> > > A 5 lb roast beef
> > > (which should be RT before it goes in the oven) will take substantially
> longer.
> >
> > Ok, why is it better for the 5 lb roast beef be at room temperature
> > before it goes into the oven?
> >
> > Is this a food safety issue or one of the quality of the resulting
> > dish?
> >
> > It would seem that if you put the roast in the oven frozen, then it
> > would spend less time at the hazardous/breeds bacteria region.
> >
> > Is it because in the oven, from the frozen state that the outside
> > will end up cooking too fast compared to the inside? What if the
> > beef is refrigerated instead of frozen?
> >
> > What about a casserole which is presumably flatter and less dense
> > than the roast? Or since this has already been cooked and is simply
> > being warmed is okay to put in the oven in a frozen state?
>
> I'm not Avraham, but I think I can answer this one:
> When I do beef roasts, I like them a perfect medium rare.  So, I take
> the roast out of the fridge, and let it come to room temp.  It then gets
> roasted at a fairly fast, fairly high temp. (I've got a little
> recipe/chart that gives me temps and times, which depend on the roast
> size).

Precisely right. If the roast is cold all the way through, the outside will be
overdone by the time the inside comes up to temperature. Starting with room
temperature meat gives you even doneness all the way through. Things which are
unevenly thick are even more important to bring to room temperature, so that
the thin bits don't overcook before the thick bits are done. I do this with
anything which I am roasting, pan-roasting or deep-frying.

Avraham

****************************************
Avraham haRofeh of Northpass (soon to be "of Sudentur")
     (mka Randy Goldberg MD)