When preparing a meal (for example, steaks for several people) how do you prep steaks for those who prefer their steak more well done that the others? 4 people, 3 Medium Rare and 1 done a bit more than Medium (almost Well done)?

I always cook to a temp just below where I want them and then sear in a hot cast iron skillet to brown the surface and bring to final temp (MR). So, I would cook to just below MR then sear the MR to MR temp and sear further for the M/MW.

Do the most done steaks first at the higher temperature. Drop the temperature when you're ready for the others, keeping them all in the water at the same time without removing them.

This will cook your higher temp steaks to your desired temp, then keep them warm while you cook the rest.

I also do this with side items that require higher cooking temps.

You just sear that steak longer to make it more well done. Take that one out of the bath first and sear it. The rest just get a quick sear and a flip so wait to do them last.

What I do is cook them all to med rare then if someone needs me to ruin one I'll finish it to temp when I sear by either turning the heat in the pan down a titch and leaving it on longer or putting the whole pan in the oven.
I wouldn't recommend trying to get the well done steak to temp in the water. It would take twice as long to accomplish what will only take a few minutes in a pan.

I have 2 Anova's for that very reason but it's easy to cook them all the same and bump some up when you sear.

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:
Do the most done steaks first at the higher temperature. Drop the temperature when you're ready for the others, keeping them all in the water at the same time without removing them.

This will cook your higher temp steaks to your desired temp, then keep them warm while you cook the rest.

I also do this with side items that require higher cooking temps.

This is the right answer, or at least the one that gives the most consistent results, in line with the idea of sous vide.

If the temperature is 130 or lower, limit time in the water bath to no more than 2-3 hours. Above 130, you can leave stuff in basically forever.

Put your highest temp stuff in for an hour, then drop the temp, put in the next batch for an hour, drop the temp, etc.

I would water bath all to 130. Then the ones that will be most well done I would pull from the water bath first and put them on the grill first. Takes a bit of practice to get them to finish at the same time but whoever is getting a well done steak isn't going to be that picky.

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:
I would water bath all to 130. Then the ones that will be most well done I would pull from the water bath first and put them on the grill first. Takes a bit of practice to get them to finish at the same time but whoever so getting a well done steak isn't going to be that picky.

This is the correct method.

quote:

(almost Well done)?

Serve them chicken.

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:
Above 130, you can leave stuff in basically forever.

This is not 100% true. You can leave them in there, but with steaks especially the longer you leave them, the weirder the texture to the meat becomes. The issue is timing.

Are you planning on plating all at once? Then my rec is to heat everything to 130 for 90 mins, heat your oven to 450. At 90 minutes take the "ruined" steaks out and into oven for about five minutes and then sear everything together. That should effectively ruin the steaks for the heathens and allow you to plate simultaneously. If you have tons of time, then you can sous vide the ruined steaks to 145 for a hour and then drop them to 130 for the rest of the meat for its 90 minute bath. But that adds an hour at least to the prep time. Just a different option.

quote:

Originally posted by Ryanp225:

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:
I would water bath all to 130. Then the ones that will be most well done I would pull from the water bath first and put them on the grill first. Takes a bit of practice to get them to finish at the same time but whoever so getting a well done steak isn't going to be that picky.

This is the correct method.

This works for a grill, but not for pan searing, which is why I recommend the oven (in rainy PNW the cast iron skillet is my grill).

quote:

Originally posted by Loswsmith:

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:
Above 130, you can leave stuff in basically forever.

This is not 100% true. You can leave them in there, but with steaks especially the longer you leave them, the weirder the texture to the meat becomes. The issue is timing.

Yes, that's true, I just meant from a food safety perspective.

quote:

Originally posted by Loswsmith:

quote:

Originally posted by Ryanp225:

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:
I would water bath all to 130. Then the ones that will be most well done I would pull from the water bath first and put them on the grill first. Takes a bit of practice to get them to finish at the same time but whoever so getting a well done steak isn't going to be that picky.

This is the correct method.

This works for a grill, but not for pan searing, which is why I recommend the oven (in rainy PNW the cast iron skillet is my grill).

I love finishing them off over charcoal on my grill but I'm in the same boat due to weather a lot too. Using cast iron I will preheat the oven while I get the pan up to searing temp and after I get the crust where I like it I toss the pan in the oven to finish the internal temp to where it needs to be. While the well done (ruined) steak is cooking I'd sear the other 3.

Either method will get you there but I think it would take longer and be a bit more of a pain to work with two different temps and cook times for your water bath. And to be fair ♪to be fair♪ I've never sous vide cooked a steak to well done temps and compared it to one using my method so I could be completely wrong here.

cook all in water bath to same temp, just sear well done steaks a minute or two longer. if you're cooking 8 or 10 steaks, even a grill is not a big enough surface to sear them all together.

Thanks for the replies. I will experiment with it, see which one works to keep Mrs happy.