Steak

[Tilly2]

We have just eaten sirloin steak, garlic mushrooms, roasted tomatoes and wedges. It was lovely but the steak looked a bit anemic. Why can you not cook steak at home in the same way they manage to do it when you go to a restaurant.
It was tender, bloody and really tasty but it was not that lovely, brown crusty topping that you get in a good establishment.

[Mattk]

Griddle pan most likely.

[ubasses]

I get a skillet very hot, brush oil on the steak, and fry 3 mins, turn 3 mins, rest 3 mins for med rare. Result crusty topping.

[Tilly2]

I have an induction hob. Will it work on that?

[sherrardk]

When we had the pub we had to give the chef a trial run, he cooked our steaks in a frying pan (really hot to get them nice and brown/charred) and then put them in the oven. You have to rest them too.

[ferlew]

Make sure the steaks you buy are at least 21 days hung, 28 for best result.

[Psybbo]

I can ruin a good steak

[Ann]

I cooked some steak yesterday Tilly, first time for simply ages as I don't usually cook it well, but this time it was quite juicy and tender but I said exactly the same as you "why isn't steak cooked at home half as nice as those you get in a restaurant!" The flavour/taste just isn't the same!

[Tilly2]

I cooked them for three and a half minutes on each side under a really hot grill and let them rest for six minutes. It was not the quality of the steaks. It was the cooking method.
Do retaurants have a special grill of some sort?

[Ann]

That would be cooked to death Tilly! I only did mine for 2 minutes each side so that it is juicy and a bit rare in the middle.

[ubasses]

Amazon have a griddle pan that says it is suitable for induction, but it looks much thicker than the one I use.

[Tilly2]

It was red and juicy Ann, but it was not charred on top.

[Ann]

Neither was mine Tilly but today I discovered that new product "Oxo shake and flavour" I tried on some other meat at teatime and it was delicious, so this may be the answer to cooking steak - shake it on afterwards.
http://www.oxo.co.uk/

[Fatjoe]

Well the first problem is asking us miserable residents on a small, cold and rainy island how to cook steak! You should be asking the ozzies or the texans as they're the experts in this field :)

"Make sure the steaks you buy are at least 21 days hung, 28 for best result."
Ferlew good ingredients don't make a good chef, trial error and experience makes a good chef :)

"That would be cooked to death Tilly! I only did mine for 2 minutes each side so that it is juicy and a bit rare in the middle."

Please folks be careful when eating rare and bloody meat as this is a major contributing factor to colon cancer, nicely done is where it's at :)

[Tilly2]

Fatjoe, I eat steak probably once a month. I don't think that will contribute too much to me getting colon cancer.

[Fatjoe]

I think you may be right and it's directed more at those who eat rare meat on a frequent basis, then again it could just be scaremongering from the veggie brigade :)

[vodkancoke]

Your steak needs to be room temp, you oil the steak and I add fresh thyme, rosemary and pepper, and you need a really hot griddle or pan. Cook 2 mins on each side (depending on thickness) and a crust will form. (I'm not sure a grill will produce the crust you get in restaurants as they tend to griddle/BBQ or fry them.) Finish it off in the oven if you require it more well done. Then let them rest on a warm plate under foil.

[Tilly2]

I had the grill on full for ten minutes before I put the steak in. I oiled it and let it come up to room temperature.

I think I need to invest in a good, induction hob friendly skillet

[woofgang]

Fatjoe, where is the evidence for that please? All that i could find is that red meat, no matter how its cooked, eaten to excess (more than 500 g cooked or 700 g if weighed raw per week) MIGHT contribute to colon cancer.
here is the most reliable source that I have found and even then i think its still a bit sweeping in its statements.
http://www.wcrf-uk.org/cancer_prevention/recommendations/meat_and_cancer.php

Even the best chef cannot produce wonderful results with poor ingredients.

I agree about pan not grill. get the pan very hot, make sure that the steak isn't dripping with liquid but don't do more than dab it and whack it on.

[Khandro]

You talk as if steak was steak - a uniform product and the problem is merely to do with the cooking, ferlew has the answer above. Where did you buy your steak? I suspect in a supermarket from where the meat comes in a non-stop supply from intensively farmed cattle, to slaughterhouse, to store. Good restaurants source their meat with care, try to find a good butcher and be prepared to pay more.

[ferlew]

Thank you Khandro, steak should never be bought RED, almost brown is best.
Little secret for you......Asda beef joints, 'Best for you"..once they lose their redness, they get sold as 'smartprice'. Better meat, at a cheaper price.
I know what I will buy.