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.

What? Why not just pour sugar into it if you’re going to cock it up like that!

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 [TIPS

Milk and white wine

Oooh, following the traditional Accademia Italiana della Cucina Ragù alla Bolognese recipe?

Very nice, but I prefer the richness of red wine. Mine is more akin to the Delia “Authentic Ragu” recipe 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 lovely Daily Heil article about Accademia Italiana della Cucina “spag bol” 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 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.

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.
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.

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