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Writer's pictureDarrin Wilson

What way is the best way? My thoughts..


One of the biggest issues that seem to infect many parts of the social media cooking groups that gets under my skin is the notion that there is only one "best" way to cook something. It does not matter if it is a sous vide group, a barbecue group, or even a overall cooking group, there are always those few guys out there that like to beat people over the head with their idea of what is the "Best" way to do something, and if you dare do it any other way you are wrong... I have never had that kind of attitude and having worked in the restaurant business for a few years when I was younger, I had the opportunity to work at several different type of restaurants that had wide and varied menu items and different styles of cooking. I learned a long time ago there are a million and one ways to cook the same thing and all of them can be awesome! One of the biggest problems to the whole mindset of "my way is best", is personal preference.

Just recently I had posted a picture and time/temp I used for a steak cook I did in a sous vide group the I will not mention, and the very first comment that I received was a great example of what I am talking about. I had posted the same picture in several groups but this comment hit me right in the face.. "You should only cook your steak at 132 degrees sous vide".... I had cooked my steak at 135, so in this guys eyes, I did it wrong and he felt compelled to set me straight. He didn't ask what doneness I was looking for, he didn't care how I liked to eat my steak or if it was for my wife or anything. he just made the blanket statement that I did it wrong.. As it turns out (after I set him straight), that gentleman was in his 70's and told me he had just started cooking sous vide and he was just parroting what he was told by a few "Experts" in the same and other groups. It seems every group has those few "Experts" that seem to bully, ridicule, and manipulate people into believing they have all the answers and that everyone needs to cook and eat just like they do.

In my humble opinion, The "Best" way to answer the question of what is the "Best" way to cook something, is with another question. Especially since sous vide and barbecue can be used to make some kinds of food in ways not possible any other way. Example question: " What is the best way to cook brisket sous vide?" My answer is "What doneness are you looking for?" another answer is "Did you want to experiment or are you looking for a certain result?" and still another answer that is not a question "here is how i cook mine, but feel free to try others". One of the things I love about cooking the most is being able to experiment, try new things, and learn by making my own mistakes. When someone is asking for advice, it is OK to try and guide them with what you have learned, but beating people over the head with your ideas and trying to ridicule them into cooking like you and eating the food the way YOU like it is just plain wrong.

So, what is the "Best" way to cook something? Only you can answer that for yourself..

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