I love a juicy, rare steak. The juiciness is key. My favorite way to cook a steak is over a barbecue, when weather appropriate, of course; my favorite way to cook steak does not involve mittens and frostbite. I'm from Minnesota, where there's definitely such a thing as "weather unsuitable for barbecues."Because the steak cravings hit me more often in the winter than in the summer (I'm told this has something to do with iron), I am happy to cook a steak in the oven, as well. I like to cook them at about 350 degrees max, low in the oven, and most importantly, I don't want them to dry out.
A good trick? Run a defrosted steak under cold water. I don't know why it works, but it makes sense in my head that cold water would cause the steak fibers to contract, sealing in moisture for longer, whereas a steak that's just been microwaved or run under warm water would be expanded and more likely to lose its moisture quickly.
Does that make sense? It doesn't need to. Just try it. You won't regret it. And it helps on the barbecue, too!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-04-2008 @ 12:49PM
Astin said...
Um. No.
The validity of your reasoning aside, running a steak under cold water enough to "contract the steak fibers" would also lower the temperature of the steak considerably. Rule #1 for cooking a steak (or any red meat) is to bring it to room temperature first. Otherwise you're looking at uneven cooking. On top of that, running it under water is going to wash away much of the natural flavour and juices of a steak, leaving you with what may be a moist piece of meat, but replacing much of the flavour with water.
If you're cooking it rare and it's not juicy, then it's probably a terrible steak that's spent far too long in the freezer. Buy the proper cuts, and use them before they've been freezer burned (obviously fresh is best, but we all have steaks in the freezer). Thaw them and let them warm to room temp, cook however you like, and then let them sit, lightly foil-covered, for 15-20 minutes after cooking to let the juices redistribute evenly through the meat.
The other option is to marinate the steak, so that it absorbs more liquid, which you can flavour to whatever you like. Either way, it's better than plain water.
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