Steak does not tolerate compromise. Therefore, in order to properly prepare it (fragrant, soft and moderately fried), you should follow the basic rules. Let's talk about this and talk about it in this article.
In the photo, a ready-made steak of medium rare (Medium rare) Steak was first invented in the distant times of Ancient Rome. Millennia later, in the 15th century, it became famous in Great Britain, and was published by one of the books in 1460. Well, and then, the technology of its preparation began to spread throughout Europe. Nowadays the Americans have popularized the steak and raised it to the rank of the national dish. Although it is used and loved in all countries of the world.
Nowadays, many people mistakenly call a steak a whole fried piece of meat. In fact, a real steak is a whole algorithm of actions that allows you to truly enjoy the original meat dish. This is a piece of meat that is cut across the grain and roasted on a grill or pan. Steak meat is suitable for those areas of the carcass where the muscles have not been actively used to move the animal. Of the whole carcass of an animal, no more than 10% is suitable for cooking steaks, and this is the main reason for the high cost of the dish.
Tips on how to cook beef steak the right way?
Today in the culinary world steaks are made from fish, veal, pork and other meats, but beef is still considered a classic dish. An impeccably cooked steak can be a tough task even for a seasoned cook, as sometimes the meat comes out dry and tough, scorching on the outside before being cooked on the inside. To prevent this from happening, and the dish turned out to be correct and truly tasty, you should know some subtleties.
- For the steak, choose a beef tenderloin of a mature animal, but not old or young. The meat should be red or dark red in color, but not pink or burgundy. It is advisable to choose parts of the carcass with fewer tendons and powerful muscles, with fat evenly distributed throughout the entire piece.
- You can determine the softness of the steak with your finger by pressing on the raw meat - the finger easily sinks, leaving a deep hole, which, after pressing, returns to its original position. If this happens, then the meat is good. If the hole does not expand, the meat is not fresh enough, and if it is difficult to press on it, the steak will be tough.
- For a delicious steak, the meat should be properly prepared - remove the film and upper tendons. Cut a piece that is not too thin, and at least 7 cm long. Otherwise, the meat will lose moisture, shrink and become dry. Then, in the center of the piece on the side where the fibers are located along, an incision is made to the middle of the thickness, and the meat is opened like a butterfly.
- The steak is marinated from 12 to 48 hours, and before going to the fire, it is well dried with a paper towel. The traditional marinade mixture is vegetable oil, soy sauce, wine vinegar, salt and seasonings.
- The frozen stack is thawed in the refrigerator for 12-14 hours. After that, it is wiped dry and left for 20 minutes before marinating, so that it warms up to room temperature. It is not recommended to defrost the steak in the microwave. Since the top layers of meat are already starting to cook in defrosting mode, the middle remains cold. Subsequently, it will be difficult to get an even roast. Also, it is not advised to defrost meat at room temperature and in warm water.
- Meat is fried exclusively in a well-heated heavy frying pan or grill pan. In this case, the pan should not smoke, otherwise the steak on the outside will burn, but inside will not have time to cook, which will turn out tough. During frying, the protein quickly curls up on the surface of the piece and prevents the liquid from escaping, so the steak is first fried over high heat for 1 minute on each side. This will "seal" the fibers and the meat will retain the juice, which means the steak will be juicy and soft. Further, the dish is brought to the desired degree of roasting at a lower temperature.
- The finished meat should be left to lie down for a while. During this time, the juice will be distributed inside the piece, the temperature will even out inside and outside, and the steak will become warm, tender and juicy everywhere.
- Serve the steak on warm plates, then it will not cool down so quickly. For use, you need sharp knives without chipping so that you can evenly cut the meat.
How to roast beef steak?
Making the perfect steak is not difficult, if, of course, you know some of the rules and follow certain subtleties.
- When buying meat in a supermarket, pay attention, in addition to the date of packaging, also on the date of slaughter, it should always be indicated. Count 20-25 days from it, which will be the date from which you can start frying the steak.
- It is advisable not to wash the steaks, but to wipe them with a paper towel until they are completely dry.
- Do not put more than 2 pieces in one pan, otherwise the temperature of the pan will drop sharply. The meat will begin to secrete juice, in which it will be stewed, and then the golden brown crust will not work.
- Use the cooking tongs to turn the steaks over, not with a fork, or the juice will leak out.
- If the meat cannot be turned over, and it does not lag behind the pan, then a crust has not formed. Then the steak needs a little more time to fry.
- Another important tip: the meat for the steak is not beaten, otherwise, it will lose all juices and structure.
How much to fry a beef steak?
The degree of roasting of steaks can be varied to your taste by increasing or decreasing the cooking time. According to the American classification system, there are 5 degrees of roasting. Here are examples of the approximate cooking time for a 2.5 cm thick steak. For pieces of greater thickness, the cooking time must be increased, and vice versa.
- Very rare (raw) - a piece can only be stewed on each side for 10-15 seconds.
- Rare (with blood) - cooked on each side for 1–2 minutes, then rest for 6–8 minutes.
- Medium rare (low roast) - cooked on each side for 2–2, 5 minutes, rest for 5 minutes.
- Medium (medium roast) - cooked on each side for 3 minutes, rest 4 minutes.
- Well done (fried) - cooked on each side for 4, 5-5 minutes, rest for 1 minute.
It will also be useful to fry the edges of the steak, holding them on the sides for a short time the first time you turn it over. It is convenient to do this with special tongs designed for meat. Also, for different degrees of roasting, certain types of meat are needed. For frying from medium rare to medium well, you need fatty steaks, from rare to medium - with a low fat content (for example, filet mignon).
It should be noted that the most accurate determination of the degree of roasting of meat can be done with a thermometer, which will allow you to achieve the ideal consistency and taste of the steak. An electronic thermometer will pierce the surface a little and indicate the temperature of meat readiness.
- Rare (with blood) = 120 ° F (48.8 ° C)
- Medium rare = 130 ° F (54.4 ° C)
- Medium = 140 ° F (60 ° C)
- Medium well = 150 ° F (65.5 ° C)
- Well done = 160 ° F (71.1 ° C)
4 recipes for making beef steak
And now that we are familiar with all the cooking rules, let's cook a delicious steak at home.
1. Recipe for beef steak in a pan
- Caloric content per 100 g - 190 kcal.
- Servings - 2
- Cooking time - 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- Selected beef steak - 2 pcs.
- Vegetable oil - for frying
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Spices "French herbs" - 1 tsp. and at will
Preparation:
- Coat the meat around the perimeter with medium-ground pepper and season with salt.
- Spread the spices generously with your hands and pat them into the meat.
- Brush the prepared steak on both sides with vegetable oil.
- Pour oil into a cast iron skillet and heat well.
- Place the steak in a skillet and cook for 1 minute, then quickly turn and cook for 1 minute.
- Then, turn the piece over again and fry until tender.
2. Recipe for cooking steak in a ribbed grill pan
Well, for now, let's cook a steak with a beautiful "mesh" at home on a ribbed grill pan.
Ingredients:
- Beef steak (boneless portions, 3-5 cm thick) - 2 pcs.
- Salt and pepper to taste
Step by step cooking:
- Wipe the pieces of steak on both sides with a mixture of salt and pepper.
- Heat a cast-iron ribbed grill pan well without adding oil until a slight smoke forms.
- Place the steaks in a skillet and fry for 1, 5 minutes. Then, turn 90 degrees clockwise and fry for another 30 seconds.
- Then turn it over to the other side and follow the same procedure.
- Place the fried steaks in a baking dish, wrap them in foil and place them in an oven preheated to 190 ° C for 10-12 minutes. If you want a stronger roast, then hold them for 15 minutes.
- After this time has passed, remove the steaks from the oven and, without removing the foil, leave them on? minutes.
3. How to cook beef steak?
Contrary to loud ridicule from the lips of "professional" chefs: they say, it is impossible to cook a delicious and tender beef steak in a pan at home - we will prove the opposite.
Ingredients:
- 2.5 cm steak - 1 pc.
- Salt, pepper - to taste
- Cooking fat - for frying
- Butter - 2 tablespoons
Preparation:
- Salt the steaks and leave for 40 minutes to come to room temperature. The salt will draw moisture to the surface, where it will settle in puddles. During this time, the salt will soften the meat, break up the protein and, drawn out by the salt, will begin to be absorbed back into the steak. This technique will make the meat tender and juicy.
- Place cooking fat in a well-heated skillet and let it smoke a little.
- Lay out the steak, fry it on both sides for 1 minute and season with pepper.
- Then, bring it to the extent that you want to get it.
- 1 minute before the end of cooking, put 2 tablespoons in the pan. butter, it will fill the steak with a rich flavor.
- After reaching 2 ° C to the desired temperature, remove the pan from the heat and leave the steak to rest. During this time, it will reach the desired temperature, because will continue to cook in the switched off hot skillet.
4. How to make a juicy beef steak
Despite the widespread belief that frying a steak is a very difficult task that requires a certain skill, things are not so scary. You can cook it quite tasty, you just need a good recipe.
Ingredients:
- Beef pulp - 500 g
- Vegetable oil - for frying
- Salt and black pepper to taste
How to prepare a juicy steak step by step:
- Prepare the beef - peel it off the film, wash and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Cut the meat into steaks 2-3 cm thick across the grain.
- Rub the pieces with pepper, coat with vegetable oil and leave for an hour.
- Preheat a skillet over high heat and add the meat.
- Grill the steaks for 30 seconds on one side, then on the other. Then turn the meat over again, turn it on medium heat and fry for another 4 minutes. Then turn over again and cook for the same amount of time.
- Remove the pan from the stove, cover and leave for 10 minutes.
Video recipes and principles of cooking beef steak with chef Lazerson:
