FOOD NEWS
The Biggest Mistakes You're Making With Steak
BY EMILY MONACO
1. Ignoring Unique Traits
Each steak has unique characteristics that influence how it cooks and what it tastes like. These include the cut, grade, and what the cattle were fed.
It's important to consider these characteristics when choosing a steak. For example, tough cuts like flank or skirt steak are happiest marinated and grilled.
2. Cooking Cold Steak
The quality of steak truly shines when it has some time to get to room temperature. Cooking steak at fridge temperature will keep it from cooking evenly.
Jamie Oliver, a recipe site, recommends a full hour on the counter. This is echoed by experts like Thomas Godfrey, chef and food operations manager at The Meat & Wine Co in Sydney.
3. Not Drying It
Water is the enemy of the Maillard reaction that makes seared steak so delicious, so it’s important to remove moisture by patting the steak dry with a paper towel.
4. Over-Seasoning
A truly good steak should speak for itself, and adding too many competing flavors will drown out the beef. It’s best to go simple with your seasoning.
5. Under-Seasoning
When it comes to salt, it’s important to have an almost excessive coating of it to make up for not being able to season the inside of a steak.
The pros at Clover Meadows Beef, a farm in Missouri, recommend ¾ teaspoon to a teaspoon per pound of beef, evenly applied on all sides and preferably scattered from up high.