by Amanda Vittitow

Created on: April 13, 2008   Last Updated: January 30, 2009

I used to always get my steak cooked well-done, I wanted no fat on my steak, and I wanted A1 sauce to go with it. It wasn't until I went to eat at a well known steakhouse, that I learned some things about the way steak is cooked.

1. The longer you cook a steak, the less nutritional value it has. Also if you go to a steakhouse and have it cooked well done, they will more than likely give you a steak that is less quality than someone who orders their steak medium rare.

2. Fat gives the steak flavor, so leave it on there.

3. If you have a really good, well seasoned steak, you don't need A1.

SEASONINGS:

You never want your seasonings or marinade to overpower the steak. Sometimes it's as simple as salt and pepper and sometimes it's as simple as a dry rub. A dry rub that I've come up with is chopped rosemary, chopped garlic, salt and pepper. I mix them together and put the dry rub on both sides, just enough to give the steak flavor. Marinades are good as well, but again, I only put enough on the steak to give it flavor.

"HOW WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR STEAK COOKED?"

So now you have your seasoned steak ready to cook, but how? There are five ways to cook a steak by either frying, broiling, or grilling.

Rare: The steak should be lightly charred on the sides and should be bright pink through most of the steak. This steak needs to be cooked on high heat for a minute on both sides. The internal temperature of this steak is 50-55 degrees Celsius.

Medium Rare: The steak should be charred on all sides with a hint of red, but the center should still be pink. The surface should be firm to the touch but still has some give in the center. The internal temperature of this steak is 55-57 degrees Celsius. This steak should be cooked on high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side. Any gourmet chef will tell you this is the way a steak should really be cooked.

Medium: The steak should have a thick pink center but be more browned than pink. The steak should, also, still have some play in the middle but be firm. The internal temperature of this steak is 60-65 degrees Celsius and should be cooked over medium heat for about 5-6 minutes on each side.

Medium well: The steak will be brown all the way through with the slightest hint of pink. This steak needs to be cooked on high heat for a minute (the central part of your grill), and then cooked on medium heat (the side of your grill) for about 5-6 minutes on each side.

Well done: The steak will be brown all the way through with no hint of pink but should not be burnt. The steak is firm all the way through with no give if you press on it. This is by far the hardest steak to cook because you don't want to burn it. The steak needs to be cooked low and slow to prevent this; cooked on medium heat 10-12 minutes on each side. The internal temperature of this steak is 77< degrees Celsius.

You've taken your perfectly cooked steak off the heat; now what? I bet you want to cut right into it and eat it, right? WRONG! Never, never cut into a steak that has just been taken off the heat. The reason being is if you cut into a steak too soon, the wonderful, flavoring juices that should be redistributing through the steak is going to go all over the plate, and the meat will be tough. The rule is to wait 5 minutes before cutting into a steak, so you give the juices time.

Trust me, your mouth will thank you! Bon appetit!

Learn more about this author, Amanda Vittitow.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.