How to buy beef steak Depending on your budget, you can spend anywhere between £4 and £200 on a single serving of steak. However, expensive doesn’t always mean delicious. Here are some things to remember on how to buy steak: Look for cuts with visible muscle grain Different steak cuts have different levels of 'marbling'. Marbling is the visible flecks and streaks of white fat that run through the muscle. During cooking these break down to add that extra flavour to your steak. How much marbling you want in your chosen steak comes down to your personal preference. These flecks and streaks of fat shouldn’t be confused with the fat that runs on the edge of some steaks A happy medium between lean muscle and flavoursome fat is always a safe bet. A rib eye or sirloin steak balances these two factors well
How to prepare beef steak This is sound advice for preparing any steak cut. For even cooking, get your steak out of the fridge and leave for about 30 minutes to allow it to get up to room temperature. Once this is done, pat dry any excess moisture (you’ll get a better crust). Oil the steak and not the pan and season just before cooking.
How to cook beef steak How to cook your steak is very much a case of personal preference. It’s a wide spectrum and, over time, it’s worth experimenting to find out how you like yours best. You can find specific details on cooking times here or for a quick reference check out the times below. Pan-frying is the most common steak cooking method. Though you can use a grill, frying your steak usually produces the best results: Bring a wide, heavy-based frying pan to a very hot temperature Oil your steak and not your pan, season and cook. At this stage pop a knob of butter and some garlic and/or herbs in too. Experiment with dry rubs (rubbed into the steak) or flavoured butters (added on top of the steak) Turn the steak only once during cooking with tongs. Don't use a fork to turn meat over, otherwise valuable meat juices can escape and the meat fibres can become tough For extra succulence, leave the steak to rest on a warm plate covered with another plate or some foil to maintain the heat and moisture. It is very important to let it rest as it improves the tenderness and juiciness of the meat. After cooking, the proteins relax and the juice travels back to the centre of the meat Serve whole or carved into slices and add the remaining meaty juices from the plate or pan as you see fit. You can use these juices to make an accompanying sauce, three of our favourites are peppercorn sauce, Diane sauce and a red wine sauce Steak cooked rare Rare: 2-3 mins on each side Steak cooked medium Medium: 4 - 5 mins on each side Steak cooked well Well done: 6 - 7 mins on each side
