Cooked too long... tough!?!

10 years ago

Have never cooked octopus, or eaten for that matter. Have seen it done on cooking shows... usually one of those competition type shows... host(s) whispering that they hope contestant doesn't over-cook cuz will be tough. Never fails that the "experts" say it's something you either have to cook fast/hot or low/slow... like eventually it'll go from tough to tender?? True?

In my VAST cooking experience, wink wink... have come to realize that over-cooked boneless/skinless chicken breasts turn to HOCKEY PUCKS very quickly. Over cooked shrimp turn into big erasers. Once tried to "poach" 2 small pieces of shark steaks (mako, I think it was)... from frozen. Figured wouldn't take long and wouldn't have to watch. Well, figured wrong! When you can't cut fish with a KNIFE... that's tough!! IF that happens, would continuing to cook for a LONG time have food eventually become tender?

What have you cooked (proteins??) that go from perfect to TOUGH in a split second. And have you been able to successfully SAVE something you've over-cooked by just cooking longer?

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Comments (3)

lindac92
10 years ago
The only way to rescue chicken breasts that have been over cooked is shred it in the food processor, add mayo and call it chicken salad for sandwiches.
Flank steak is wonderful when cooked rare to medium....but any longer and you have your proverbial hockey puck...or baseball mitt. But I have managed to add something acedic, like a vinegarey BBQ sauce and simmer for several hours and call it BBQ sandwich stuff.
Pork loin is another thing that can make a hockey puck fi you are not careful!
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Lars/J. Robert Scott
10 years ago
I haven't done it, but when I am tired, I will sometimes ask Kevin to grill tuna steaks for me, but I have stopped doing that because he will overcook them. I tried to teach him that if he cooks them rare and wants his more done, he can always add it back to the pan. I also told him that the steaks continue to cook off heat.
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plllog
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
I've done it on purpose, rather than a rescue, but skirt steak can be tender when just barely cooked enough, med-rare at the most I think, then the connective tissues get more resilient as it's cooked more. If you then treat it like other tough cuts (low, slow, acid, sugar) the tough connective tissue will dissolve. It's tricky, though, because the reason for using it in the first place is the wonderful flavor and if you're not careful you can mask it with marinade or just cook it out. It's possible to do while retaining the flavor, and it won't be bad if you need to do it for a rescue and some of the specific flavor is lost, but a better way to get to a more cooked but tender level is to cut it against the grain into slender strips and do fast and hot, like fajitas.

I'm not expert on the topic, but there is a point past tough where meats will soften again with cooking. I think fish just becomes mush (I don't do fish). Some seafood will go from rubber to fluffy, but while I eat it, I don't cook it. That fluffy thing is kind of wonderful and delicious, but it's probably really hard to do on purpose. It's likely one step from trash. If you have chicken that's overcooked to tough but not sticky (when you chomp with your molars it doesn't kind of stick them together), you can rescue it by slicing and simmering for a short time in a sauce (short time so it doesn't get to the nasty, teeth sticky phase), or if it's just barely overcooked, heating it whole with a sauce. Some of that depends on how you like your chicken in the first place, however. Some people would eat it pink if they could. No sauce is going to pull it back to barely cooked. I cook it to a higher temperature than most people. I think it's more tender with a little more cook, but the texture is a bit different.

Cooked too long... tough!?!

Comments (3)

lindac92

Lars/J. Robert Scott

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plllog

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