HOW TO COOK THE PERFECT STEAK?

To celebrate National BBQ Week, I have put together this Men's Everyday Essentials video on how to cook the perfect steak at home.

In the video, I explain:

Choosing the pan. You need a pan with a thick base, which will allow the pan to take on more heat and therefore better for cooking steak. Use a thick griddle pan as the best option.
Choosing an oil. It is important NOT to use butter because butter will burn when using high heats to cook the steak. Instead use an oil that can withstand the high heats such as groundnut or olive oil. Place a tiny bit of oil on both sides of the steak...not in the pan.

Seasoning the steak. Use only salt and pepper because you still want to taste the actual meat! When seasoning the steaks, do not season them too early as the salt will draw moisture from the steak. So crack the salt and pepper onto a plate, then dip the steaks in and cover both sides just before cooking.

How do you like you steak? In the video I'm cooking a 200g fillet steak, rare. However there are many ways to cook a steak which are Blue, Rare, Medium-Rare, Medium, Medium-Well and Well-done. Refer to the video at 1:00 which explains an easy way to tell via touch how much your steak is cooking.
Cooking times. When cooking a steak the cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of the steak, your personal choice on how you want it cooked and also how high you have your pan. You may also want to cook different cuts of beef differently. For example, with a fillet steak, I should always have it rare because there is little fat and it will melt in your mouth. However for a sirloin or rib-eye I would have it medium-rare or maybe even medium because you want the fat in the steak or around the steak to marble - giving extra taste to the meat. In the video, I cooked the steak for just over 2 minutes each side.
Leave it to rest. Yes I know its hard. You just want to get the steak in your belly! But this is the most important part. You should allow your steak to rest in room temperature for approx 5-10 minutes. This is to allow the juices to get reabsorbed back into the meat. Giving you a juicier, melt in the mouth steak.

Red wine. While your steak is resting. Choose a red wine. For me I have gone for this amazing Italian red given to me by a friend of mine Vince, check him out at www.vcfit.co.uk - the wine came for a region of Italy near where his parents live and it is perfect to drink with red meats.

Plate up. With the steak rested and the wine flowing...its now time to plate up. With any sauce you wish to have with your steak, always have it in a pot on the side rather than over your steak. This is because the sauce will continue to cook your steak if it is smothered in sauce and we don't want to ruin the hard work we have put into cooking the perfect steak! Serve with chips or fries, sauce and salad.