[Closed] Cooking Steak 101

You've opened up a whole can of worms!

don't grill unless you've got a gas flame grill that gets very hot indeed. fry, oil the steaks not the pan, very hot pan, depending on thickness 3/4 mins each sides. salt after cooking, last 2 mins of cooking add butter to the pan and baste.

thread closed, no ifs or buts.

EDIT: for a quick sauce, after cooking steaks place on plate. pour off excess fat from the pan, add a spalsh of brandy, stir, geting all the bits off the pan add a bit of beef stock. reduce quite a bit, add some double cream and herbs if you want, season to taste.

Grill??? Fry it.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/videos/1044/cooking-steak

Warton mostly right, take steaks out fridge 30 mins before cooking, oil steaks, rub salt and pepper into them, Pan as hot as possible, throw in butter then place steaks on pan 3-4 mins per side, leave to rest for 5-10 mins after cooking. Serve.

Yep, its an electric grill so will go for the pan method

What oil, I think we have olive oil only, can get different stuff on way home if required

I use a skillet, heated until smoking hot, 2 mins either side (maybe a little more if they are very thick), rest for 5 mins, that will cook them medium rare.

I think 2 mins under the grill, even up close and on high, will be a good bit less than well medium well, medium rare at best I would think unless they are very thin steaks.

Comments for good steak that is cut at around 9oz in weight.

olive oil is fine - as above, oil the steaks, not the pan.

Skillet, is that like a griddle - we have one of those somewhere

Warton [s]mostly[/s] right, take steaks out fridge 30 mins before cooking, oil steaks, rub salt and pepper into them, Pan as hot as possible, throw in butter then place steaks on pan 3-4 mins per side, leave to rest for 5-10 mins after cooking. Serve.

salt draws moisture out of food, always salt meat after cooking.

throwing butter in so early will burn the butter.

OP - olive oil is perfect

one last thing and I thionk I'm sorted - how much salt and pepper do i rub in?

I use a skillet and like my steaks blue. So minimum of oil rubbed onto steak, skillet heated till smoking, steaks on for maybe a minute or two a side depending on thickness - I season afterwards, leave to rest is V important. if you like rare steak if you put your tip of your thumb and index finger together and press the heel of your palm a rare steak will feel like that when it's ready, middle finger = medium and so on....

Decision made - I'll be following the Warton method to the letter....will report back tomorrow

Grill! 😯

Many methods work well to fry it - there's no 'right' way.

The method I find works for me:

- Leave the steaks out a while to reach room temp (particularly if you like a rarer steak - you don't want the middle to be ice cold)
-grind a bit of salt/pepper over the steaks.
-heat a pan as hot as you can using something like groundnut oil that can take high heat.
- once the oil is smoking a bit, put the steak on and turn the heat down to medium/high.
- Cook for 2 mins each side unless you want it properly rare in which case 1 min each side
- Cook for a further 1 minute each side per 2cm thickness for á point(not rare, not cooked through - medium I'd call it)
- Take the steak off the pan and leave to sit for a few minutes (don't let it get cold though!) during which time, if you want, add some red wine to the pan, scrape and pour off as it's getting thick - perfect for tartinage (soaking up with french bread 🙂 )

3 to 4 minutes each side!!!! are you crazy??? You've got good steak and you're going to cook it for 8 minutes?

Remember it continues to cook once you take it out of the pan as well!

Oh dear, oh dear.

It's like scones and tea, there's different ways people argue about but they all give the same result :p
Contradictions I've noted (between top chefs etc.):
Some say salt the steak before cooking, others say don't (as it draws out moisture)
Some say rest after cooking, some say serve straight away
Some say a little oil in the pan, others oil the steak

I've tried it all and the only real difference I've noticed (assuming the same quality of steak...) is how long you cook it for - which is entirely a personal choice. I don't even really agree with the 'the pan must be red hot' thing either, I get why you wouldn't want to put it in a cold pan and gradually heat it but seems to make little difference to me if the pan is just 'hot' vs 'hotter than hell'.

CharlieMungus - Member
3 to 4 minutes each side!!!! are you crazy??? You've got good steak and you're going to cook it for 8 minutes?

I'd tend to agree but then I like mine proper rare. Mrs Clubber likes it á point and that's 5 to 6 mins cooking time in total for most normal thickness steaks IME. Still different people like different things. My inlaws like well done so I've tried to get it timed just right that it's cooked through (eg not red) but not dried out.

make little difference to me if the pan is just 'hot' vs 'hotter than hell'.

That may well be the case if you're going to cook it for 8 minutes. If you are cooking it properly, then you want the outside to brown up / sear without too much cooking going on in the middle

3 to 4 minutes each side!!!! are you crazy??? You've got good steak and you're going to cook it for 8 minutes?

so how thick are the steaks then? you don't know? neither do I, hence the estimation.

[url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/oct/18/live-chat-steak-masterclass ]Missed the live web chat with Huw Gott[/url]

If properly cooked, somewhere between bloody as hell or burnt to a crisp, resting makes the most difference imo

but seems to make little difference to me if the pan is just 'hot' vs 'hotter than hell'.

Makes a big difference if you like it rare, probably less the longer you cook it. Since chefs consider overcooking steak a bit of a sin, I suspect that's where it comes from.

just over an inch thick I reckon

after initially putting them pre-oiled in a very hot pan, do I turn the heat down?

I would turn it down just enough to maintain the temperature (and avoid incincerating everything) - normally medium-high.

yoshimi, have a look on you tube, there's loads of really good cooking vids on there.

what i'd do is take one cool box, fill it full of water at 52 degrees c, put the room temp steak in a zip lock bag with a bit of rosemary and garlic. seal the zip lock bag while squeezing as much air as possible out of the bag. pop the steak in the bag in the cooler. put the lid on. leave for an hour (you'd be surprised that my cooler lost only 0.5 degrees c over this time). 10 mins before you want to eat it put a griddle on the stove as hot as it will go, wait 9 mins, take steak out, flash it on the griddle for 30 secs a side. leave to rest for about 2 minutes then eat.

I think you all missed something here... the BUTCHER said to grill them! What a k**b!
And at £15 for 2 sirloins they must be VERY special....

Name and shame me thinks 😀

Right - thanks for all the advice - know what i'm doing now - I'll just try not to ruin another one of the (wedding present) pans like I did last time I cooked

Sirloin? How common...

Do them 'blue' or at worst 'rare' if you don't want to ruin them.

Take them out of the fridge long enough that they are room temp throughout before cooking them.

Look for Heston's Tagliata recipe on the Waitrose website.

If you cook them medium you might as well have bought Tesco Value!

what it is about cooking steak that gets you all in a lather?

It's like all of a sudden you all become a bit "Me, man must make fire, cook steak"

LOLing at all the caps and multiple !!!!

pjt201 - Member
what i'd do is take one cool box, fill it full of water at 52 degrees c, put the room temp steak in a zip lock bag with a bit of rosemary and garlic. seal the zip lock bag while squeezing as much air as possible out of the bag. pop the steak in the bag in the cooler. put the lid on. leave for an hour (you'd be surprised that my cooler lost only 0.5 degrees c over this time). 10 mins before you want to eat it put a griddle on the stove as hot as it will go, wait 9 mins, take steak out, flash it on the griddle for 30 secs a side. leave to rest for about 2 minutes then eat.

Or just sousvide it if you're going all fancy 🙂

http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/03/how-to-sous-vide-steak.html

- once the oil is smoking a bit, put the steak on and turn the heat down to medium/[b]high[/b].

Turn your hob down to high, jeffin' hell. What's the next setting up from high? Fission?

clubber - Member

Or just sousvide it if you're going all fancy

Well, that's pretty much what it is - just without the need for posh kitchen equipment! only really works for steak though as your average cool box looses too much heat from warmer water.

LOL - medium/high = between medium and high - not medium OR high 🙂

I do like the idea of a Spinal Tap '11' setting on the cooker though

The best way to cook steak is to braise it in Barolo IMHO. A bit of a faff though and triples the price of your dinner 🙁

Being a modern man, tonight I will be cooking tea for me and the wife

Doesn't salt draw the moisture out of it?

You could always just stick them in a George Foreman:

[img] [/img]

Do it or he'll punch you!

Salt/pepper/garlic allow to sit, heat pan to Mt Vesuvious levels, add a dash of peanut oil, 2-3 minutes a side and DO NOT reflip your meat! turn it only once, allow to rest for a few minutes et voila. Pucka steak DONE!!!!!

Doesn't salt draw the moisture out of it?

That's why you season it just before it hits the pan.

There is a simple Gino D'Acampo recipe with homemade potato wedges and a red wine gravy knocking around that is really nice.

DO NOT reflip your meat

Why? After a couple of minutes on each side at which point it should be nicely seared, it'll make precisely no differnce...

It's all about the texture, and I like it bordering on crispy on the outside. And if you keep cooking it after a few minutes you're just ruining it anyway.

Sounds like everyone has their own personal preference.. no surprise there then!

Me? I sear it on either side for about a minute, bung the pan in a preheated oven (200 degrees) for 3-4 minutes (depending on size) and then take it out and stick on a board for 4-5 minutes to rest..

Season first and rest well. Other than that its all personal preference, unless you're putting on some cream and or cheese based sauce: that is simply wrong.

Do people get this self righteous over spag bol?

As long as its decent quality meat then cook it how you like it.

Do people get this self righteous over spag bol?

On here? Yes!

Secret is to use a mix of fresh tomatoes, sun dried and puree. Fresh basil obviously. Nice slow cook. Small pinch of cinnamon adds an interesting twist. And try port instead of wine for some extra depth.

Only serve with spaghetti if you're a complete philistine 😀

Do people get this self righteous over spag bol?

Milk and white wine, should take about 6 hours to cook 😛

And some star anise will give it an interesting flavour 🙂

are you crazy??? You've got good steak and you're going to cook it for 8 minutes?

At one restaurant I worked in we cooked steaks for longer than that in the oven.....

...and then charge £50+ for them. 🙂

Small pinch of cinnamon adds an interesting twist.

And try port instead of wine for some extra depth.

Port or wine? You must be mad, that stuff is for drinking, not cooking!

My friends bought me a Jamie Oliver Recipease ticket last Saturday and despite it being a 'How to cook your perfect steak' I still managed to burn it a little!

Anyway here's his [[url= http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipease/files/3013/1247/8446/perfect-steak-FINAL.pdf ]TIPS[/url]

Milk and white wine

Oooh, following the [url= http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Classic-Ragu-alla-Bolognese ]traditional Accademia Italiana della Cucina Ragù alla Bolognese recipe[/url]?

Very nice, but I prefer the richness of red wine. Mine is more akin to the [url= http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/cuisine/european/italian/an-authentic-ragu-bolognese.html ]Delia "Authentic Ragu" recipe[/url] but with more mix of tomatoes and no chicken livers (yuk) 😀

I´m a chef and even I wouldn´t presume to tell someone how to cook their steak.
It all depends on personal preference and what´s it going to be cooked on/under.
Now if its a wine recommendation you want...

The best steak I ever ate was cut into big bloody chunks and served at the table with large smooth topped rock which had been in an oven for hours. The idea was to use the fat from the meat to wipe the rock then cook your own piece exactly how you liked it. We had 6 people eating from rare to well-done all together and piping hot, (flaked sea salt added after). Pretty simple in the end

By the way, I found this [url= http://www.****/femail/food/article-1244116/They-dont-make-right-Bologna-How-Italians-make-spag-bol-forget-spaghetti.html ]lovely Daily Heil article about Accademia Italiana della Cucina "spag bol"[/url] while looking for the proper recipe.

Some of the comments are awesome:

"Rubbish ! This from Italy, ha ha ha ! they haven't got a clue ! ha ha ha. Spag Bol without spaghetti ha ha ha. what a lot of bolognaise"

"What is the endless fascination with this foreign muck? What's wrong with good old fashioned English grub?"

"Italian chefs should come here...and learn how to really make this dish."

"Tagliatelle rather than spaghetti? Then it would be called "Tag Boll" and it isn't , so it just shows the Italians know nothing!"

🙄

sunnrider - do you also go on a 'what tyre' thread and tell the OP it's entirely down to personal preference?

what it is about cooking steak that gets you all in a lather?

It's like all of a sudden you all become a bit "Me, man must make fire, cook steak"

😆

It's funny because it's true, Marge...

Love the advice about frying for 3-4 mins on EACH SIDE, then the bit about 'salt drawing out the moisture'.

Ha ha!

A good steak [s]fried[/s] burnt for that long will end up like a piece of leather anyway, so instead of trying to eat it, why not make a natty saddle out of it? It'll be tough enough...

Pending on thickness, I give 'em 1-1.5 mins max each side, salt well before frying, - bosh. Perfect.

If it's not a bit pink in't middle, it's overdone.

NOW you can close the thread.

A good steak fried burnt for that long will end up like a piece of leather anyway, so instead of trying to eat it, why not make a natty saddle out of it? It'll be tough enough...

Pending on thickness, I give 'em 1-1.5 mins max each side, salt well before frying, - bosh. Perfect.

so, lets say you have a 2 inch thick sirloin. you'd cook that for 3 mins in total? mmmm cold, raw meat. tasty.

Bit late to the game, but for real (French)man's steak:

1. Remove from bag
2. Dab off any blood/juice with kitchen roll
3. Place on plate

Mmmmm, mmmm, mmmmmmmm.

I struggle with long sentences, but my top tip is to take it off the heat well before you think it's done. It'll finish itself off.

fine fragments of parmesan/grana and thinly sliced small chillis scattered over the top FTW...

I'm in the hot-griddle and up to 2 mins a side brigade.

Steak is, like pork chops, one of those things where you really get to see if your Butcher gets decent meat from decent animals.

This (French)man's steak: "Bien cuit SVP, c'est à dire légèrement carbonisé et aucun signe de vie ni de sang".

Aye, but they do all that Steak Julienne over there don't they?

Same thing, but without the hassle of dirtying a knife.

EDIT - I'm thinking of steak tartare. Principal is the same though, and it's bloody tasty.

so, lets say you have a 2 inch thick sirloin. you'd cook that for 3 mins in total? mmmm cold, raw meat. tasty.

I woon't buy a 2" thick lump of sirloin. Way too thick. That's a small roasting joint... 😯 I've never had a sirloin steak in any restaurant I've ever eaten a steak in, that's anywhere near that thick. Porterhouse maybe, but I don't eat those every day...

Nah, nice bit of rump or sirloin, about an inch thick,1-1.5 mins each side. Perfect. Just right for me. Rare, but not blue. Cooked, but not overcooked. 2 mins absolute max for those what want it a little more done. Any longer and it's a waste of good meat imo.

As for salt drawing out moisture; that's a slow process and you need a lot of salt to have any significant effect.

Cooking's a load of cobblers anyway; find a system/recipe you like, what works for you, stick to that.

As said, cook it how you like it as long as it's decent meat.

What works for me (for rare cooked steaks) -

Decent Rib-eye steak about 2.5cm thick.
Oven heated to 180c.
Old-fashioned cast iron skillet smoking hot.
Oil, salt and pepper steaks immediately before cooking.
Sear in pan for about a minute a side.
Stand steak up and roll along fatty edge in pan to crisp it up.
Stick skillet in oven for about 2 minutes.
Take out of oven and pan, rest steak for about 5 minutes.
Serve.

Also, learn the 'thumb' method for checking how your steak is cooked.

slainte 😀 rob

Pull its horns out and wipe its arse. Serve.

my advice would be to fry in a combination of fresh fat and burnt fat*
black on the outside, blue on the inside
om nom nom nom

*not olive oil - it doesn't get hot enough

sunnrider - do you also go on a 'what tyre' thread and tell the OP it's entirely down to personal preference?

..it is though innit?

For me:

Steak out for 30 minutes to room temp.

Cover in liberally in Salt, Black pepper, and fresh Rosemary on both sides, then coat steak in olive oil and rub it all in.

Heat the pan to very hot, number 5 on my electric hob.

drop it in the pan, savour the sizzling sound(I really do love that! ), and cook on both sides for 1 - 2.5 minutes, depending on the thickness (1 minute if thin, 2.5 if thick).

Let rest.

Then stick it on a plate with roast potatoes and veg.

Superb! 🙂

All the best tips on steak and other meats are at meatspin.com...

Well, followed Wartons method and it turned out perfect! Very impressed with myself.

THanks guys

What works for me (for rare cooked steaks) -

Decent Rib-eye steak about 2.5cm thick.
Oven heated to 180c.
Old-fashioned cast iron skillet smoking hot.
Oil, salt and pepper steaks immediately before cooking.
[u]Sear in pan for about a minute a side[/u].
Stand steak up and roll along fatty edge in pan to crisp it up.
[u]Stick skillet in oven for about 2 minutes.[/u]

Does that mean one side is getting 3 minutes on a smoking hot skillet? *confused*