Cooking Great Steak | Lifestyle

by K.C.Kudra

What makes a good steak depends on whom you talk to, but everywhere you go, someone wants to know how to prepare his or hers perfectly. While that will be a little different for everyone, these tips can really help if you are looking for ways to make a better meal. Here is a look at some of the most basic techniques for making a good steak.

The first thing you will need to think about is which cut you are going to use. Good beef, produced in a way that treats the animal well, is generally preferred if you are after flavor and tenderness. Surprisingly, even tuff cuts from a good producer can taste better than budget cuts from a large commercial producer.

Fortunately, good steaks of this type are getting much easier to find. Do not be afraid to ask for them! For a lot of people, grass finished and fed beef is preferable because of its stronger flavor and better all around taste. However, this kind of beef is not as consistent or reliable as factory farm produced beef, and that should be kept in mind when you buy.

Next, you will need to make sure you have the right heat source. Grilling over charcoal is one of the most popular options, but you could also just as easily use a grill pan over a gas or electric stove, a broiler, or even discover how to cook steak in the oven. The most important thing is that the heat is high.

Preparing your steak is the next step. Brush the steak with oil, not the cooking surface, to reduce the risk of smoking, and season the steak lightly. You can go minimal and use only pepper and salt, or check out one of the many great marinade recipes available. No matter what you choose, do not overdo the seasoning.

When you place your steak in the hot pan or on the hot grill, it should sizzle. If it does not, you do not have enough heat. Do not turn the steak more than once - it needs some undisturbed time to cook most of the way on one side. Turning too early will be a real problem. Make sure you do not overcook, though. Rare steaks are turned three to four minutes in, before red juices form. Medium rare steaks are turned when those juices first show up, and medium well is done when the juice starts running together.

How long should you cook the other side of the steak? Two minutes less than the first side is a good standard rule that will prevent overcooking. Test the steak with an instant read thermometer, not a fork or knife, to keep the juices in.

After cooking, it is time to rest your steak. Place it fat side down, at 90 degrees to the pan you cooked it in. Do that by taking the pan away from the heat source and propping the steak up to keep it from sweating. Do not be tempted not to rest the steak, or you will lose the juices. Wait half the time you took cooking and you will have a great piece of meat.

DISCLAIMER: This article is provided as information only and is not to be taken as financial advice.

A steak marinade can make all the difference between a dry, chewy steak and one that melts in your mouth with flavorful goodness. It tenderizes, seasons and moisturizes the steak before cooking. Find a great marinade to try at EasySteakMarinades.net for your next meal. Marinades make great steaks.