STEAKLOL

iCraig · 02-06-2007, 13:35

Most men love steak. If you're a vegetarian or someone who simply does not like steak; this thread is not for you.

This afternoon I'm cooking a nice slab of sirloin steak. I don't know how many ounces as I threw the packaging away this morning, but I would guess at 8oz.

So how do you cook steak? Well, it's easy. You really can't go wrong with basic steak. Technically you can have it raw so you only really need to worry about cooking it too much.
You take it out of the fridge, slap it in a hot pan and cook away for 2-4 minutes, flipping it over now and again. Whack on a plate, eat.

As nice as that steak will taste, it is not going to be as nice as properly prepared and cooked steak. So, how is that done you may ask? Simply follow the steps below and be on your way to succulent, juicy, flavour packed steaks:

First of all, the steak itself is very important. The cheap cuts from Aldi are only going to taste mediocre regardless of what chef cooks them, and the £15 rib-eye beauties you can get are also overpriced for what they essentially are.

A good sirloin or rib-eye from Sainsbury's is what you need.

Next comes preparation. One of the most important things that you need to do during preparing the steak is also the easiest thing. You do absolutely nothing. That's right. Take the steak out of the fridge, place it on a plate and just leave it.

Why? When the steak is first taken out of the fridge, it's very very cold - right through to the centre of the meat. By immediately cooking a freezing cold steak you're trying to heat up an entire piece of meat quickly. The heat is applied on the outside and slowly works its way through the meat and by time the middle is cooked, the outside will be overcooked, even burnt in places.

So, by leaving it out for 15-20 minutes the steak will rise up to room temperature, or not far off. Don't wait for the steak to be warm to the touch, the steak can still be cool when it goes in the pan, just not freezing cold.

Once you've done that, tis seasoning time baby!

Seasoning the steak is very important for flavour and texture. It can be skipped if you wish, but you do indeed miss out on a better flavoured steak.

The most common steak seasoning is salt and pepper and a dash of olive oil. The oil serves two purposes, to flavour the steak and to help it cook rather than simply dry out. You can use butter instead of oil, but oil is more healthy and won't spatter.

Note: Put your frying pan on the heat whilst you season the steak.

Simply season the steak on both sides with the salt and pepper. How much you put on is up to you and the kind of pepper you have. Then you drizzle the oil over the steak, not much is required, about a tablespoon.

Then mop the oil and seasoning up with both sides of the steak until each side is seasoned and oiled nicely. Aim for this:

Cooking time.

Hot pan. Very important. The pan needs to be hot. Not just hot, but really hot. This is why I told you to heat the pan up a few minutes ago whilst seasoning. The pan should be very hot by now but do a quick check is to see if any light smoke is rising off the pan. This is an indication of anything left over on the pan from last time, dregs of oil and tiny bits of grease are being burnt off into the air. Anyway, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know a pan is hot, but make sure it's really hot, otherwise the steak won't cook as well as you might think.

Place the steak onto the pan. You should hear and instant hiss as the hot surface meets your steak, if not, or if it's a very very quiet sizzle, you've not got the pan hot enough.

Depending on how you like your steak cooked is how long you leave it in for. I like mine medium rare, and cook it two minutes either side.

Cook for one minute
Flip
Cook for one minute
Flip
Cook for one minute
Flip
Cook for one minute

All cooked? Great, place it on a plate and smell that baby.

Final step, as equally as important as the first. Leave the steak alone for a few minutes. Let the meat rest. When a steak is cooked, the meat tenses up and goes quite tough, when the heat subsides the meat slowly relaxes and goes tender. If you dig in too quick you'll be eating the steak whilst it's still tense.

After a few minutes, eat. Real men will generally eat it as it is, but you can have many things with steak if you wish. Salad, fried egg, onion rings, jacket potato etc.

Enjoy

02-06-2007, 13:35	#1
iCraig iCustom User Title Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 2,250	STEAKLOL Most men love steak. If you're a vegetarian or someone who simply does not like steak; this thread is not for you. This afternoon I'm cooking a nice slab of sirloin steak. I don't know how many ounces as I threw the packaging away this morning, but I would guess at 8oz. So how do you cook steak? Well, it's easy. You really can't go wrong with basic steak. Technically you can have it raw so you only really need to worry about cooking it too much. You take it out of the fridge, slap it in a hot pan and cook away for 2-4 minutes, flipping it over now and again. Whack on a plate, eat. As nice as that steak will taste, it is not going to be as nice as properly prepared and cooked steak. So, how is that done you may ask? Simply follow the steps below and be on your way to succulent, juicy, flavour packed steaks: First of all, the steak itself is very important. The cheap cuts from Aldi are only going to taste mediocre regardless of what chef cooks them, and the £15 rib-eye beauties you can get are also overpriced for what they essentially are. A good sirloin or rib-eye from Sainsbury's is what you need. Next comes preparation. One of the most important things that you need to do during preparing the steak is also the easiest thing. You do absolutely nothing. That's right. Take the steak out of the fridge, place it on a plate and just leave it. Why? When the steak is first taken out of the fridge, it's very very cold - right through to the centre of the meat. By immediately cooking a freezing cold steak you're trying to heat up an entire piece of meat quickly. The heat is applied on the outside and slowly works its way through the meat and by time the middle is cooked, the outside will be overcooked, even burnt in places. So, by leaving it out for 15-20 minutes the steak will rise up to room temperature, or not far off. Don't wait for the steak to be warm to the touch, the steak can still be cool when it goes in the pan, just not freezing cold. Once you've done that, tis seasoning time baby! Seasoning the steak is very important for flavour and texture. It can be skipped if you wish, but you do indeed miss out on a better flavoured steak. The most common steak seasoning is salt and pepper and a dash of olive oil. The oil serves two purposes, to flavour the steak and to help it cook rather than simply dry out. You can use butter instead of oil, but oil is more healthy and won't spatter. Note: Put your frying pan on the heat whilst you season the steak. Simply season the steak on both sides with the salt and pepper. How much you put on is up to you and the kind of pepper you have. Then you drizzle the oil over the steak, not much is required, about a tablespoon. Then mop the oil and seasoning up with both sides of the steak until each side is seasoned and oiled nicely. Aim for this: Cooking time. Hot pan. Very important. The pan needs to be hot. Not just hot, but really hot. This is why I told you to heat the pan up a few minutes ago whilst seasoning. The pan should be very hot by now but do a quick check is to see if any light smoke is rising off the pan. This is an indication of anything left over on the pan from last time, dregs of oil and tiny bits of grease are being burnt off into the air. Anyway, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know a pan is hot, but make sure it's really hot, otherwise the steak won't cook as well as you might think. Place the steak onto the pan. You should hear and instant hiss as the hot surface meets your steak, if not, or if it's a very very quiet sizzle, you've not got the pan hot enough. Depending on how you like your steak cooked is how long you leave it in for. I like mine medium rare, and cook it two minutes either side. Cook for one minute Flip Cook for one minute Flip Cook for one minute Flip Cook for one minute All cooked? Great, place it on a plate and smell that baby. Final step, as equally as important as the first. Leave the steak alone for a few minutes. Let the meat rest. When a steak is cooked, the meat tenses up and goes quite tough, when the heat subsides the meat slowly relaxes and goes tender. If you dig in too quick you'll be eating the steak whilst it's still tense. After a few minutes, eat. Real men will generally eat it as it is, but you can have many things with steak if you wish. Salad, fried egg, onion rings, jacket potato etc. Enjoy __________________ Last edited by iCraig; 02-06-2007 at 13:37.