Mailed free to members of the fishery and allied industries. Address correspondence and requests to the: Director, Fish and Wildlife Service, U. S. Department of the Interior, Washington 25, D. C. Publication of material from sources outside the Service is not an endorsement. The Service is Although the contents of this publication have not been copyrighted and may be reprinted freely, COVER: The blue crab is the most valuable commercial crab taken by United States fishermen along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. The catch of blue crab amounts to al- most 100 million pounds annually, valued at about $5.5 million ex-vessel. ... July 1957 Washington 25, D.C. Vol. 19, No.7 HOW TO COOK FROZEN FISH WITHOUT PRETHAWING Part II - The Effect of Oven Temperature on Cooking Time for Frozen Halibut Steaks By Lois C. Elgin,* Kathryn L. Osterhaug, ** and Thelma S. Rose* BACKGROUND The popularity of prepackaged foods has increased tremendously. The convenience of the meal-size frozen-food package has been an important aid in selling foods that require no prethawing, such as frozen vegetables. The sale of frozen fish fillets and steaks, however, has been retarded somewhat by a lack of specific reliable instructions for cooking fish without prethawing. Because little experimental work has been conducted on this problem, a study has been undertaken at the Service's Seattle Technological Laboratory. The first objective of the project was to determine a criterion for "doneness" in fish (when cooked) that would be reproducible. Previously, fish had been considered done if it flaked easily when tested with a fork. This criterion was too indefinite for controlled experiments. The work of Helen Charley (1952), which was used as a reference throughout the project, was based on the assumption that the logical criterion for "doneness" in protein foods was the internal temperature. Accordingly, a series of controlled palatability taste tests evaluating frozen halibut steaks baked to intergal temperatures of 130° to 135 F., 145 to 150 F., 155 to 160 F., and 170 to 175 F. indicated that the 155' to 160 F. range was preferred for flavor, texture, and juiciness (Osterhaug and MacFarlane 1955). With a standard internal temperature for baking frozen halibut steaks having been established, the next objective was to find the time required for frozen (270 F.) halibut steaks of different thicknesses to reach an internal temperature of 155° to 160 F. at various oven temperatures. The results are reported in this paper. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Frozen halibut steaks, 1⁄2, 1, and 1 inches in thickness, were used for this study. A steak weighing 300 grams, 1/ regardless of thickness, was always used as a matter of convenience. Although a 300-gram -inch steak was large and thin, it was possible to cut it from a large fish. A 300-gram 1-inch steak was readily available from any medium size halibut and the 300-gram 11⁄2-inch steak was thick and chunky but still had a steak shape. HOME ECONOMIST ** { FISHERY TECHNOLOGICAL LABORATORY, BRANCH OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES, FISHERY PRODUCTS TECHNOLOGIST U. S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, SEATTLE, WASH. 1/ 300 GRAMS EQUALS 10.58 OUNCES OR 0.8 POUND. |