The perfect steak
All steak fans have their ideas about the perfect steak. Some love it "Blue Rare," others like it "Well Done" or somewhere in between. In principle, steaks should be tender and juicy inside and have a delicious brown crust on the outside.
For meat to stay tender, it must first be cut to the right thickness. With 2 - 3 cm, you are on the safe side. Also crucial for a successful steak is good maturity and marbling. These fatty parts run through the meat and keep it juicy even during roasting. If you don't like fat edges, you can cut them off. However, it is important that you do this only after roasting.
HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT STEAK
PREPARATION: DEFROSTING STEAKS PROPERLY
The steak should be thawed slowly in the refrigerator overnight if it is frozen. This is the gentlest way of defrosting the structure of the meat for the perfect taste. If it still has to be done quickly, it can also be defrosted in a lukewarm water bath, reducing the defrosting time to about one hour. Professionals use their ZWILLING FRESH & SAVE sous vide machine and defrost the steak at 39 °C within 3-10 minutes. The hot water bath, microwave or oven are too hot for frozen steak.
The thawed steak must be at room temperature (about 20 °C), so it is best to take it out of the refrigerator two hours before preparation. Cover it with kitchen paper until you are ready to cook it. Aluminum foil is unsuitable for covering, as the acid of the raw meat will oxidize with the tin foil.
BEFORE ROASTING
Place the pan on the stove and heat slowly for 3-5 minutes at 1/3 full heat. Then increase the stove temperature to full heat for 3 minutes.
COOK STEAK PROPERLY
Reduce heat by 1/3 and coat the pan with vegetable fat. Press meat lightly into the grill pan. For medium rare, sear on both sides for 3 minutes each. Turn over the meat in 11-13 min for a perfect grill pattern. Rest pan with steak on a heatproof cutting surface for 2-3 minutes.
THE TWO TEMPERATURE ZONES
When cooking steaks, your best bet is to use two temperature zones: High heat in the pan to develop a brown crust, then low heat to finish cooking to the desired doneness. For a 2.5 cm thick steak, use the 80 °C or low-cooking method in the oven, and this will make your steak particularly tender. You can also work with the two temperature zones when preparing on the grill. Heat only half the grill properly and grill your steak over high heat to the desired browning level. For both pan and grill cooking, we recommend turning it after about 1 ½ minutes. Then let the meat rest for at least 3 minutes, turning it again.
The six cooking stages of steaks:
- Blue: 38 °C
- Rare: 45-50 °C
- Medium rare: 50-55 °C
- Medium: 54-56 °C
- Medium well: 56-60 °C
- Well done: 60+ °C
Two methods, in particular, are good for determining the cooking point:
- Temperature method: the safest way is to measure the temperature with a thermometer. To do this, stab the probe of the thermometer into the center of the freshly grilled steak after cooking..
- Handball test: Bring the thumb and index finger, middle finger, ring finger and little finger together so that they form a circle when closed and compare the feeling of pressure under the thumb with the surface when pressing on the grilled steak.
WHEN SHOULD I SALT STEAKS?
After your steak has rested sufficiently, you can season it. Here we recommend coarse sea salt or salt flakes (if necessary, add pepper). You can salt your steak after and during cooking, which makes no difference to the loss of meat juices or the risk of dehydration. The inherent flavour is enhanced if the meat is salted 30 minutes before cooking.
SIMPLY DELICIOUS LIKE FROM THE GRILL - WITH STAUB GRILL PANS
Grill pans from STAUB ensure even heat distribution. Particularly effective when frying at high temperatures, cast iron pans create an authentic frying aroma. Excess fat can drain into the grooves, making the characteristic grill stripes simultaneously: for juicy and tender meat, just like from the grill. The cookware is suitable for all types of stoves, including induction stoves.
