Beef steak - general principles and methods of cooking
A classic steak is a portioned piece of beef meat about 3 cm thick, fried on both sides. Steaks can have different degrees of frying, the main of which is the degree of Rare (with blood, the finished steak has an internal temperature of 45 ° C to 50 ° C), the degree of Medium (average degree of frying, the temperature of the steak is from 55 ° C to 60 ° C) and the degree of Well-done (highly fried steak with a temperature of 65 ° C to 70 ° C).
Ideally, the readiness of a steak of varying degrees of roasting is determined using a culinary thermometer, however, in our everyday home reality, this method is rarely used, determining the readiness of a dish, as they say, by eye.
Choosing the degree of heat treatment of the steak, you need to remember that with strong frying, the meat loses its juice and becomes dry and hard. However, Rare roast meat is mostly enjoyed by lovers. The most popular steak in the whole world is the Medium steak, which has a uniform brown color, but when pressed, emits pink juice.
The most common side dishes for steak are grilled vegetables, or fresh vegetable salads.
Beef Steak - Food Preparation
To prepare a real beef steak, beef pulp without veins and bones from the "intercostal" part is necessary, and ideally it should be "fresh" meat, then the dish will turn out to be juicy and aromatic. Such meat should be cut into pieces having a thickness of approximately 3 cm.
If you nevertheless prepare a steak from meat that has been frozen (for example, by purchasing a portion of beef prepared for a steak), thaw it if possible in the main compartment of the refrigerator. It will take a lot of time, but it’s best to retain its properties. You can speed up the defrosting process by putting the meat directly in the package in cold water. But do not defrost the steak in the microwave, even in defrost mode, as its upper layers will begin to cook, and the middle will still be cold. As a result, even frying such a steak will already be problematic. And even more so, do not defrost meat by immersing it in warm water.
Another important piece of advice for novice cooks: selected meat, which is usually used to make steak, is not beaten, otherwise it will lose not only its structure, but also all its juices.
In addition to meat, for cooking a steak, you need to stock up with any (preferably olive) vegetable oil and a set of spices or herbs. Salted steaks only ready, before serving.
Beef Steak - Cooking Utensils
To cook a steak, you need a pan. Ideally, this could be a special grill pan; however, in an ordinary cast-iron skillet, which is likely to be found in every kitchen, you can also cook a very decent steak. A knife is also needed to make a steak. Again, there is a special steak knife, but in principle, anyone who can cut a piece of beef into beautiful and even pieces for a steak with a width of about 3 cm will do. To turn the steak when frying, you need to have cooking tongs.
Beef Steak - Best Recipes
Recipe 1: Beef Steak in Butter
A very simple at first glance recipe. Choosing the right meat, cutting it into steaks and frying it for the time you need, you will get a delicious steak, tasting which, you will sincerely regret the vegetarians.
Ingredients:
800 gr. beef;
50 gr butter;
to taste salt and ground black pepper.
Cooking method:
1. After washing and drying the beef tenderloin with a paper towel, we cut it into several steaks about 3 cm thick.
2. Put the pan on a strong fire and melt the butter.
3. Having steaks on one side, put them on this side of the pan.
4. Then, peppering the other side, turn the meat over. Cooking time is determined by the degree of "fried" meat that you prefer. If it is enough for you that it is slightly fried outside and very little inside, then fry for up to 3 minutes on each side; if you want to get meat that is well-fried on the outside and pink inside, the frying time on each side is about 4 minutes; to get the fried crust and complete readiness of the meat inside it should be fried for about 5 minutes on each side. Salt before serving.
Recipe 2: Oven Steak
The meat cooked in the oven is softer, and the crust obtained by frying the meat in a pan prevents juices from flowing out of it. That's why such meat, especially if seasoned with herbs, is so tender and aromatic.
Ingredients:
1 kg of beef;
4 tbsp. l olive oil;
to taste salt and pepper;
herbs (thyme, rosemary).
Cooking method:
1. After washing and drying the beef tenderloin with a paper towel, cut it into pieces with a thickness of about 3 cm (about 4 pieces should be obtained).
2. In order not to pour olive oil into the pan, pickle the obtained steaks in oil with herbs for an hour, and then send them to a well-heated (up to 250 degrees) pan and fry for about 2 minutes on each side to get a crust.
3. Then place the fried steaks in the oven, preheated to 170 degrees, and bring them to the desired degree of readiness for 10-15 minutes.
Recipe 3: Beef Steak with Red Sauce
Steaks with red sauce are a real gourmet gift. If you like to experiment, try serving the usual beef steaks with red sauce with grape juice, red wine and pepper, and you will get a gourmet dish that will exceed all your expectations.
Ingredients:
1 kg of beef steaks;
3 tbsp. l flour;
2 tbsp. l butter;
1.5 cups of broth;
0.3 cups of red wine;
0.3 cups of currant juice;
2 tsp red pepper;
to taste salt and ground black pepper.
Cooking method:
1. After rubbing the steaks with pepper, fry them on both sides for about 3 minutes each.
2. We shift them into cast-iron dishes and bake for about 15 minutes in a well-heated oven.
3. Prepare the sauce: melt the butter in a frying pan, fry the flour on it until golden, then pour the broth there and stirring constantly, bring everything to a boil and boil for about 10 minutes. Then pour in currant juice, wine and add red pepper, bring to a boil and turn off.
Serve steaks with this sauce and potatoes.
Beef steak - useful tips from experienced chefs
Cut the meat into steaks should be across the fibers, for uniform penetration of heat into the thickness of the meat during cooking.
If you fry steaks on coals, where the temperature is much higher than in a pan, then first you should fry the steak on both sides for about half a minute, to form a crust that prevents juices from flowing out of the meat, and continue to fry the loan, turning the steak one side at a time to another.
It is necessary to heat the pan for cooking the steak over high heat, but it is impossible to allow the oil to smoke, since in such a pan the steak, burnt from the outside, will remain moist from the inside and will be tough. It is believed that the pan warmed up to the desired temperature if the sizzle was heard when laying steaks on it.
After frying, you should let the steak “rest” for about 10 minutes (after removing the meat from the fire, just let it lie down). Then it will be much softer, since the juices that have risen up during frying can be evenly distributed throughout the piece.
The readiness of the steak is checked by pressing the finger on it. The steak with blood should be soft; well-done - solid, and medium-sized steak should be a kind of "middle ground".
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