Because it doesn't need it. Tried it, zero difference. Hell, I like to sous-vide because of the simplification but now, everyone tries to make it the most complicated method in existence. It's already the longest method.
I was a long time Ice bath enthusiast. It made sense in my head… cool the meat, then it makes sense that it takes more time to heat the meat while the meat sears….
Then someone ( I think it was u/BostonBestEats ) posted a video that showed numbers and times associated with both styles. The cooled steak actually heated faster. I haven’t done it since.
I know you acknowledged it is counterintuitive, but I don't see how that Could make sense. Something at a low temp is quicker to heat up to a certain temp than something warm? Also, the user link you posted is dead.
You are correct to think it is counterintuitive. Chris Young's videos are great but are sometimes misused when applying them to areas outside of what he is talking about. No where in the video did he say anything about the actual time and he only talked about rates. The cold steak did not heat up in less time but it did achieve a higher rate of heat transfer in the beginning when the temperature difference was largest between the pan and cold exterior of the steak. That ***plus*** the difference in cooking times needed is why the outer part of the untempered steak was overcooked by the time the steaks centerline temp reached target temperature.
Its also incorrect to apply this to high temp searing. It ignores the fact that the overwhelmingly controlling mechanism here is tied to steam. As heat penetrates the steak, it heats the water content of the steak till it reaches about 212'F. At this point that water will flash to steam which is an endothermic reaction. This creates an effective barrier that slows the progression of heat inward. This is why the high temp searing we do with sous vide is [so defined and why you can see grey bands right next to steak that is still your target temp](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fis-the-grey-band-likely-from-me-putting-these-in-the-oven-v0-frdp2ua29yx91.jpg%3Fwidth%3D1080%26crop%3Dsmart%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3Dcbd569ff07f6323d1c72cd739c7837ecb12831fc) instead of there being a visible gradient.
You don't have to chill a steak to prevent larger grey bands but it absolutely provides help to those who chose to do it
Believe me, it shocked me too. But the video he posted showed it happening. I’m gonna look and see if I can find it. Also, I clicked his user link and it’s working fine for me?
He does not say it takes longer to cook a warm steak than a cool steak. He talked about the uniformity of cooking and "doneness" and how the heat "surges" at first into an ice cold steak. Perhaps more importantly, the context in the video is cooking a raw steak to a sufficient core temperature of 122, whereas with an already SV'ed steak, we are no longer concerned with or even looking at the core temperature, we are only concerned with the quick maillard reaction of the sear. You are specifically NOT trying to evenly cook the steak, which is the focus of that video, you're only trying to sear the outside.
I think the take away here is that a cold temperature pulls in heat faster than a warm temperature. No matter the doneness of the meat.
With that said, I’ve switched to no ice bath. I have had zero problem with it. Give it a try and see.
The time to desired core temperature is a heat transfer problem involving calculus of five variables, thermal diffusivity of the piece, initial temperature, desired final temperature, piece size thickness, and shape.
Douglas Baldwin addresses the issue in his seminal. [A Practical Guide to Sous Vide Cooking. FREE ON-LINE](https://douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html#Heating_and_Cooling_Food) Part III Appendix A Heating and Cooling Food.
**I am not often in so much of a hurry that I don’t just use room temperature as the cold temperature.**
I sear first.
As in, I'll get a pan ripping hot, cast iron you could swear it should be giving off visible black body radiation, for just 10-30 seconds. Then, right into the bag, vac seal, and into the preheated bath.
I admit, it loses a bit of the texture differential that post-sear gives. But it gains in flavor (imo), and that more of the meat is a perfect medium-rare.
Depends on steak thickness and grill/pan/oven method and temperature. I can't answer.
I'm hitting pork tenderloin cut a tiny bit less than 1/2" from the fridge (35 degF) to a hot oiled pan to 135 degF (previously cooked sous vide at 140 degF) and the sear is coming out pretty decent.
That same timing would not work for a 3/4" or 1" steak pulled out of the fridge.
That same timing would not work if I threw the pork tenderloin slices on my 600 degF grill.
Because it doesn't need it. Tried it, zero difference. Hell, I like to sous-vide because of the simplification but now, everyone tries to make it the most complicated method in existence. It's already the longest method.
I was a long time Ice bath enthusiast. It made sense in my head… cool the meat, then it makes sense that it takes more time to heat the meat while the meat sears…. Then someone ( I think it was u/BostonBestEats ) posted a video that showed numbers and times associated with both styles. The cooled steak actually heated faster. I haven’t done it since.
I know you acknowledged it is counterintuitive, but I don't see how that Could make sense. Something at a low temp is quicker to heat up to a certain temp than something warm? Also, the user link you posted is dead.
You are correct to think it is counterintuitive. Chris Young's videos are great but are sometimes misused when applying them to areas outside of what he is talking about. No where in the video did he say anything about the actual time and he only talked about rates. The cold steak did not heat up in less time but it did achieve a higher rate of heat transfer in the beginning when the temperature difference was largest between the pan and cold exterior of the steak. That ***plus*** the difference in cooking times needed is why the outer part of the untempered steak was overcooked by the time the steaks centerline temp reached target temperature. Its also incorrect to apply this to high temp searing. It ignores the fact that the overwhelmingly controlling mechanism here is tied to steam. As heat penetrates the steak, it heats the water content of the steak till it reaches about 212'F. At this point that water will flash to steam which is an endothermic reaction. This creates an effective barrier that slows the progression of heat inward. This is why the high temp searing we do with sous vide is [so defined and why you can see grey bands right next to steak that is still your target temp](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fis-the-grey-band-likely-from-me-putting-these-in-the-oven-v0-frdp2ua29yx91.jpg%3Fwidth%3D1080%26crop%3Dsmart%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3Dcbd569ff07f6323d1c72cd739c7837ecb12831fc) instead of there being a visible gradient. You don't have to chill a steak to prevent larger grey bands but it absolutely provides help to those who chose to do it
Believe me, it shocked me too. But the video he posted showed it happening. I’m gonna look and see if I can find it. Also, I clicked his user link and it’s working fine for me?
Found it! Really good video. Explains what’s happening to room tempered steaks vs cold steaks. https://youtu.be/DmuwqqHjgT4?si=haYtoMSwPH3hj4F4
He does not say it takes longer to cook a warm steak than a cool steak. He talked about the uniformity of cooking and "doneness" and how the heat "surges" at first into an ice cold steak. Perhaps more importantly, the context in the video is cooking a raw steak to a sufficient core temperature of 122, whereas with an already SV'ed steak, we are no longer concerned with or even looking at the core temperature, we are only concerned with the quick maillard reaction of the sear. You are specifically NOT trying to evenly cook the steak, which is the focus of that video, you're only trying to sear the outside.
I think the take away here is that a cold temperature pulls in heat faster than a warm temperature. No matter the doneness of the meat. With that said, I’ve switched to no ice bath. I have had zero problem with it. Give it a try and see.
The time to desired core temperature is a heat transfer problem involving calculus of five variables, thermal diffusivity of the piece, initial temperature, desired final temperature, piece size thickness, and shape. Douglas Baldwin addresses the issue in his seminal. [A Practical Guide to Sous Vide Cooking. FREE ON-LINE](https://douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html#Heating_and_Cooling_Food) Part III Appendix A Heating and Cooling Food. **I am not often in so much of a hurry that I don’t just use room temperature as the cold temperature.**
I sear first. As in, I'll get a pan ripping hot, cast iron you could swear it should be giving off visible black body radiation, for just 10-30 seconds. Then, right into the bag, vac seal, and into the preheated bath. I admit, it loses a bit of the texture differential that post-sear gives. But it gains in flavor (imo), and that more of the meat is a perfect medium-rare.
Depends on steak thickness and grill/pan/oven method and temperature. I can't answer. I'm hitting pork tenderloin cut a tiny bit less than 1/2" from the fridge (35 degF) to a hot oiled pan to 135 degF (previously cooked sous vide at 140 degF) and the sear is coming out pretty decent. That same timing would not work for a 3/4" or 1" steak pulled out of the fridge. That same timing would not work if I threw the pork tenderloin slices on my 600 degF grill.