Steak defrosting  |
| Hyvee Angus Reserve 100% Natural Beef |
Hypothesis: The frozen steak with salt will be closer to room temperature than the one without it.
Null hypothesis: There is no difference in the temperature of the steaks, whether or not they have salt on them.
Independent variable: Salt (amount of salt)
Dependent variable: Time it takes the steaks to defrost.
Standardized variables:
- Room temperature (70 degrees F)
- Same cut meat
- Size of the cut meat
- Weight of the cut meat
- Thickness of the cut meat
Ingredients:
- Hyvee Angus Reserve 100% natural beef
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- Meat thermometer
Experiment:
1. Take the frozen steaks out of the freezer that is set at 0.4° F and place both of them separately on red plates.
2. Let both of the steaks sit on the counter for 10 minutes
3. Utilize 1 tablespoon of salt (approximately 17.06 g)
4. Rub 1 tablespoon of salt on 1 frozen steak until salt is not visible
5. Measure the steaks temperature every 30 minutes
6. After 2 hours measure the final temperature of the steak
Results:
Both steaks started at 38°F approx. and the room temperature was at 70°F approx. The temperature readings for both steaks are in the table below:
30 minutes and the steak without salt had risen its temperature to 40.1° F. This is barely two degrees. While the steak with salt on it rose its temperature to 42.2° F. 60 minutes, the steak without salt was at 43.0° F and the one with salt was at 45.8° F. 90 minutes, the steak without salt was up to 46.8° F and the one with salt was up to 49.4° F. Finally, after 120 minutes, the steak without salt was up to 49.6°F in the center and the one with salt was up to 53.2° F.
The steak without salt read a temperature that is colder than tap water in mid summer, and according to the book The Science of Good Cooking (Editors at America's Test Kitchen, 30) only about 13% closer to its target temperature of a medium 130° F. On the other hand, the steak with salt read a temperature of 53.2° F which is closer to the target temperature, but still is not the ideal one.
The hypothesis was supported because salt indeed helped to accelerate the process of defrosting the steak.
Problems:
If possible I could have tested more steaks at different salt concentrations or just more steaks to see if this actually happens in all the cut meats. It would also be interesting to try this experiment on different meats.
Problems:
If possible I could have tested more steaks at different salt concentrations or just more steaks to see if this actually happens in all the cut meats. It would also be interesting to try this experiment on different meats.
Final Product:
 |
| Steak without salt |
 |
| Steak with salt |
That is an interesting experiment Alejandro! There are definitely different types of salt you could try. I would be curious about the differences between them and their effects on the meat.
ReplyDeleteAlejandro your experiment was really interesting. I guess i would have never defrosted a steak with salt just cause i would think that at the end my food would be very salty which is not really good for your health. in terms of your graph i think you did a great job, it is simple and easy to read, the only thing i would change about it is to add a title to it. My only comment about the experiment is that even though you were testing how fast the meat was defrosted using salt i would not leave it in the kitchen's counter because it can get contaminated so maybe i would do the same but leaving it in the fridge.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your next experiment!