Curtis Stone's Tips For Making Any Cut Of Meat Great - Exclusive
If you're familiar with the food scene in Los Angeles or Dallas, you might have had the opportunity to try the delicious cuisine at Chef Curtis Stone's renowned restaurants, Maude and Gwen (both in LA) and Georgie (Dallas). But for those of us who can only dream about his food from afar, there are still plenty of opportunities to see what he's cooking up next. Hailing from Australia, Chef Stone has been featured on "Iron Chef" and "Top Chef Masters" — not to mention his many guest appearances on shows like "Selena + Chef," "The Talk," and "MasterChef Australia."
He's also bringing his booking platform, Gathar, to the U.S. — currently available in Los Angeles but with plans to expand across the country soon. Already a successful venture in Australia, the platform offers a more accessible way for users to hire private chefs for events. While Stone told us what to expect from Gathar during an exclusive interview, he also shared his best tips for cooking your own high-quality steak at home — no private chef required.
The best budget cut
As a celebrity chef and restaurant owner, Curtis Stone has worked with some of the finest cuts of meat in existence. That said, while he serves up some incredible Australian steaks and Wagyu at Gwen, Stone's favorite budget cut is a classic hanger steak.
"A hanger steak is a good option. I also am a big fan of flank, which is reasonable in price. Every cut can be wonderful if you cook it the right way," Stone explained. "The onglet is really nice. My absolute favorite cut is the spinalis, which is the top moon-shaped piece within the ribeye. But the hanger is a good value option."
Though high-quality meats result in the highest quality meals, Stone shared some timeless tips to make any cut of meat taste great. According to Stone, the first and most important tip is to temper the meat and take it out of the fridge at least 40 minutes before cooking.
Tip-top grilling tips
Once the meat is tempered, it is imperative to preheat whatever you are using to cook. "Whether it be your grill or your non-stick cookware or cast iron cookware, it doesn't matter as long as it's red hot, because you need to get that char and that sear on your steak quite quickly," Curtis Stone told us. The next step in the grilling process is to pre-season your meat. After that, it's simply a matter of placing it on the grill, achieving the desired color, and removing it from the grill.
"Depending on how thick your steak is, you may have to put it back. You might even want to turn your grill or your pan down and put it back for a secondary cook. What you don't want to do is cook it all the way through and then cut into it," he explained. "I always say you rest it in the middle of the cooking, and you rest it at the end of the cooking. That's that last point — let it rest for half the time it takes to cook. If it's cooking for 30 minutes, you rest it for 15. If it's cooking for five, you rest it for two and a half. That's it. That gets you to the perfect grilled steak."
Gathar is now available to use in Los Angeles.