Cooking Twine Is The Secret Weapon For Your Next Pan-Seared Steak
Whether you crave steak once a week or save it for special occasions, affordable steak and expensive cuts are all worth the effort and always a treat. There are plenty of reasons to enjoy your steak without guilt. According to The Meat and Wine Co., steak is full of protein and iron. Just one serving has 15% of the recommended daily iron. Even if it had no health benefits, steak lovers would probably continue to carry on, indulging in the rich red meat, because it's just that good.
Steak is also a meal that might scare some people out of the kitchen. Who wants to risk messing up a filet or a beautiful ribeye? It may seem intimidating if you've never done it before, but with a little trial and error, steak at home is a quick and fun meal. The first step is choosing the right steak. When shopping, Steak Revolution suggests a high-grade steak with plenty of marbling, to ensure a juicy, tender cut of meat.
When cooking your steak, always sear it first, according to Exploratorium. Searing quickly in a hot pan gives the steak a beautiful crisp on the outside and a delicious flavor. One of the biggest mistakes people make with steak is not cooking the steak evenly. Add one more step before searing so your steak is at the same temperature all the way through.
Wrap it in twine
When searing your steak, it's moving around and changing shape more than you may realize. A nice thick filet can bend a little as it heats and if only one side bends or misshapes, then you are left with a steak that will cook unevenly. The solution is to tie butcher twine around your steaks to keep the sides all uniform in size as it sears and cooks. According to the Los Angeles Times, wrapping a steak in twine before cooking will result in a plump piece of meat that has cooked evenly.
You can use twine to even out the sides of a steak as well. This works great for beef filets, just as it does when tying up beef tenderloin. Use the twine to even out the sides before you begin cooking. You can pull up a shorter side or push down a taller side to even things out, then tie it all together to keep it all in place, creating a uniform steak.
Don't let steak fool you. It's pretty simple to make and tough to mess up. Just remember to choose the right cut, sear it first, and use butcher twine to help the steak cook evenly.