I like to
> > have -- plus or minus not more than a couple or three degrees F, let's
> > say.
> >
> > I like to cook beef roasts not beyond medium-rare; if it's not very
> > pink, I'm not interested in serving it. I try to get my Christmas beef
> > tenderloin to the table at 128-130 F internal, for example. I don't
> > think the "set it and forget it" method would give anywhere close to the
> > control I need for that.
> >
> > Isaac
> >
>
> Can't please everybody... If it's very pink or red, I'm not interested in
> eating it.

That's OK; to each his own. I'd just mention that if you don't care how
well-done it's cooked, then it isn't very difficult to cook it...

Isaac

On Wed 19 Jan 2005 09:08:17p, Isaac Wingfield tittered and giggled, and
giggled and tittered, and finally blurted out...

> In article >,
> Wayne Boatwright > wrote:
>
>> On Tue 18 Jan 2005 09:42:31p, Isaac Wingfield tittered and giggled, and
>> giggled and tittered, and finally blurted out...
>>
>> > I don't doubt that the roast woud always get cooked; I just don't
>> > think that method would give as much control over the product as I
>> > like to have -- plus or minus not more than a couple or three degrees
>> > F, let's say.
>> >
>> > I like to cook beef roasts not beyond medium-rare; if it's not very
>> > pink, I'm not interested in serving it. I try to get my Christmas
>> > beef tenderloin to the table at 128-130 F internal, for example. I
>> > don't think the "set it and forget it" method would give anywhere
>> > close to the control I need for that.
>> >
>> > Isaac
>> >
>>
>> Can't please everybody... If it's very pink or red, I'm not interested
>> in eating it.
>
> That's OK; to each his own. I'd just mention that if you don't care how
> well-done it's cooked, then it isn't very difficult to cook it...
>
> Isaac
>

Thanks. Actually, I do care. I like roast beef only slightly to
approaching medium pink. Then it's perfect for me. I don't care for it
overly well done.

Wayne

"Isaac Wingfield" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> "pavane" > wrote:
>
> > "Isaac Wingfield" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > In article >,
> > > "Dave" > wrote:
> > >
> > > > A friend recommended cooking a roast by placing it in the oven at
500
> > > > degrees for 10 minutes per pound and then turning off the oven and
> > letting
> > > > the roast stay in the oven for four hours. She says it comes out
> > perfect
> > > > every time. Anybody tried this approach? What were the results?
> > >
> > > Can't possibly work in all ovens for all likely sizes and shapes of
> > > roasts.
> > >
> > > If you don't do roasts every day, day after day, in the same oven --
as
> > > a professional chef does -- then use a meat thermometer.
> > >
> >
> > It comes pretty close to doing just that...I have used that recipe since
> > the late 70's, in probably 12 different home ovens (moved a lot) and
> > as long as you use a room temp-ish standing rib roast it does indeed
> > work. And as the recipe requires the oven to be closed throughout the
> > cooking process you really can't use a meat thermometer, at least the
> > ones that were available back when the recipe was devised. And don't
> > forget that the timing should be 5 min per pound and a 2 hour rest, not
> > 4 hours which would cool the roast far too much for any food safety.
>
> I don't doubt that the roast woud always get cooked; I just don't think
> that method would give as much control over the product as I like to
> have -- plus or minus not more than a couple or three degrees F, let's
> say.
>
> I like to cook beef roasts not beyond medium-rare; if it's not very
> pink, I'm not interested in serving it. I try to get my Christmas beef
> tenderloin to the table at 128-130 F internal, for example. I don't
> think the "set it and forget it" method would give anywhere close to the
> control I need for that.
>

I agree on need for control, that was Julia Child's reason for rejecting
this method, as I recall. But it has worked for me, so what can I say?
I think everyone should try it once, though. Just for the beef industry
and to satisfy a deep need to do things differently.

pavane