The best steak and chips?
Discussion
Chaps, I need your help.
Tomorrow night the Mrs and I fancy steak. Problem is, i've never cooked a nice steak at home preferring to go to my local (well regarded) steak house.
I've decided to have a go myself, so tomorrow night i'll have two chunks of high quality fillet and i'd like to cook mine rare, and Sarah's medium. Can anyone share cooking/ seasoning hints.
Oh, and being a healthy chap, i'll need the technique for perfect chips too!
Ta muchly
Tomorrow night the Mrs and I fancy steak. Problem is, i've never cooked a nice steak at home preferring to go to my local (well regarded) steak house.
I've decided to have a go myself, so tomorrow night i'll have two chunks of high quality fillet and i'd like to cook mine rare, and Sarah's medium. Can anyone share cooking/ seasoning hints.
Oh, and being a healthy chap, i'll need the technique for perfect chips too!
Ta muchly
Got a face or an arm?
Face:
Forehead: Well Done
Twixt Mouth and Chin: Medium
Cheek: Rare
Arm:
Wrist: Well Done
Halfway: Medium
Fleshy bit in front of your elbow: Rare
Always, always, always let it rest.
If you're not overly confident with the frying pan/griddle.
Brown on all sides and oven it, following the above tests every two minutes or so for doneness.
Deglaze pan over flame with a dash of brandy, add cream and mushrooms pour over steak.
Chips
Cut thickly, par-boil, remove from water, allow to cool completely, chill in the fridge for a couple of hours and then deep fry.
Easy.
Face:
Forehead: Well Done
Twixt Mouth and Chin: Medium
Cheek: Rare
Arm:
Wrist: Well Done
Halfway: Medium
Fleshy bit in front of your elbow: Rare
Always, always, always let it rest.
If you're not overly confident with the frying pan/griddle.
Brown on all sides and oven it, following the above tests every two minutes or so for doneness.
Deglaze pan over flame with a dash of brandy, add cream and mushrooms pour over steak.
Chips
Cut thickly, par-boil, remove from water, allow to cool completely, chill in the fridge for a couple of hours and then deep fry.
Easy.
Get yourself to a decent butcher as well. Makes all the difference. I also think that resting the meat before you cook it helps - don't put the beef in the fridge when you get back, just keep it covered at room temperature.
Seasoning - rub the whole thing with a little olive oil and season with some pepper. Don't put salt on before it goes in the pan - salt will draw moisture out of the meat.
What Matt said about rest is true. Out of the pan, onto the plate and give it 3-4 minutes at least just to calm down a bit. Do it on the plate rather than leaving it in the pan because the juices will flood out and you don't want to waste them.
Lastly, enjoy
. Once you've found a good butcher and got it how you like it, you'll be reluctant to go and eat it out again so readily.
Seasoning - rub the whole thing with a little olive oil and season with some pepper. Don't put salt on before it goes in the pan - salt will draw moisture out of the meat.
What Matt said about rest is true. Out of the pan, onto the plate and give it 3-4 minutes at least just to calm down a bit. Do it on the plate rather than leaving it in the pan because the juices will flood out and you don't want to waste them.
Lastly, enjoy
. Once you've found a good butcher and got it how you like it, you'll be reluctant to go and eat it out again so readily.If you're buying some decent fillet, don't use it for steak 'n chips.
Do a proper Beef Wellington - minimal ingredients, use frozen puff pastry.
Follow this for tips -
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=SHQNV_5wozg
Did exactly the same a few weeks back - perfecto!
Do a proper Beef Wellington - minimal ingredients, use frozen puff pastry.
Follow this for tips -
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=SHQNV_5wozg
Did exactly the same a few weeks back - perfecto!
Garlick said:
Plotloss said:
Butcher: Wandsworth Bridge Road, just up from the Zebra crossing towards the North end of it. 
I know that place, cheers Matt.Wellington is a good call, but tomorrow we fancy the meat with chips. But i'll save the link for another time.
http://www.channel4.com/food/recipes/chefs/gordon-...
TBH mate, you may have shot yourself in the foot if you've already bought the fillet, because it MUST be rare (or medium-rare at the very most) to retain any flavour, or it'll just turn to shoe leather. If you haven't bought anything yet then I'd reccomend fillet for yourself and maybe a good quality sirloin for the missus (the extra fat and marbling will stop it from becoming too tough and hopefully keep it juicy).
I find the best way to cook it is a frying pan. Dash of oil, season the meat with salt, pepper and maybe some mustard seeds if you like them, 'Schwartz' do a pretty good steak seasoning that you can buy from the spice rack of any supermarket if you want to cheat a little bit. Remove the meat from the fridge a few hours in advance to get it up to room temp, get the pan as hot as you physically can and drop it in. Don't be tempted to play with it once it's in, leave it alone, the trick is to flip it once and once only.
Frying a good steak is one of the most difficult cooking tasks that you can do IMO, it all depends on how thick the steak is, but I tend to go for 70-90 seconds each side for rare (assuming you've got the pan up to nuclear temperatures), anything up to 2 mins each side for medium (though I often end up buying fairly thin cuts), but it's very hard to tell without knowing the thickness.
Previous posters have all offered good advice re: sauces, but I prefer mine "as is", depends what you think she'll like best.
Key point: As others have said, DO NOT cut it open as soon as it comes out of the pan, leave it for at least a few minutes to settle or you'll end up with blood everywhere. In my experience, the preperation (both before and after you cook it) is easily just as important as the quality of the meat that you use.
I find the best way to cook it is a frying pan. Dash of oil, season the meat with salt, pepper and maybe some mustard seeds if you like them, 'Schwartz' do a pretty good steak seasoning that you can buy from the spice rack of any supermarket if you want to cheat a little bit. Remove the meat from the fridge a few hours in advance to get it up to room temp, get the pan as hot as you physically can and drop it in. Don't be tempted to play with it once it's in, leave it alone, the trick is to flip it once and once only.
Frying a good steak is one of the most difficult cooking tasks that you can do IMO, it all depends on how thick the steak is, but I tend to go for 70-90 seconds each side for rare (assuming you've got the pan up to nuclear temperatures), anything up to 2 mins each side for medium (though I often end up buying fairly thin cuts), but it's very hard to tell without knowing the thickness.
Previous posters have all offered good advice re: sauces, but I prefer mine "as is", depends what you think she'll like best.
Key point: As others have said, DO NOT cut it open as soon as it comes out of the pan, leave it for at least a few minutes to settle or you'll end up with blood everywhere. In my experience, the preperation (both before and after you cook it) is easily just as important as the quality of the meat that you use.
If you're not used to cooking steak - Get a meat thermometer and use it to test (they are stupidly cheap and really help).... 130F for rare, 140F for medium, in between for well, Med-rare !
As everyone else has said - let it rest.
Just cooked a 1.2Lb sirloin for a Cambodian hot and sour salad tonight. Did mine using a le Crusset cast iron griddle on the hob. 4 mins one side, 3 1/2 the other - rested for 4 mins and sliced very, very thinly. Was perfect, lovely crust and rare inside...
As everyone else has said - let it rest.
Just cooked a 1.2Lb sirloin for a Cambodian hot and sour salad tonight. Did mine using a le Crusset cast iron griddle on the hob. 4 mins one side, 3 1/2 the other - rested for 4 mins and sliced very, very thinly. Was perfect, lovely crust and rare inside...
Edited by juice on Saturday 31st January 02:41
juice said:
If you're not used to cooking steak - Get a meat thermometer and use it to test (they are stupidly cheap and really help).... 130F for rare, 140F for medium, in between for well, Med-rare !
As everyone else has said - let it rest.
Just cooked a 1.2Lb sirloin for a Cambodian hot and sour salad tonight. Did mine using a le Crusset cast iron griddle on the hob. 4 mins one side, 3 1/2 the other - rested for 4 mins and sliced very, very thinly. Was perfect, lovely crust and rare inside...
I use a Le Creuset cast iron griddle excellent piece of equipment.As everyone else has said - let it rest.
Just cooked a 1.2Lb sirloin for a Cambodian hot and sour salad tonight. Did mine using a le Crusset cast iron griddle on the hob. 4 mins one side, 3 1/2 the other - rested for 4 mins and sliced very, very thinly. Was perfect, lovely crust and rare inside...
Edited by juice on Saturday 31st January 02:41
Right just to add my thoughts not duplicate what's been said; next time try some rib-eye steak, absolutely gorgeous! Even better if you can get it on the BBQ. Nice bit of fillet in the middle and like rare roast beef round the edge.
Oh, and if anyone knows a decent potato for chips at the moment let me know because IMO they are all crap these days...
Oh, and if anyone knows a decent potato for chips at the moment let me know because IMO they are all crap these days...
RichB said:
Oh, and if anyone knows a decent potato for chips at the moment let me know because IMO they are all crap these days...
The only decent floury potatoes I have had in recent years were from the farmer's market, with mud on. The washed potatoes sold in supermarkets nowadays are all crap - even those varieties such as King Edward that I remember from childhood as good chippers / mashers. Mobile Chicane said:
RichB said:
Oh, and if anyone knows a decent potato for chips at the moment let me know because IMO they are all crap these days...
The only decent floury potatoes I have had in recent years were from the farmer's market, with mud on. The washed potatoes sold in supermarkets nowadays are all crap - even those varieties such as King Edward that I remember from childhood as good chippers / mashers. For chips, rather than rinse them, leave them in water for a while, leaches the starch out much better or so i find anyway! As for steak, i tend to shallow fry in a pan, but before i start i dust it with paprika, then 4 mins one side, turn over 3-3 31/2 mins on other side depending on how you like it!
Gassing Station | Food, Drink & Restaurants | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff