Cooking Steaks – How To Cook Perfect Steaks
Using dry heat is the best way to cook steaks and other tender cuts of meat. Dry heat cooking causes the exterior of the meat to brown and caramelize which gives the steaks a richly browned complex flavor. This is partly a result of the sugars inherent in the meat going through a series of complex reactions called the “Maillard reaction.” The moisture on the surface of the meat also evaporates and the juices becomes concentrated, forming the appealing brown crust.
Purchasing Steaks:
When buying steaks, buy the best grade of meat you can afford. It should be USDA Prime Aged Beef. If your butcher does not have this, the next best grade is Choice. (see Grading Cuts of Beef in the left column)
Look for steak with fine texture and firm to the touch. You want the color to be a light cherry red color, not deep red. Also look for steaks that have marbling, as it is the thin threads of fat running through the meat that make it Prime and gives the wonderful flavor. Marbling is the white fat that you see in all cuts of beef. Remember that a substantial amount of evenly distributed marbling is a good thing. If you don’t want much animal fat in your diet, then don’t eat steak! To avoid fat in steak is to avoid steak altogether.
Size or thickness matters when purchasing steaks. The best steaks are 1-inch to 1 1/2-inches thick. A thin cut is likely to get dried out. The thickness of the steak is more important than the weight.
Room Temperature:
Always let your steaks come to room temperature (70 degree F.) before cooking or grilling. If your room’s temperature differs from 70 degrees F., then just adjust your time accordingly.
A cold steak will contract when it hits the heat and this wall cause it to toughen. This is possibly the first biggest mistake people make.
Remove your steaks from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you plant to cook them – sometimes as long as 60 minutes (depending on size). Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel. You want to have a completely dry steak before cooking. If you steak is wet, you will essentially be steaming it!
Salting the Steaks:
Do not salt your steaks just before cooking. Salt brings moisture (water) to the surface of the steak, and the water sits on the surface as you cook the steak. Thus, you are again basically steaming the steak.
Traditionally, when browning meat, chefs skip the addition of salt because the salt draws water out of the meat’s surface through osmosis. If, for example, you were to season a steak just 10 minutes before grilling, beads of moisture would appear on the surface, eventually forming a shallow puddle of juices. On the grill, the steak would turn gray, not brown.
On Food and Cooking, by Harold McGee (Food Scientist):
Meat cells brown at around 310 degrees F. Water on a steak’s surface boils and turns to steam at 212 degrees F, so a wet steak can turn gray and cook through before its surface can brown.
I know that some people do salt their steaks before cooking, but trust me and don’t salt – the result will be juicy, delicious steaks to serve your family and guests! Salt after the steak is cooked to your liking, has rested the required time, and just before serving
Are these articles useful for enhancing your wine and dine experience in the Philippines. Do they also help you with travel, leisure, vacation, dining out, nightlife and other leisure activities plans in Philippines? Yats Restaurant hopes to provide you with ample information so you can plan your trips to Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone whether you are travelling from Manila or other Asian countries such as Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Malaysia or Korea.
Restaurant reservations in Philippines, planning of menu, selection of wine for dinner and booking a private function and event in Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone can all be handled. Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar has been regarded by many to be the premier restaurant north of Manila Philippines. Its 3000-line award-winning restaurant wine list has kept many wine lovers happy dining in this restaurant in Angeles City Clark Philippines for over a decade.
Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar was built by Hong Kong-based Yats International in 2000 to provide a world-class fine dining restaurant, business meeting facilities and venues for private dinners and functions in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone. Pampanga Angeles City Clark Philippines was selected for this restaurant because of safety, clean air, absence of traffic and proximity to Manila and Subic.
For comments, inquiries and reservations, email Restaurant@Yats-International.com or call these numbers:
(045) 599-5600 0922-870-5178 0917-520-4401 ask for Ernest or Pedro.
Getting to this fine dining restaurant of Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Pampanga Philippines
How to get to this fine-dining restaurant in Clark Philippines? Once you get to Clark Freeport, go straight until you hit Mimosa. After you enter Mimosa, stay on the left on Mimosa Drive, go past the Holiday Inn and Yats Restaurant (green top, independent 1-storey structure) is on your left. Just past the Yats Restaurant is the London Pub.
Source: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Beef/CookingPerfectSteak.htm