Steak cooking guide

For best results, ensure that your steak is at room temperature before it goes anywhere near a pan.

Rub it all over with good olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. 

(Contrary to popular belief, salt will not dehydrate the steak).  

How long you cook it for depends on how you like it cooked and the thickness of the steak. 

As a general rule of thumb, for an 8oz steak:

Blue - 1 minute each side

Rare - 1.5 minutes each side

Medium Rare - 2 minutes each side

Medium - 2.5 minutes each side

Medium Well - 3 minutes each side 

Well Done - About 4 to 5 minutes each side

Remember to let your steak rest for 5-10 minutes after it comes out of the pan. 

Resting the meat is crucially important.  When you cook a piece of meat the heat of the appliance pushes the juice out of the muscle towards the surface where some of it evaporates.  Resting allows the remaining juices to sink back into the meat and redistribute so you are left with a much more tender cut.

The Touch Test
The easiest way to test for how done your steak is, is to press on the meat with your fingertips. Press on the meat here and there while it cooks, and compare the feeling of the meat with the following finger test. You’ll get better with practice. Please note, this method only works when cooking steaks, and will not work with roasting joints.

Raw
Open the palm of your hand. Relax the hand. With your other index finger push on the fleshy area between the thumb and the base of the palm. This is what raw meat feels like.

Rare
Press the tip of your index finger to the tip of your thumb. The fleshy area below the thumb should give. This is what rare meat feels like. Open up your palm and compare raw to rare.

Medium rare
Gently press the tip of your middle finger to the tip of your thumb. Feel the flesh beneath the thumb. This is what medium rare meat feels like.

Medium
Press the tip of your ring finger and your thumb together. The flesh beneath the thumb should give a little more. This is what medium cooked meat feels like.

Well done
Gently press the tip of your pinky and thumb together. Again feel the fleshy area below the thumb. It should feel quite firm. This is what well done meat feels like.

 

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