The Steak Ninja. Gimmick? Good to Go?

INSTANT VERDICT SUBJECT TO CHANGE:

The Good: Cheap. Seems to work. 

The Bad: Hard to clean. 
The Verdict: At this price, what do you have to lose?

I like steak. If it were up to me, I'd eat it several times a week. But, good steak is expensive, and steak cheap enough to eat several times a week is better suited for covering the seats in a fine luxury car.

I experimented with a couple of different ways to tenderize a cheaper cut of steak to make it more edible.

Brining was the first. Simply putting a generous coating of kosher salt on both sides of the meat and letting it set did make it more tender. But, it wasn't a huge improvement and it made the meat overly salty in places, even after thoroughly rinsing.

I tried Sous Vide, and while I like the results of that for many things, steak is not one of them. It simply doesn't have the same flavor as a steak seared in cast iron or fast-cooked on a grill.

Finally, the Steak Ninja.

First off, the box contains several words and phrases that I like. Ninja, kick-ass, and meat. But wait, there's more!

When you press this into a piece of meat, those 56 blades penetrate and cut through the muscle fiber. Basically, it gives you a head start in the race to chew your own food. 

The Steak Ninja is a version of a device called a jaccard, which has been around for a while. So, even if you haven't heard of it, it's not exactly innovative. But, it was cheaper than any of the other jaccards that I saw for sale on Amazon. 

The blades are flat and directional. Meaning, you can run the Steak Ninja many times in different directions to make the meat more tender. 

Don't play around with it. The thing is dangerously sharp. Also, make sure you know your target and what's behind it...lol. Most often, I use the Ninja while the meat is still in the foam pack to ensure that it penetrates all the way through. But, you'll want to do this on a cutting board, not a formica countertop. 

Side effects: Thin cuts of meat become thinner. Figure a 3/4" steak becomes 1/2". You'll have to adjust your cooking times accordingly, or buy thicker meat. The last time, I used it on a 1.5" sirloin tip roast and the finished product came off the grill at approximately 1" thick, which was perfect. 

Other side effects: the meat will cook quicker. People say this is because the heat penetrates the meat through the holes, but I think it's because the meat ends up thinner. 

Things I thought would be a problem, but weren't: I figured this would dry the meat out. I've heard for years you're never supposed to use a fork to turn steaks on the grill, because any holes you poke in the meat would allow all the juices to get out. And now, with the Ninja, I'm poking 56 holes at a time in it. That didn't hurt the steaks at all. In fact, if anything, meat prepared with the Ninja comes out juicier than normal. I don't know why, but it's always good. 

Things I didn't consider would be a problem that are:  Cleaning. You have to hold the thing open by hand to get to the blades. The first time I did it, I got an inadvertent blood sugar test in the tips of two of my fingers. You REALLY have to take care to get to the blades. You can lock it closed, but you can't hold it open, so you're grabbing it tightly with one hand and cleaning with the other (I used a nylon bristle brush). 

That aside, all of the steaks that I've done with this have come out way more tender and tasty than they had any business being. I got a chuck shoulder steak (not a Flatiron) and it was tender and juicy. So was the aforementioned sirloin tip roast. Very good texture, with minimal toughness. 

Here are the pros and cons of the Steak Ninja. 

Pros: Easy to use. Cheap. Actually works. Maybe fun, too, if you're a bit sadistic. 

Cons: Thinner steaks. Does take some time to do multiple steaks. Dangerous to clean. 

All in all, if you're wanting to eat steak more, and your budget won't allow, this might be a worthwhile investment. 

Product Review: Black and Decker LSTE522 20V String trimmer

My first electric trimmer was an old Black and Decker with a built-in lead-acid battery. It worked OK, but it wasn't super powerful and it came off charge one winter and the battery was destroyed. 

My second attempt was an 18v Grass Hog. That thing served me admirably for 9 years, until the motor finally gave out. I bought another just like it used on eBay which lasted me another two years. 

I was reluctant to switch to 20v because I had so many tools that ran on 18v. And, I didn't want to be using two sets of chargers and batteries during a transition. 

Ultimately, my wife forced the change on me by getting me a Black and Decker 20v tool set for Christmas. I had no choice but to upgrade. 

In the meantime, I found a handy adapter that lets you use your 18v tools with the 20v batteries. 

That was all it took. Now, I could standardize everything on one battery type and charging system. 

So, when my old 18v trimmer gave out this spring, I knew it would be no big deal to get a 20v upgrade, which is exactly what I did...

Behold, the LSTE522 trimmer from Black and Decker. This thing is so much better than my old 18v system. 

First, the torque. It's still not what a gas trimmer would be, but it's pretty darn good. You can clear lightly overgrown areas with it without much trouble. 

While it has more torque, the supplied line doesn't work really well for tough stuff. My advice would be to get a shaped line for it. I use a square 0.65 line and it performs much better. 

It has a line feed switch which seems to work pretty well. It also has an edging wheel, which I haven't had a chance to try. 

The hold position is comfortable, but your finger does get tired from holding the trigger. There's almost no travel to the trigger, so if you're not paying attention, you can let it off really easily. I'd rather the spring loading be a little lighter and have the trigger's travel be maybe 1/4" or so. 

My biggest complaint is one that I often have with tools of any type...they're not sized for a person over 6' tall. This is no different. The shaft extends pretty far, but I still have to hunch over to trim, meaning a sore back after a while. 3" more length would be welcome. 

The standard B&D batteries are good for about 20-25 minutes run time, which is adequate to do a small yard. Do yourself a favor and get a higher amp battery, especially if you've standardized on the 20v system.  I have a 6 amp battery, and this morning, I cleared two abandoned front yards with it in my neighborhood and had enough battery left over to knock down the grass in my front yard when I was finished.  Total run time was about 75-80 minutes. 

That same battery will run the 5" circular saw, utility saw, or drill all day long. 

No need to pay full price on the batteries. I have been buying Powerextra aftermarket batteries for years and have had good results. You can get the Porter Cable models, and with a Dremel and 5 minutes, you can modify them to fit in either the Black and Decker or Porter Cable tools. This is handy for me, because I have a Porter Cable brad nailer that also works on 20v batteries. 

I plan to buy the optional Mower Deck for this trimmer as well. 

It snaps onto the trimmer and converts it to a 12" mower. It would be perfect for my small front yard when I don't want to drag the gas mower out. 

I'll keep you updated.