The Reason Andrew Zimmern Says Basting Beef Is So Important
Andrew Zimmern wants you to treat your meat right. When cooking on the stovetop, you shouldn't skip steps such as basting your meat. Zimmern says in his Twitter video, "When you baste with that herb garlic butter, it really makes a nicer crust on your meat, and more importantly it puts more flavor in" (via Twitter). You can hear the crackling and sizzling and almost smell the aroma of butter and thyme while he explains. It's almost as if the food is talking louder than the Food Network host.
But if you wanted to know more about how to achieve this effect at home, Zimmern chimes in on the comments, "I sear the beef in a smidge of its own fat. Add butter, herbs, and lightly smushed garlic cloves during the last 2-3 minutes of cooking. Then I baste as the beef cooks and pause. Baste. Pause. It's called 'arroser' in classic French cooking. It works wonders."
Aromas from Arroser
"Arroser" is literally the French verb that describes basting with butter and fats (via Sizzle and Sear) – and we're here for it. Specifically, this technique calls for spooning the butter or your chosen fat over the meat (in this case beef) in the last 1-2 minutes of cooking, usually with an added aromatic such as the thyme we see in Zimmern's tutorial.
Just watching this delectable-looking dish will have your mouth watering, and one user says what we're all thinking: "Can we have a scratch & sniff Twitter, please!" And while this recipe seems to draw universal applause, we all know that some of us are better home cooks than others. If only we could order a side of Zimmern too or as another happy Twitter fan asks, "Can you just adopt me please?!?"
If you're still looking for more of Zimmern's great tips on how to cook a steak, fortunately, he shares a significantly more helpful video than this digital amuse-bouche. Zimmern shares a great YouTube tutorial with almost 2 1/2 minutes on how to grill steaks (via YouTube). You can also check his website for cut-specific instructions, including tips for NY strips and tomahawks or even steak au poivre (via AndrewZimmern.com).