The Original Dry Bag Steak | Make Artisan Dry Age Steak at Home › Forums › Dry Aging Steak › General Dry Aging Steak Questions › Is there a practical way to capture humidity?
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Ray .
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January 26, 2012 at 8:48 pm #1356
Scott Mark
MemberObviously, as the meat dries, the moisture has to go somewhere.
My fridge is (not frostfree) and builds frost at an alarming rate. Is there something I can use to capture that moisture before it affixes to the cooling plate?
I’ve seen some mention of using a pan of rock salt – does anyone have advice or history in this area?
Thanks! Defrosting the fridge every two weeks is becoming tedious.
January 27, 2012 at 3:49 am #5477Charlie
MemberIt’s time to turn that fridge into a beer/ whatever cooler and buy a frost free.
B)Charlie
January 27, 2012 at 3:57 am #5478MemberI’ve been nibbling at that idea. A full size frost-free fridge/freezer of my own choosing, down in the basement (where my office is) and storing my aging beefs (and pork, and lamb, and venison, and duck).
I’ve never really thought of it before – do the frost-free units need a drain? I don’t think that they do. Maybe they defrost often enough that evaporation can handle the defrost runoff.
January 27, 2012 at 4:02 am #5480MemberNo drain needed.
I like samsung. At this point you may consider a new samsung for your kitchen and move the old kitchen fridge to the basement if it is frost free.
B)
CharlieJanuary 27, 2012 at 4:07 am #5481MemberAlso if you are into samsung in my area Lowes has the best price. If you are a veteran you also receive 10% off.
.ps. For upright freezer I would go with whirlpool.
B)
CharlieJanuary 27, 2012 at 2:31 pm #5486Ron Pratt
MemberClam Digger wrote:
quote :I like samsung. B)
CharlieJust curious, Charlie since you are a professional in that field why does Samsung stand out in your opinion? Features, dependability, guarantee or other?
Ron
January 27, 2012 at 10:39 pm #5487Anonymous
GuestTry putting a few plastic containers of unscented cat litter around the fridge. Save the money by not buying a new one. The litter is very absorbent, and inexpensive. Worked well for me. Change it every few months. After you change it , leave it out a while for it to dry out, and reuse it.
January 30, 2012 at 7:16 pm #5491Memberagedtoperfection wrote:
quote :Try putting a few plastic containers of unscented cat litter around the fridge. Save the money by not buying a new one. The litter is very absorbent, and inexpensive. Worked well for me. Change it every few months. After you change it , leave it out a while for it to dry out, and reuse it.Thanks much for the idea. I’ll be blunt — I think unscented means no perfumes. It doesn’t mean that the stuff doesn’t give off a scent. Do you have cats? If so, you might be accustomed to the odor/fragrance/smell/scent of “unscented” cat litter.
It sounds like a great idea, but I’m scared.
The other problem is that I’ve got that little beast absolutely crammed full of drybagged meat and the odd bottle of wine, champagne, and saki. But I’m thinking that a 9×13 pan filled with litter could support a wire rack and above that a dry-bagged portion of meat.
Thanks again – I’m going to keep thinking about this.
January 30, 2012 at 8:18 pm #5492GuestUnscented means no deodorizers. The plain litter gives off no smells. It works for me. This is the same stuff that is marketed in the automotive industry know as ” floor dry ” that is used to absorb oil spills and moisture. Your idea of using the 9 x 13 pan sounds like a plan. Good luck.
January 31, 2012 at 1:21 am #5498Memberagedtoperfection wrote:
quote :…This is the same stuff that is marketed in the automotive industry known as ” floor dry ” that is used to absorb oil spills and moisture. ..
HA! I swear I learn something new on this forum every day! I’ve been using a product in my garage for years called Oil-Dri which works wonders, is cheap and is as fine as what I call white sand. Until reading your post I had never researched it as there was no need to in my mind since I know it WORKS!!!
While I don’t see any thing suggesting it is safe to use around food I don’t see any legal warnings not to do so either. If I had the same humidity situation and set up as toasty first inquired about I know I would have no qualms of putting a pan of that Oil-Dri in my aging refrig!
BTW if someone wants to read more about that product here is the link…
http://www.oildri.com/about/index.htmlJanuary 31, 2012 at 3:44 am #5505MemberThis is why you need to give that small fridge to a kid in a dorm or ???
I have two full size refrigerators, a full size upright freezer, a chest freezer, a wine cooler and a beverage cooler and I still look for space. On thanksgiving I bought a dozen turkeys for the cost of one night out at the pizza joint. I love having a gamut of products and goodies available and shop about ounce a month or when I see a deal. This saves time and I can take advantage of the sales. Also I prepare meals in bulk and store for use during the week or month also saving me time.
Charlie B)
January 31, 2012 at 3:53 am #5507MemberWith the dozen turkeys – have you ever tried to sous vide a turkey? There’s a “recipe” in the “Holiday” cookbook from Sous Vide Supreme, but there are videos floating around the web, as well.
And Probably this’d be a question better moved to the “other topics” section of the forum!
January 31, 2012 at 5:11 am #5508MemberYes, I have Cooked turkey breast and legs in the SV . It was amazing and I added my butter and spice to the bag so it was a dinner in a bag. Serve with potatoes, gravy, rice, chocolate, and a glass of milk and more gravy and soy for the rice, a few nuts and some almond cookies, Coors light,…
This was for lunch.
Charlie B)
I love the fact that when I precook my steaks there is some juice in the bag so I make au jus sauce.
January 31, 2012 at 5:21 am #5509MemberClam Digger wrote:
quote :Yes, I have Cooked turkey breast and legs in the SV . It was amazing and I added my butter and spice to the bag so it was a dinner in a bag. Serve with potatoes, gravy, rice, chocolate, and a glass of milk and more gravy and soy for the rice, a few nuts and some almond cookies, Coors light,…This was for lunch.
Charlie B)
I love the fact that when I precook my steaks there is some juice in the bag so I make au jus sauce.
I think you lost me at the first “rice” — rice AND potatoes?
Moving forward, “chocolate” ?? And, by “soy” I hope you mean “soy sauce” and not “soy oil” or “soy” anything-else.
I agree with you on the au jus. I often do a large beef shoulder roast for 48 hours and make a roux and then add the juice from the bag. My wife says it’s the ugliest, tastiest gravy ever. (I don’t blame her – it’s got a lot of red color left in it.)
January 31, 2012 at 4:01 pm #5510 -
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