If you appreciate the delicacy of dry aging, you may be tempted to want to try it out for yourself. However, you may be wondering whether you should dry age using your standard refrigerator or if you should invest in a specially designed dry aging fridge. If this sounds familiar, you have come to the right place. In this article we are going to explore the difference between a standard refrigerator and a dry aging fridge as well as what results you can expect from both.
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What is a dry age fridge?
A dry age fridge is a specially designed refrigerator that is built to provide you with the ideal environment for dry aging. These fridges are usually temperature and humidity controlled which allows for the controlled decomposition of the meat whilst minimising the risk of spoilage. What’s more, the environment is sterile with UV lamps, and unnecessary moisture is removed and returned to air circulation through air forced fans. There are a number of dry age fridge brands on the market but the best is Steak Locker so we will use them as an example.
Steak Locker created the world’s first smart aging refrigerator which uses integrated technology to help you produce delicious dry aged meats. Their fridges feature highly efficient digital inverter compressors that save up to 40% off electricity bills, UV bacterial Spectrum lights for disinfecting the air, multiple forced air fans and patented operating systems complimented by a companion smart app.
Pros of dry age fridge
- Specially designed
- Temperature and humidity controlled environment
- Consistently excellent results
- Minimise risk of spoilage
- It is an investment that can save money in the long run
- Can transform the taste and texture of lower grade cuts of meat
- Easy to monitor progress of meat
Cons of dry age fridge
- More expensive upfront cost
- Requires sufficient space as you will now have more than one fridge
Can you use a standard fridge for dry aging?
Whilst it is possible to use a standard fridge for dry aging, it is not recommended. This is because when using a standard refrigerator, there are a number of risks involved. This includes increased risk of spoilage and cross contamination of flavors.
If you do decide to use a standard fridge, it is best practise to exclusively dedicate it to the dry aging process. This is because if you store other products in this fridge you risk cross contaminating flavors whereby your beef could end up tasting like gone off milk or your milk could end up tasting beefy. What’s more, every time you open the fridge to take something out or put something in, you are affecting the internal environment of the fridge which can increase the chances of spoilage. Successful dry aging requires consistent temperature and humidity levels.
Pros of using standard fridge for dry aging
- Affordable
- Lots of recipes and tips online to assist
- Does not require additional space
Cons of using standard fridge for dry aging
- Risk of spoilage
- Cross contamination of flavors
- More labor intensive
- Less effective
What if I use dry age bags?
One frequently asked question is ‘what if I use dry age bags in my fridge?’, although this option is better than just sticking your meat straight into the fridge, the results are uncomparable to that of a dry age refrigerator. Reviews of dry age bags demonstrate that the texture is nowhere near as tender as that of meat dry aged in a specially designed dry aging fridge and the flavor is not as intense. It’s important to remember that often, you get what you pay for, therefore if you are looking for an affordable way to produce dry aged meat at home, dry age bags could be a solution, however if you want to create a truly tender and flavorful dry aged product, your best bet is to use a dry aging fridge like the Steak Locker.
