Steak - how to cook and what to have with it {Mega Merge!}

The Hill Billy

Maybe the F&D Mods could do a "How To Cook a Steak [MEGA-MERGE]" thread & sticky it? This topic seems to be coming up again & again recently. I ain't complaining - it is great to see such an amount of new posters here, but each week we seem to be going over the same ol' ground.

Faith

Thanks for the suggestion, Hill Billy, I was thinking of doing something like that alright.

Faith

Done.

The Hill Billy

Faith wrote: »

Done.

Ta. And with an exclamation mark in the title too! w00t!!!

otron

Sparks wrote: »

Er, no, it doesn't. But the browning of the meat gives it a lovely taste.

Here here! The "seal the steak" one is a common misconception, debunked in one of the early Heston Bluementhal programs. I think it was his Discovery Channel "Kitchen Chemistry" rather then his more recent "In Search of Perfection" BBC series.

You definitely need a nice browning on the outside to bring out the flavours caused by the maillard reaction - theres no point in having a juicy steak without this - otherwise you might as well poach the thing.

My own theory on a good steak is that you need to get it nice and red in the middle, but almost burned on the outside. The best way to manage this is to use the methods described elsewhere, but the thicker the steak the easier this is.

monty_python

keep the steak nice and rare and maybe marinade in brandy tops some baby potatoes in olive oil mix in some thyme rosemary garlic salt and black pepper then roast in a hot oven and onion and mushrooms for the the veg no sauce needed

vibe666

marinating it overnight in teriyaki sauce is also very nice, but again the key is a good thick piece of steak with a decent amount offat marbled throug it to keep it moist whilst cooking. rib eye or striploin are always good.

corblimey

I missed the start of Jamie's Garden (or whatever it's called) at the weekend, but did I really see him sticking bits of fat into a rib eye in order to get even more marbling? I have no idea where he got the fat from (cut from the side maybe), but this strikes me as something that just wouldn't work; surely the fat has to be 'inside' the steak in order to melt properly and increase the taste?

bungler

Right, I am useless at cooking the best i can do it rustle of a big durty fry. I bought a steak yesterday and put it in a pan with some oil and it was fine but pretty boring.So late last night i saw that gimp Marco Pierre White on a TV ad rubbing a stock cube onto steak, i tried this and nearly poisined myself.

How do you cook yours or does anyone have any tips? I am a big meat eater so i dont do spuds or vegtables,just a quick and easy slab of meat

sincere113

Slightly season with salt & pepper, then fry for a couple of minutes each side then ready to serve. I like mine blue, so just enough frying to seal the outside is good.

stimpson

Start with a dry pan. Preferably a griddle pan to get nice stripes. Needs to be fairly hot.

Stick a good glug of olive oil on the steak and a good grind of salt (but no pepper). Massage into steak. Place in pan. Do not move. Give it about 2 minutes on each side for medium rare. A little more for well done.

Remove from pan and place on a hot plate. Add a shot of whiskey (or brandy if you're posh) to pan to deglaze. Heat it up (and carefully light the alcohol if you're feeling brave). Once alcohol has burnt off add a good lick of cream and loads of ground black pepper. Allow to thicken slightly in pan. Add back to the pan any juices that came out of the steak. Mix sauce and pour over steak.

Yum...steak for dinner tonight I think!

Oh, I usually fry up some onions/mushrooms. Caramalised onions are great with this.

bungler

sincere113 wrote: »

Slightly season with salt & pepper, then fry for a couple of minutes each side then ready to serve. I like mine blue, so just enough frying to seal the outside is good.

I will probably get slapped for saying this but i cant see any blood, i like mine well done

stimpson wrote: »

Start with a dry pan. Preferably a griddle pan to get nice stripes. Needs to be fairly hot.

Stick a good glug of olive oil on the steak and a good grind of salt (but no pepper). Massage into steak. Place in pan. Do not move. Give it about 2 minutes on each side for medium rare. A little more for well done.

Remove from pan and place on a hot plate. Add a shot of whiskey (or brandy if you're posh) to pan to deglaze. Heat it up (and carefully light the alcohol if you're feeling brave). Once alcohol has burnt off add a good lick of cream and loads of ground black pepper. Allow to thicken slightly in pan. Add back to the pan any juices that came out of the steak. Mix sauce and pour over steak.

Yum...steak for dinner tonight I think!

This sounds very tasty, gonna try this tonight.
I am also a big fan of paprika would you ever massage some of it into the meat or would that be manky?
Sorry for the stupid questions but i love food and really want to learn how to cook a bit more

nix84

Schwartz Perfect Shake for steak is nice. Have your pan smoking hot. DO NOT put the oil in the pan coz it will burn. Rub oil onto the steak and a tiny bit of the perfect shake. Cook it how ya like it ie: well done,medium etc. leave it to rest and while it's resting fry off sum mushrooms and onion. I love mine with chips and pepper sauce. Gorgeous!

yupyup7up

My friend made it yesterday and he's a chef.

Warm up a pan until hot, fry both sides until brown, then put it in the oven for about 10 minutes in its own juices. This stops it from drying out! Savage!

stimpson

bungler wrote: »

This sounds very tasty, gonna try this tonight.
I am also a big fan of paprika would you ever massage some of it into the meat or would that be manky?
Sorry for the stupid questions but i love food and really want to learn how to cook a bit more

I don't deviate from the above. I like my food simple but tasty. The reason for not peppering the steak is that pepper will burn on a hot pan, so I assume paprika might burn too.

Having said that it's your steak!

bungler

stimpson wrote: »

I don't deviate from the above. I like my food simple but tasty. The reason for not peppering the steak is that pepper will burn on a hot pan, so I assume paprika might burn too.

Having said that it's your steak!

Didnt know it would burn so i think i will leave that out then

listermint

I would always pepper mine, comes out perfect, salt and pepper. Do about 3 Minutes each side on high heat to make sure cooked through. This should get rid of the blood but leave it moist and subtle.

Best of luck, you will find your own way. Good one for asking as there is nothing worse than a bland badly cooked and un seasoned nice piece of meat. Tis a waste

Tefral

Actually getting a good steak is half the battle, getting steak from Dunnes or Tesco are actually crap. Theres no taste to them at all. A good aged steak is what you want.

To be honest when im cooking steak I dont even use oil anymore. I heat the griddle pan till its very hot and fire in my steak.

stimpson

cronin_j wrote: »

Actually getting a good steak is half the battle, getting steak from Dunnes or Tesco are actually crap. Theres no taste to them at all. A good aged steak is what you want.

+1

If you haven't got a good butcher, Aldi Specially Selected Striploin is excellent.

The Hill Billy

Merged with Steak Mega-thread.

HB

listermint

cronin_j wrote: »

Actually getting a good steak is half the battle, getting steak from Dunnes or Tesco are actually crap. Theres no taste to them at all. A good aged steak is what you want.

To be honest when im cooking steak I dont even use oil anymore. I heat the griddle pan till its very hot and fire in my steak.

While I agree with obtaining a good aged steak for taste, I dont agree that you cant obtain a good everyday steak in the larger chains.

Ive had little problem getting good meat in either chain. Meat plays a large part, but equally so does the skill of the chef.

Tefral

listermint wrote: »

While I agree with obtaining a good aged steak for taste, I dont agree that you cant obtain a good everyday steak in the larger chains.

Ive had little problem getting good meat in either chain. Meat plays a large part, but equally so does the skill of the chef.

I know Tesco have their Finest range which is significantly better than the stuff you get in the clear package but generally I would avoid getting steak in them. I like the Steaks in M&S.

kmick

One point to add is never cook a steak straight from the fridge if you want it rare/medium rare/medium. It wants to be room temperature when it hits the pan otherwise it will be hot on the outside fridge cold on the inside. Also I would use a sunflower oil rather than an olive oil as the pan needs to be very hot and olive oil starts to smoke at a much lower temps than other vegetable oils.

The Hill Billy

A wee glitch in the matrix. Threads now merged properly.

Sorry about that.

HB

stimpson

kmick wrote: »

Also I would use a sunflower oil rather than an olive oil as the pan needs to be very hot and olive oil starts to smoke at a much lower temps than other vegetable oils.

I thought it was the other way around

http://bbq.about.com/od/grillinghelp/a/aa061607a.htm

bungler

stimpson wrote: »

I thought it was the other way around

http://bbq.about.com/od/grillinghelp/a/aa061607a.htm

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: Peanut oil?

Please please tell me there is an oil that tastes like peanuts. If so i can now cook my steak in peanut oil and while eating it have a nice big glass of peanut oil to wash it down with. mmmmmmm cheast pains

the_syco

I like my steak well cooked, so this is what I do:
Put ring at full heat (in my cookers case, number 6), and heat the frying pan up.
Throw some oil in, and when the oil in the middle evaporates and then throw the steak in. Cook for a minute or two.
Turn heat down to low (in my cookers case, number 2), and flip the steak.
Cover the frying pan and leave it cook for 30 minutes or so, flipping it every so often.

Do until cooked all the way through, no red. Steak will be tender and light brown.

=-=

Then throw it into a sandwich:

Buttered Bread
Two hard fried eggs
Ketchup
Mature Cheese
Steak
Cheese
Ketchup
Buttered Bread

For extra taste, I usually grill the cheese when I put it onto the steak until the cheese goes a bit brownish.

Note: steak must fit, or be too big for the slice of bread. "Smaller" than the slice of bread cannot be used. I buy my steak from Tescos, or some meat factory outlet just outside Clane. The former... is hit and miss. The latter is usually good, but would have a ugh chunk of fat to take off (dislike eating the fat part, reminds me of eating worms).

Tefral

the_syco wrote: »

Then throw it into a sandwich:

Buttered Bread
Two hard fried eggs
Ketchup
Mature Cheese
Steak
Cheese
Ketchup
Buttered Bread

For extra taste, I usually grill the cheese when I put it onto the steak until the cheese goes a bit brownish.

Note: steak must fit, or be too big for the slice of bread. "Smaller" than the slice of bread cannot be used.

Now thats what you call a Manwhich!

listermint

the_syco wrote: »

I like my steak well cooked, so this is what I do:
Put ring at full heat (in my cookers case, number 6), and heat the frying pan up.
Throw some oil in, and when the oil in the middle evaporates and then throw the steak in. Cook for a minute or two.
Turn heat down to low (in my cookers case, number 2), and flip the steak.
Cover the frying pan and leave it cook for 30 minutes or so, flipping it every so often.

Do until cooked all the way through, no red. Steak will be tender and light brown.

=-=

Then throw it into a sandwich:

Buttered Bread
Two hard fried eggs
Ketchup
Mature Cheese
Steak
Cheese
Ketchup
Buttered Bread

For extra taste, I usually grill the cheese when I put it onto the steak until the cheese goes a bit brownish.

Note: steak must fit, or be too big for the slice of bread. "Smaller" than the slice of bread cannot be used.

30 Minute steak :eek: :eek: Id need alot of convincing ALOT

bungler

the_syco wrote: »

I like my steak well cooked, so this is what I do:
Put ring at full heat (in my cookers case, number 6), and heat the frying pan up.
Throw some oil in, and when the oil in the middle evaporates and then throw the steak in. Cook for a minute or two.
Turn heat down to low (in my cookers case, number 2), and flip the steak.
Cover the frying pan and leave it cook for 30 minutes or so, flipping it every so often.

Do until cooked all the way through, no red. Steak will be tender and light brown.

=-=

Then throw it into a sandwich:

Buttered Bread
Two hard fried eggs
Ketchup
Mature Cheese
Steak
Cheese
Ketchup
Buttered Bread

For extra taste, I usually grill the cheese when I put it onto the steak until the cheese goes a bit brownish.

Note: steak must fit, or be too big for the slice of bread. "Smaller" than the slice of bread cannot be used. I buy my steak from Tescos, or some meat factory outlet just outside Clane. The former... is hit and miss. The latter is usually good, but would have a ugh chunk of fat to take off (dislike eating the fat part, reminds me of eating worms).

I think I am in love