There are few things better than a nice cut of steak on the side of your plate. Whether you pair it with chips, dauphinoise potatoes or peppercorn sauce, the meat itself is the real star of the show. The secret to a good steak lies in how you cook it. In all honesty, there's no such thing as a 'perfect' steak as people have many preferences and what one person loves, another may hate! Generally, there are five different ways to eat your steak, so let's look at them!
Blue
Blue steak requires a refined palate as you barely cook it. It should be a really dark colour on the inside, and it will be warm - not hot. This is as close as you get to eating raw streak, so it's not for everyone. A fillet steak usually only need 90 seconds on each side to achieve the blue look.
Rare
Next, you keep your steak in the pan for slightly longer to cook the outside a bit more. A rare steak will be nice and red in the middle, with plenty of juices flowing from it. You'll also find it very soft to cut through, with hardly any resistance. Cook this for about 2 minutes 15 seconds on each side with a fillet steak.
Medium-rare
This is most people's go-to option as you get slightly less colour, but still enough to impart plenty of flavour. Your steak will look pink on the insides and still let some juices flow. There'll be a bit more resistance, but it still feels quite soft when you cut into it. A fillet steak needs about 3 minutes and 15 seconds on each side for this one.
Medium
Cook your fillet steak for 4 and a half minutes on each side to achieve the medium look. It has some colour in the middle, but it will be pale pink with almost no juices. As the steak is cooked longer, it starts to firm up a bit more. There might be a bit of red juice leaking out, but hardly any.
Well-done
Finally, you can have a well-done steak! This is usually the choice for younger children that don't like seeing the pink bits of meat. Still, adults like well-done steaks as well - it's all down to personal preference. There will be almost no pink on the inside, so the steak looks mainly brown and cooked all the way through.
These are the main ways you can cook a steak, but what about seasoning and presentation? It's always good to season your steak with a bit of salt and pepper before you cook it. If you want to create a marinade, this should be applied a few hours before you cook. This ensures it takes on all the flavours and becomes a delicious steak. As far as presentation goes, always rest your steak for five minutes before serving. This lets the meat absorb any juices and become even moister and more tender.
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