Become A Steak Masterchef: Getting To Grips With Doneness

Life is full of little culinary pleasures, and we all have our own preferences for what they are and how they are prepared. We all have our own tastes. More seasoning for a bit of a kick, or less seasoning to let the natural flavour come through. Potatoes? Yes, but what kind? Baked, roasted, mashed, fried? Just thinking about it can make you hungry.

For many of us, the finest meal around is a good steak. You might want to give Kansas City steak restaurants a try. Anyone who has spent long enough shopping for the right one will know, the quality of steaks can vary somewhat. When preparing them for a dinner party, it can be a nightmare in itself. One person prefers sirloin while another favors rump steak. One person likes a lot of seasoning while another wants just a dusting of salt and pepper. And then how well do they want them cooked?

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Image From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steak

The spectrum of different ways to cook steak runs from blue to well done. And how you like your steak, in some people’s opinion, says a lot about you. Do you like it just about seared and bloody in the middle, or brown right through with the merest hint of juice? It’s a minefield.

“Barely Cooked At All, Thank You”

In some social circles, the less cooked your steak is, the more of a “man” you are. It comes from the caveman days, when early man would eat meat just about raw. In France, some people joke that steak is cooked by walking it briskly through a hot room. And we know how seriously the French take their cooking! “Blue” steaks, which are almost not cooked at all, retain a lot of the flavour of the meat, but aren’t for the squeamish.

“Medium Rare, And A Hint Of Blood”

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Image Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doneness

Overall probably the most popular way of serving steak, the medium rare gives the best of both worlds. A satisfying texture with a lot of flavor, and if the seasoning is just right it is a taste explosion. It’s a tricky one to get right: cook it too little and it’s chewy, too long and it’s stringy. Remember presentation as well- there’s no point going to all that effort if it doesn’t look delicious! Go for a small square plate so it’s the focus or serve it on SteakStones serving sets – have their taste buds excited even before they take a bite!

“I Want It Incinerated, Please!”

Some people like their steak cooked so that it is practically black on the outside and brown right the way through. Others will argue that this makes the steak a lot less flavorful, and they do have a point. There is certainly more flavor in a steak that has not been cooked for as long. But the key point here is that it’s a matter of personal taste. It’s easy to understand why some people don’t want to see blood in what they’re eating. And a good steak cooked well done is still pretty nice.

How you enjoy your steak is entirely up to you. One piece of advice if you are cooking for a lot of people is to ask everyone how they like theirs. Cook the rarer ones first, as the implement for cooking will get hotter and cook quicker as it goes along. Don’t cook them all to your taste – everyone has their own preference, after all.

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

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