Kitchen Mojo by Paul Mercurio

Author:Paul Mercurio
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2015-06-01T08:20:22+00:00

A word on Steak

When I told people I was writing this book many asked me to include some info on how to cook a good steak. Well, my view is if you really want to learn to cook a good steak all you have to do is cook some steaks and learn from your mistakes … or should that be mis-steaks! I have three pieces of advice to help you along the way:

1. Start very hot then turn the heat down—either on the barbecue or in a chargrill pan. Season your steak with salt and black pepper, oil your pan or barbecue plate and when very hot place the steak on. Cook for about 2 minutes and then turn over and cook for another 2 minutes or so. Now turn the heat down from high to a medium–high and continue to cook until done to your desired level. See point 3 regarding turning your steak.

2. Use your fingers—by this I mean poke your steak as it cooks to feel how it is cooking and for when it is done to your desired level. A very very soft steak is most probably raw. A very soft steak that has been cooking for a couple of minutes on both sides will be rare. A steak that feels soft will be medium–rare. Soft with a bit of firmness will be medium and a steak that feels firmish will be medium to well, and a steak that feels quite firm will be well done! Remember, the steak will continue to cook after you take it off the heat so if you take it off when it is perfectly medium–rare, chances are it will be medium when you tuck into it. The trick is to take it off before it gets to your desired doneness and let it finish off the heat.

3. Turn your steak as many times as you want! Some chefs say you should only turn your steak once, others have said you should turn it every 20 seconds! I personally am a three to five times turner depending on the thickness of the steak—that is, I put the steak on the grill and turn it over three times then take it off just before it is cooked to my liking and let it finish on the plate; and if it is a really thick rib eye then I tend to turn it over five times. Just find out what works for you!

If you follow these three points you will learn to cook the perfect steak in no time. And lastly a word on resting … again, like how many times you turn, it’s a personal choice. As far as I’m concerned, the time it takes to put my steak on a plate along with some veggies or salad and carry said plate to table is a long enough rest for me!

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.