hi everyone,
i am a new member here and am probably posting stupid basic questions so apologies for this but what is the best way to cook steak?
I've heard people say frying in oil or butter, or some say frying in nothing at all?
Also what is best for seasoning? I just use salt and pepper but it always tastes a bit bland, nothing like when I have it in a restaurant.
I would be especially interested to hear from any Americans on this as I have always found that steak in America tastes better than anywhere else in the world!
Sorry, not American but might have something useful to say as I'm in the UK too and I have time-served butchers, professional cooks and a local authority meat inspector in the family.
We have basically 3 types of steaks over here - fillet steak, which is the most expensive and the least tasty. sirloin steak and rump steak (you often see TV demos with other cuts of meat but I don't deal with those so not able to comment.) Personally my preference is with sirloin as it has flavour and is somewhat tenderer than rump but "you pays your money and you takes your choice".
Personally, I usually grill (for Americans - read "broil") my steaks. I like mine a little more red than pink but everyone to their taste. Always heat the grill before putting the steak under it. I don't put anything on the steak until after it's cooked but that's a matter of taste. For the amount of time taken to cook the steak I can recommend the "finger" test (look it up on "Google"). It works whether you like steak well-done or barely cooked.
On the odd occasion when I fry steak I use a mixture of butter and cooking oil (usually sunflower or rapeseed - often sold under the name of "vegetable oil" in the UK) the oil prevents the butter from burning and the butter adds flavour.
Apart from the above, the really important thing is to start with good quality meat. I'm lucky in that where I live we have the sort of old-fashioned, time-served butcher who cuts the meat properly and can tell you which farm your piece of steak came from. I know this seems expensive but you get what you pay for in meat, as in the rest of life, and you don't need as much.
Sadly. if you are forced to resort to supermarkets, very few of them have their own "proper" butcher on site these days. Sainsbury's used to but I don't think they do anymore. I understand that Morrison's stores usually do have their qualified butchers on site so you aren't stuck with industrialised pre-packed stuff. It's also worth bearing in mind that the "Red Tractor" badge isn't always all that it's cracked up to be.
And off at a tangent, I wouldn't knowingly give my money to a restaurant which used sous vide. Basically, it's stewing the meat before browning it off, which may allow them to serve up inferior meat as "steak" but doesn't do real steak any favours! (As I said at first, I have connections at all ends of the trade and am well versed it what goes on in some establishments!)