When you are shopping buy the best quality
cut of meat you can afford. Whether you like the modern recipes or steak on
stone, you need to buy meat from a reputable butcher who you can trust to
source the finest meat possible. You should become familiar with all the
different types of steak available whether it is filet mignon, sirloin, ribeye
or T-bone and now what to look for when making your purchase. A great steak
should have a degree of marbling which is basically fat within the tissue of the
meat. Do not buy bright red steak, the colour should be a darker red which
indicates that the steak has matured correctly. The ideal thickness for a steak
is 1'' - 1.5" which will ensure that the steak does not dry out during the
cooking process.
As an avid steak lover, you might have
visited the best steakhouses in Sydney but here are some easy
tips on how to cook and serve the perfect steak at your home.
The Preparation: Only for Foodies
Let your steak reach room temperature
before you start to cook it. Take the steak out of the refrigerator anything
from 30 minutes to one hour prior to cooking. This will allow for the steak to
cook as evenly as possible because the internal temperature will have been
raised before exposing the outside surface to a hot pan. Lightly pat the steak
with kitchen towel to ensure that it is completely dry, this will ensure that
the steak grills and not steams. Additionally, do not salt the steak before
cooking as this will induce moisture on its surface and it will be steamed.
The Magic Grill: Cooking Your Steaks
Using dry heat is probably the best way to
cook a steak. It is wise to use a specially designed steak or ridged grill pan
over a high heat. This will cause the outside of the steak to brown nicely and
give it that distinctive flavour. Make sure that the pan is extremely hot
before putting the steak into it, in fact the pan should be smoking a little
bit. Cook the steaks on each side for 8 minutes for rare, 10 minutes for medium
and 12 minutes for well done. Be aware that cooking times can vary depending on
the thickness of your steak and how hot the pan is. These are general
guidelines so you may need to experiment a little bit until you find how to
cook the steak to your exact liking. Turn your steaks using tongs and give them
a nudge now and again with the tongs to ensure they do not stick to the pan.
Halfway through the cooking time per side turn your steaks trough 90 degrees,
this will give nice diamond pattern grill marks. By following the
above-mentioned guidelines, you can cook the perfect steak that will match the
taste of professionally cooked stuff served by any steakhouse in Sydney.
Paradise on Your Plate: Serving Your Steaks
Once the steaks are cooked to your liking,
whether that means nice and pink on the inside for rare or burnt to a crisp for
the well-done faction, remove them from the pan and place on a plate and
loosely cover with aluminium foil, the steaks will continue to cook on the
inside. The majority of cooks ignore this very important part of the process.
Let the steak rest for about five minutes prior to serving.