fillet steak

[paulz]

My all time fave dish is fillet steak [when I can afford it] I prefer mine blue [as in the Texan style, take off it's horns, wipe it's a*se & dish it up] I've never managed to cook it so that a] it's not overdone or b] cold in the middle. What's the secret & what's your fave food?

[chijiki]

A nice piece of fillet steak is one of my fav foods. Try this; Make sure you buy decent size steaks ... between 1.5 and 2 inches thick. Allow the steak to reach room temperature. Season just before you want to cook. Lightly grease your pan and heat until very hot. For blue steak cook for 2 mins either side and then remove from pan and let stand for 2 mins before serving. (it will continue to 'cook' whilst standing) For other tastes the cooking time should be adjusted to; rare - 2.5 mins each side, medium rare - 3 mins, medium - 4 mins, and well done (yuk !) who cares. Try it and let us know if you've succeeded in cooking steak just as you imagine it should be.

[Gef]

I agree with chijiki. The steaks have to be at room temp (I like them rubbed with garlic puree and coarse ground black pepper) and the pan must be smoking hot. Also, while the steaks are 'standing' I brown some thinly sliced onions and pour in and quickly reduce a glass or two of red wine.

[Headtime]

I saw a cookery programme, that said restaurants flash fry the steak on a very high heat so it is browned on the outside. This is done much earlier in the day and left until ordered. And then prior to serving, warm the steaks in an oven on a very low heat. This allows the steak to remain pink inside, but yet warm all the way through. Having said that, I do find it really difficult to cook a steak as good as a top restaurant myself!

[Gef]

Headtime, please don't take this personally (I may well have misunderstood your reply) but I would have thought that Environmental Health would soon close such restaurants down. Flash frying would possibly leave the inside lukewarm - a haven for breeding bacteria - and the warming through would only add to the problem. I cooked a thick (3-4cm) fillet steak last night. Heated a small amount of oil until it was smoking, 30 seconds each side to sear, and then turned heat down slightly for another two minutes each side (max). Transferred to a HOT plate and quickly browned finely sliced onions and mushrooms before addding wine. The steak was perfect, looked raw inside but actually piping hot. Only problems - hob splattered in oil, smoke alarm going off and wife opened all windows to get rid of smoke!

[mikewith]

LOL Gef - you get my vote for post of the week!!

[Gef]

Thanks mike - the steak was superb.

[paulz]

Gef - Thanks mate tried your method, worked a treat, got buckets of brownie points with Mrs P