Cooking steak tonight and I always get it wrong

[Prince Monolulu]

Apply salt and pepper I minute each side in a very hot pan to seal it...........

Was disappointed to learn that sealing meat is purely cosmetic and adds no bonuses aside from aesthetic augmentation.

 

[McTavish]

Was disappointed to learn that sealing meat is purely cosmetic and adds no bonuses aside from aesthetic augmentation.

Not true.

You start the Maillard Reaction.

What sealing the meat doesn't do is "seal in the juices".

 

[El Presidente]

What sealing the meat doesn't do is "seal in the juices".

Unlike a slightly nutty ex-girlfriend of mine.

 

[Prince Monolulu]

Not true.

You start the Maillard Reaction.

What sealing the meat doesn't do is "seal in the juices".

Maillard reactions generally only begin to occur above 285°F (140°C). Until the Maillard reaction occurs meat will have less flavour. In flash frying?

 

[McTavish]

Your pan should be way above 140°C to "seal" meat.

 

[Prince Monolulu]

A hot pan is essential. How long does it take to get the meat to that temperature?

 

[Acker79]

Thanks chaps

Hot pan, which panicked me into cooking a rare steak instead of medium rare.
Oiled steak.
2 turns.
just over 2 1/2 mins cooking.
Plenty of rest.

As said there's still plenty of room for improvement but compared to usual abomination I dish up a solid 'C' grade.

As this is now my de facto steak cookery book.
Stat you need to hold your nerve and push the total cooking time out to nearer 3 mins.
2:45 is still too rare.

You also need to learn how fractions apply to time.

 

[McTavish]

A hot pan is essential. How long does it take to get the meat to that temperature?

Only the outside needs to get to that temperature so it is very quick as long as there is not too much meat in the pan. Can take anywhere between a few seconds to a minute or so depending on the temperature of the pan and the amount of meat you are frying. The process is also called "browning the meat" and that is basically what you need to do. Have a look here.

 

[Prince Monolulu]

Only the outside needs to get to that temperature so it is very quick as long as there is not too much meat in the pan. Can take anywhere between a few seconds to a minute or so depending on the temperature of the pan and the amount of meat you are frying. The process is also called "browning the meat" and that is basically what you need to do. Have a look here.

Thanks.

 

[Springal]

Right- not steak but I picked up a nice 1.5kg beef joint from Trenchmore Farm today. Even with a MEATER I still struggle with getting roast beef in the oven right. I think the temp of the oven is usually 20% out from what it should be which doesn’t help. I can perfect a tomahawk steak etc but roasting joint I struggle

Any tips - what oven temp, what internal temp should I get it out, how long to rest etc ?

 

[jakarta]

I feel people don't put enough emphasis on the importance of letting it come up to room temperature before cooking. If it's a fat steak that means getting it out of the fridge a good few hours before you cook it. Sounds stupid but it's easy to forget to leave enough time (a mistake I've definitely made in the past).

Is the right answer, also if you are going to use oil get it on (sparingly) at the time as you do the seasoning. No more than 4 minutes - again agree 1 turn only

 

[Weststander]

As a vegan, I find this thread deeply offensive.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

As a vegan, I find this thread deeply offensive.

Thanks for telling us

 

[Weststander]

Thanks for telling us

A carnivorous diet …. I immediately thought of blood thirsty you .

 

[zefarelly]

As a vegan, I find this thread deeply offensive.

Well I laughed

will you be reporting us to the daily mail?

Steak is a really simple thing to cook, but riddled with complexity.

Much like many beans & pulses. . .they can be delicious or bloody awful

 

[WATFORD zero]

You have to blast a steak for 2 mins on each side to caramelise it. After that, it is a question of how thick the steak is. If it's thin that will already be a medium steak. If like me, you prefer your steak thicker that may only be rare.

I find this feeling the steak malarkey works for me

Although if you buy steaks of consistent quality and thickness it gradually becomes easier to get it right

 

[Sirnormangall]

I think you’re all over complicating this - whack up the heat, place the steak in the frying pan, add a bit of butter and garlic salt. Cook until it sort of looks edible. It tastes better if you’ve first consumed a bottle of red.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

….. better if you’ve first consumed a bottle of red.

Everything is.

 

[Machiavelli]

Love the page of this thread. Some of my favourite posters, especially and thank you @Prince Monolulu @thumbsup:

 

[juliant]

Right- not steak but I picked up a nice 1.5kg beef joint from Trenchmore Farm today. Even with a MEATER I still struggle with getting roast beef in the oven right. I think the temp of the oven is usually 20% out from what it should be which doesn’t help. I can perfect a tomahawk steak etc but roasting joint I struggle

Any tips - what oven temp, what internal temp should I get it out, how long to rest etc ?

How the hell are you going wrong with a meater and a joint of beef !? use one 3 times a week. Place tip of meater in the thickest part of the meat. Set your phone to the joint and chuck it in the oven/bbq its that simple

If you have a instant-read thermometer use this as a guide

Beef rare 52 degrees
Beef medium 60 degrees
Beef Well done (ruined) 71 degrees

Cook to temperature not to time !