Food Tips: How to Cook the Perfect Steak

No matter the cut of meat you prefer, you must always pay close attention when cooking your beef. Timing is key when cooking steak and a few minutes is what makes the difference between rare and well done. This is one of the reasons I have put together this summary of tips to help you from beginning to end when cooking steak.

There are a lot of different ways to cook steak so you do not have to limit yourself.^[1] And while you can enjoy your steak in a variety of delicious ways, these tips are going to be guiding you through properly frying your steak.

Marinate The Steak

When it comes to marinating steaks, you should keep in mind the most basic rule to follow, which is that you should always include an acidic liquid (such as vinegar or wine, so it can break down the muscle fibers in the meat cut), oil, and flavorings of your choice (herbs, spices, or sweeteners). You can buy pre-made marinade mixes in the store, but it’s better and healthier to make your own.

Here are tips on how to properly marinate your steak:

1. Place olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, basil, garlic powder, pepper, and parsley in a blender. You can add garlic and hot pepper sauce if desired.
2. Blend on high speed until thoroughly mixed for 30 seconds.
3. Once you have properly mixed your marinade, it is ready to be used on your meat. Pour marinade over meat and make sure the marinade covers the entire meat.
4. You can massage the meat to assist the penetration of the mixture, then cover, and refrigerate from 2 to 24 hours.

There are lots of marinade recipes you can try depending on your preference, but the one above is a great one to have on hand.

Selecting the Best Frying Pan

If you are reading this, it is very likely that you are trying to find tips on how best to cook your steak. I recommend frying, although you can grill it if you prefer or even cook on a stove or oven.

One of the commonly made mistakes when cooking steak is cooking it in the wrong choice of pan.

To fry your steak, you will need high temperatures so your pan of choice should be a thick-based, heavy-duty frying pan, ideally with a non-stick coating, which must be able to withstand the heat needed to fry the steak properly.^[2] Cast iron griddles or skillets are the top choice and be sure to use the appropriate pan with enough room. However, if your pan isn’t big enough for all your steaks, don’t crowd the pan, cook them one or two at a time or in batches. This will let them rest as you cook the other batches, ensuring that they are all cooked properly.

Choosing the Oil

You should use groundnut oil to cook the steak. Groundnut oil has a mild flavor, which would make your steak more enjoyable. Some people like to use butter and you can use that if you prefer.

When the pan heats up, add a splash of oil directly to the pan. Once the oil starts separating on the pan, it’s hot enough to add the steak. Make sure to add the steak when the oil is hot – if the oil is too cool when the steak is added, your steak could turn out under-browned and greasy.

Dressing the Steak

Moments before placing the steak into the pan, sprinkle some sea salt and black pepper onto a plate, then press the steak into the seasoning. However, if you are satisfied with just marinating, you can skip this step and go on to fry the steak.

How do you like it?

• Blue-rare
• Rare
• Medium-rare
• Medium
• Medium-well
• Well-done

For a well-done steak, depending on the thickness of the steak, you should cook it for about 4-5 minutes on each side.

Leave it to rest

This is an important step. After cooking the steak, it should be left to rest at room temperature for at least five minutes.

Serve

Now you can serve up the steak. It can be accompanied with anything, including salads.

Bon appétit!

Featured photo credit: shutterstock via shutterstock.com