Any idea why the edges of steaks curve up?

[Pinny]

It seems whenever i cook steaks, the edges of them always curve up and inwards so that when it's done it almost looks like a shallow bowl? Anyone ever get that or know why that happens/how to prevent it from happening?

Thanks,
Pinny

 

[Chad Harwick]

my guess would be because the heat comes from the top of the dome down.

 

[Jay Rogers]

It's the fat on the outside of the steak constricting as it melts away. To stop it, make a slash every inch or two in the fat (not the meat).

 

[Mike R. (Heyworth)]

Jay is right, the collagen in their shrinks up as it cooks, making like a noose around the meat, shrinking it up. A couple slits take away the problem. With burgers, make an indentation in the middle of the patty, and they will stay flat, instead of making little puff wads.

 

[Matt_G]

I agree with the statement that heating causes proteins in the meat to shrink.
Uneven heating is what causes the cupping.

If the whole chunk of meat heated up at a uniform rate, it wouldn't cup. If you put a cold steak in a pot of cold water and slowly brought to a boil, it wouldn't cup.

The cupping of the meat is similar to what makes a bimetalic thermometer work. The difference is that here it is not 2 different materials at the same temp, it is the same material at 2 different temps.

 

[Chris Finney]

Originally posted by Jay Rogers:
It's the fat on the outside of the steak constricting as it melts away. To stop it, make a slash every inch or two in the fat (not the meat).

Jay is correct. Cut the strip of fat and no cupping.

 

[Tom Chips]

No, the fat has nothing to do with it. It has to do with the protein strands tightening from cooking. Cutting the fat wont change that.

 

[Pete Z]

Actually, it is related to the Coriolis effect. In the Nothern hemishere the edges curve up, but they curve down when cooked in the Southern hemisphere.

 

[Steve Petrone]

Cut the steak twice as thick...seems like it's the thin cuts that curl.

 

[Matt_G]

Originally posted by Tom Chips:
No, the fat has nothing to do with it. It has to do with the protein strands tightening from cooking. Cutting the fat wont change that.

Agreed. Fat melts, it does not contract, and it cannot exert any forces that cause the meat to change shape.

However, "slitting, slashing or cutting" a few spots along the perimeter of the steak does prevent the cupping.
While those slits/slashes are through fatty tissue, it is the fact that those slices cut through Protein that causes them to be effective.

 

[K Kruger]

Sorry, but no. All fat does not 'melt', not during the relatively short cooking time of a steak anyway. Fat contracts more quickly than muscle fibers do, one--and, two, steaks are not (normally) cooked so long that fiber contraction is an issue. Some fat melts, some moisture is released, and the fat contracts causing the steaks to curl. Slashing the fat line ahead of time will prevent curling. Steaks without an exterior fat line do not need to be slashed.