Steak Luxuries

Cooking intuitively must include a big decision- whether to include meat in your meals. I have cooked vegetarian and even vegan. Vegan cooking can be delicious, but speaking personally, I have found that a vegan meal (especially those that contain a protein or meat substitute) can take much longer to cook, include specialized ingredients, and become expensive. I do include veggie meals in my cooking, but I save those for a weekend or day off. 

When I want a special treat for dinner, but don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen, I choose steak. The ABSOLUTE best steak I have ever had is grass fed, dry aged organic steak from Whole Foods. I bought it for a special birthday barbecue, and it was unbelievably expensive per pound. I have only bought it that one time! 

But as a monthly or bi-monthly treat, I do sometimes buy a big steak. I know my family will love it, & I know I won't need much time to cook it. Here is what I have learned about buying steak:

1) Steak with marbled fat in it tastes better than the lean cuts

2) Marbled steak is VERY pricey per pound, BUT you will need less, because it is much more satisfying

3)Cooking steak  properly is absolutely essential. Don't buy expensive steak unless you are willing to cook it by following The Rules!

Here are The Rules. READ them TWICE. 

ALWAYS allow your steak to come to room temperature before you cook it. 

ALWAYS cook your steak at a high temperature, cook it quickly, in a pan that has plenty of space, or (better yet) on a grill. 

ALWAYS allow your steak to "rest" before you cut into it (resting just means you take it off the heat, cover it very lightly with foil, and wait about 10-15 minutes)

NEVER cook a steak until well done. It is a tragic thing to see a grey steak!! 

NEVER press down your steak while it is cooking. Doing so squeezes out the juice into your pan or grill. If you want grill marks (and that is why you are pressing) , just make sure your grill is VERY hot.

NEVER cover your steak with onions, mushrooms, steak sauce, or other atrocities.Serve them on the side! You want to TASTE what you spent your money on! 

IF you want to accentuate the flavor of your steak,  grate the peal of a lemon on a raw steak  while it is warming to room temperature. (My brother taught me this!) 

AS you can see, cooking a good piece of steak requires you to really pay attention to it. You have to stay at the stove or grill the ENTIRE time it cooks. So, I recommend that you prepare anything you are going to eat with it FIRST. I make a big, simple salad, a baked potato, and lots of cooked onions. I do everything else ( set the table, cook the other stuff, find my good knife) before I begin to heat my pan. 

To judge the done-ness of a steak, first poke the fleshy part of your hand that is under your thumb. IF your steak feels like that, it will be medium-well done after it rests. Poke the flesh part of your hand opposite your thumb, well under the pinkie. If your steak feels like that, it will be medium after it rests (this is what I prefer) . 

To make cooking a steak this way intuitive, you need to practice! This is not like practicing the piano when you were a kid...you get to eat steak no matter HOW it turns out! Have fun, turn on your exhaust fan or open a window (if you are cooking inside) , and have some wine. Enjoy!