do meats lose their tenderness if cooked longer than suggested?

Question

i'm new to preparing meats and have yet to get restaurant quality succulent cuts to my plate. am i cooking them too long or do i need to buy expensive meat?
perhaps i should go back to lentils and air!

Answer 1

It depends on the type and cut of meat and how your are cooking it.

For example, if you overcook chicken in a sauce it will fall apart and become too soft. However, if you cook a roast beef or a pork chop for too long it will become dry and tough.

Different cuts of meat require different cooking techniques. For example a 7 blade chuck roast is best braised and is often used for pot roast. On the other hand, a prime rib is best dry roasted and served medium to rare.

How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman & The Joy of Cooking (original version, any edition) are good books that will explain this. America's Test Kitchen cookbooks and Cooks Illustrated are reliable too.

Online resources:
www.foodtv.com
www.epicurious.com
www.americastestkitchen.com

Answer 2

Meat will get tougher if it is cooked dry longer than necessary for example beef steak - it the recipe says 3 minutes each side, and you cook it for say 10 minutes each side, then of course it will be tough.

Most meats come out better if cooked at a lower temperature for a longer period of time. And if you stew it with vegetables and some form of stock, or cook it in a slow cooker you will find the meat most tender of all. This way is ideal for cooking cheaper cuts of meat. It will "fall off the bone".

Most meat should rest for about 15 minutes or so that the meat can "relax", thus making it more tender to carve and to eat. Just take it out of the oven and cover it with foil.

Persevere, and you will get the meat the way you like it some day soon.

Answer 3

generally, if you are cooking a meat by a dry method, like on the grill or in the oven or on a pan, then you want to cook it till it's just done. Make sure that poultry is always fully cooked. if you cook it longer then it becomes tougher.

however, there are some pieces of meat that are naturally tough and are meant to be cooked a long time, like in stew. this includes beef for stew and pork shoulder. i know for stew, you are cooking tough cuts of meat in liquid for like five hours. and for pork shoulder, you put it in the oven at a low temperature for around the same amount of time. if you put almost anything in a slowcooker, it will come out tender.

If you are specifically talking about steak, then restaurant quality steak is generally higher than store quality steak. i think you'll be fine with sirloin/NY steak. they say that steaks which have more marblization (fat in the meat that makes it look marbled) tends to be a juicier, tastier steak because the fat bastes the steak while it cooks.

i have not cooked many steaks but there is one recipe that i like which i will list below.

Answer 4

Both are possibilities. You could be overcooking the meat to toughness or having problems with inexpensive cuts. To tenderize inexpensive cuts of meat marinate them in wine or black tea (the tannins ar excellent tenderizers)
Invest in a George foreman type grill. It is very easy to cook meat on it and it cooks twice as fast. I have yet to cook a tough piece of meat on it.

Answer 5

Heres the trick. Just sear the meat in the pan, then stick it in the oven. That's the way to do it.

Answer 6

inexpensive cuts r just that!! if your budget stretches try dearer cuts and remember the long you cook them the meat dries and toughens!!

Answer 7

the longer you cook a steak the tougher it is. never cook more than medium, (pink in the middle).

Answer 8

go back to lentils i say