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The Meat Guy Trial Set

A complete guide to the perfect steak! 【Even beginners can do it!】

last update date 2023-09-19 | release date 2020-07-22

A complete guide to the perfect steak! 【Even beginners can do it!】

Have you ever tried cooking steak at home and found that you can never get the same quality or flavor as the ones you get at your favorite restaurant? Not to worry! Today, we’ll be giving you a detailed guide on how you too can get the perfect steaks at home! Even those who are not very skilled in the kitchen can follow along and get great results!

HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR STEAK? A GUIDE ON STEAK DONENESS

Each person has a different definition for what a “perfect steak” is. So first, let’s see how well you like your steak to be cooked. Here are the most common ones.

・Rare

The outside is browned at a high temperature, while the center is close to raw. The meat is soft and has a bit of a fluffy or bouncy texture. If your stomach or digestion is not the strongest, we recommend staying away from rare steaks.

・Medium

The heat reaches the center of the steak, but still remains pink. This is what a lot of people prefer with their steaks. If you’re not very good at cooking, it might be difficult to achieve this type of doneness at home. This is why most people say that you need skills to cook a steak. Not to be confused with “medium rare” which is somewhere in between rare and medium, being a bit more on the rare side.

・Well-done

Well-done means that the meat has been well cooked and browned all the way to the center. Both sides are thoroughly cooked in a preheated frying pan, covered with a lid, then allowed to continue cooking with the steam.

Some people may prefer this over rare or medium steaks, as they might have been told growing up that meat needs to be thoroughly cooked before consumption.

Although there is some truth to the statement, it is not entirely true. Beef is one of those meats that is relatively low-risk, as long as you get the right quality!

As for pork and chicken, there is a higher risk of bacteria and parasites to grow inside the meat. Therefore, you should definitely avoid eating these meats raw, unless clearly marked as “safe to eat raw.”

Beef doesn’t originally have fungus growing inside the meat. However, other bacteria that may cause food poisoning may grow inside the internal organs of the meat. This results in a higher risk of the bacteria getting transferred to the surface of the meat when the cattle are slaughtered. This is why we recommend searing the surface of the beef until browned to make sure that any bacteria splashed on the surface will be burned off.

When cooking thicker-cut steaks, heat up to 1cm or more of the surface of the meat to 60°C for 2 minutes. This will ensure that even after bacteria has entered the meat, they can be reduced to 1/10,000. As such, the risk of food poisoning can be reduced. This is of course, unless the meat has already spoilt to begin with. If you heat the surface of the meat at 60°C for 2 minutes, it will most likely turn out to be medium-done and will still remain pink in the center.

（Reference (In Japanese): Government Public Information Online “Please be careful! Food poisoning due to raw meat consumption and insufficient cooking.https://www.gov-online.go.jp/useful/article/201005/4.html ）

DO IT AT HOME! A GUIDE ON HOW TO GRILL THICK STEAK

DO IT AT HOME! A GUIDE ON HOW TO GRILL THICK STEAK

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to cook a thick-cut steak to “medium”. A lot of people may find this hard to achieve, but you should be fine as long as you follow the steps right from preparation!

＜Preparation＞
  • 1. Transfer the frozen steak from the freezer to the refrigerator to thaw slowly for about 24 hours.
  • 2. Remove the steak from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking to allow it to come back to room temperature.
  • 3. Cut the streak between the meat and fat with a kitchen knife.
  • 4. Pat any liquid off the surface of the steak with a paper towel.
  • 5. Season both sides of the steak with some salt and pepper.

＜Cooking＞
  1. 1. Heat some oil on a frying pan over medium heat.
  2. 2. When you see a hint of smoke come from the frying pan, place the steak in the pan. Be careful, and don’t panic. Expect it to sizzle as the water from the meat reacts with the hot oil in the pan.
  3. 3. Let the steak cook for 1 minute without touching it. Once 1/3 of the steak starts to brown, flip it over and start cooking the other side. Use the photo below as reference.

    4. Heat some oil on a frying pan over medium heat.

  4. 4. Cook the other side for about 30 seconds on high heat. Cover the pan and cook on low heat for around 2 minutes.
  5. 5. Gently press the center of the steak with your finger to check the doneness. If the meat is elastic enough to push back on your finger, remove it from the pan and wrap it in aluminum foil. Let the meat rest to lock in all the juices. If you don’t feel enough resistance from the meat, cover the pan and continue to cook on low heat for about 1 minute.

    6. Heat some oil on a frying pan over medium heat._2

  6. 6. Wrapping in aluminum foil will allow it to continue cooking with residual heat. Leave it wrapped for about 5 minutes before cutting.

※The steak used in this example is about 2cm-thick. For steaks that are thicker than that, cut it down to 2cm-thickness before cooking.

SIDE DISHES THAT GO GREAT WITH STEAK!

Were you surprised at how well you cooked the steak? Here are a couple of other recipes for vegetable side dishes to balance out the nutritional values of your meal. Prepare this beforehand, so you can eat the steak while it’s warm!

CHEESY MASHED POTATOES (2 SERVINGS)

CHEESY MASHED POTATOES

Start steaming a peeled potato (medium, 1 piece) until it is soft enough to mash. (You can also use a microwave oven to heat it until soft). In a bowl, add shredded cheese (1 tbsp), milk (1 tbsp), sugar (1 /2 tsp), salt to taste, potatoes and start mashing.

GRILLED VEGETABLES (2 SERVINGS FOR APPROX. 300G TOTAL VEG)

GRILLED VEGETABLES

For vegetables that are tougher (like root vegetables), pre-boil them or soften in the microwave before grilling. Turnips, zucchini, onions, eggplant, mushrooms can be grilled without pre-boiling. Heat the veggies in olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the vegetables. Once slightly browned on one side, flip the vegetables over and continue cooking for about 30 seconds. Add 1 tbsp of water in the pan, cover and steam the vegetables. Wait until the water evaporates with the lid on (around 1-2 minutes). Once all the water has evaporated, turn the heat off and you’re good! Serve on a plate and sprinkle with a bit of salt.

GRATED CARROT SALAD (2 SERVINGS)

GRATED CARROT SALAD

Shred a carrot (1/2 piece) with a coarse grater and mix with raisins (1 tablespoon), olive oil (1 tablespoon), vinegar (1 tablespoon), salt (1/4 teaspoon).

COOK THICK-CUT STEAKS TO “MEDIUM” PERFECTION AT HOME!

Today, we have introduced a step-by-step guide to cooking thick-cut steaks to “medium” doneness. We know that it’s easy to give up and say that cooking perfect steaks at home is difficult, but just follow the guide on this article and you too will be able to do it! Try it out along with the vegetable side dish recipes and let us know what how you did!

Further Reading (all in Japanese only)：
Standards for meat and beef consumption ｜Food Hygiene Help Desk
Be careful of food poisoning from insufficient heating of raw meat! ｜Online Government News
How can I avoid food poisoning from meat?｜Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare

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