Cooking the perfect steak
Steak has always been a popular choice when eating out, but even experienced home cooks can find the prospect of cooking steak at home daunting. Many people have tried and ended up with a leathery disaster. You may find that House Keeper Carers London way are asked by their households to cook up a nice steak for an evening meal and these steps below you will be able to produce a perfect and delicious steak with no stress at all.
As a quick aside if you are thinking of hiring a House Keeper take a look at https://www.guardiancarers.co.uk/services/housekeeper-carer where you can find more information.
Choose your steak
Whichever cut you prefer, sirloin, rump, T bone or fillet, according to Tom Parker Bowles in the Daily Mail, the difference between grass-fed and grain-fed beef is the most important consideration, and he recommends proper British grass-fed beef for most occasions. If you get to know your butcher, he or she will recommend good cuts when they are in stock, but the cut is not as important as how you treat it once you get it home. This Guardian article outlines the different cuts and how they should be treated.
Preparation
If the steak has been in the fridge, get it out about 2 hours before you intend to start cooking. It is important that it starts at room temperature so you can cook it quickly and the outside is not burnt before the inside is cooked through. Get everything ready before you start; frying pan, plate, tongs, kitchen knives and timer. Assemble the ingredients; olive oil, butter, chopped garlic, salt and pepper. Season the steak well.
While you are waiting for the steak to come to room temperature, lay the table. Even for the most tender steak, it is best to provide your guests with proper cutlery so as to ensure that they are not fighting to cut their steak with a blunt knife.
Cooking
Coat the base of the frying pan with olive oil and place on the cooker and heat until very hot. Using tongs, carefully lay the steak in the hot oil and cook for one minute. Then turn the steak over and cook the other side for one minute. If your steak is very thick, you may wish to sear the edges as well until they are still the same colour as the flat sides. If the pan starts smoking, turn the heat down to medium. Add a good chunk of butter and the garlic to the pan.
The exact timing for cooking your steaks varies according to taste and thickness and type of steak, but as a rough guide based on a 2cm thick sirloin steak you will need to cook it for 1.5 minutes each side for a rare steak, 2 minutes each side for medium rare, 2.25 minutes each side for medium and 2.5 to 3 minutes each side for a medium to well done steak. If you turn the steak every minute, you can check to see when it is done to your requirements.
Rest
Allow your cooked steak to rest for a minimum of five minutes. This will give the juices a chance to be reabsorbed into the meat so that it is beautifully succulent and full of flavour. Don’t worry that it will get cold, dense meat such as steak keeps it heat well. Some people argue that this is the most important part of cooking a steak.
Just enjoy.