chillin while grillin

Yesterday we had the first taste panel training session for the remainder of my thesis project.  I arrived on campus extra early to make sure I had everything ready to go by time we would start cooking at 9:45.  To my surprise, my advisor notified me we would need to move the session a full hour earlier to accommodate a meeting that got scheduled over the weekend.  Being an assertive and organized individual, this change in plans did not settle well.  Soon after his announcement  I developed sweaty palms, a slight headache, and rapid heart rate. At the end of the day, I realized things went fairly well for planning on the fly.....something I never enjoy doing.  


Anyway, back to the process of running a taste panel.  After the product has been selected, sampling randomized, and taste panelist trained, it is time to prepare steaks for tasting.  To ensure all steaks are cooked to a proper end temperature, thermocouples (the red thermo cables below) are threaded through the steak.  We try to place the end of the thermocouple in the geometric center of the steak.  The blue plastic piece is then inserted into a thermometer to measure the change in temperature.



Once steaks reach the desired temperature they can be removed from the grill.  We use an internal temperature of 71 degrees, or medium well.  Using 71 degrees as an endpoint is fairly standard across the realm of meat science research.  It allows the product to maintain its apparent juiciness, yet allows for adequate muscle fiber degradation, or tenderness, to occur.    A simple tug on the thermocouple will remove it from the steak and it is now ready to cut.


For sample size, panelist are served a 1cm cubed pieced of meat.  To do so we use the cubing tray pictured below.  Before the steak is cubed, all excess fat and connective tissue need to be trimmed off the steak to prevent an unacceptable sample.  It works best to square off the steak so it fits better into the tray. 




Since I am such a neat freak I love cubing samples!  It can turn an ugly, un-symmetrical steak into tiny cubes of tasty perfection.  




Panelist are then served 1 cube of meat to do their analysis.  Between samples it is strongly suggested the eat a non-salted saltine crack (yum :S) and take a drink of double distilled water.   This process helps cleanse the palate and prepare the panelist for their next sample.


Through the preparation for taste panels in research, I have relied heavily on my fellow graduate students.  Not only have they helped me cook, clean the kitchen, and serve samples, but they have also made time in the kitchen enjoyable.  Many a conversation have been held in the kitchen...some beneficial some not so much.  But as I said, it sure makes time fly!