Eat

The perfect STEAK

This Valentine’s Day, treat your husband to a home-cooked meal. If he is a meat lover, you won’t go wrong with a steak cooked right!

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This Valentine’s Day, treat your husband to a home-cooked meal. If he is a meat lover, you won’t go wrong with a steak cooked right!

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Before cooking, rub a little olive oil all over the steak, and season with salt and ground black pepper.

MEAT MATTERS

A good steak starts with a nice cut of meat. Not even the greatest chef in the world can make a cheap piece of rum taste good, so ask your butcher for a recommendation. Tenderloin is the most tender cut, rib eye is juicy and flavourful, and T-bone has the best of both worlds as it is tender and juicy.

THICKNESS AFFEC TS TIMING

Before cooking, stand the steak at room temperature for half an hour so the steak will cook more evenly. Note that a thick-cut steak is easier to cook to rare or medium. Thin steaks will cook to well done quickly. Boneless cuts take less time to cook than those with a bone.

THE RIGHT PAN

We suggest frying your steak with a durable frying pan which diffuses heat evenly, ideally with a non-stick coating, to achieve good results. We recommend Tefal’s Expertise and Character pans. These deep-dish pans come with the Tefal Thermo-Spot, a patented heat indicator that tells you when optimal cooking temperature is reached by turning red. This indicates when you can start cooking. Cooking at the ideal start temperature enhances the flavour of your food, as well as prevents over-heating and loss of juices – so important when you’re cooking a steak! That’s not all. Tefal’s pans are known for their durability and reliability. Its pans are designed to last longer than ordinary cookware. Plus, they are a breeze to clean and maintain as the body of each pan is made of a reinforced titanium material, with up to seven layers to reinforce non-stick resistance to scratches. You can rest assured that your pans will remain in good condition for years to come. They are suitable for all hobs including induction cooktops, and come in a variety of sizes ranging from 20 cm to 28 cm so you’ll definitely find one to suit the size and quantity of your steaks.

WAIT BEFORE SERVING

Remove steak from the heat. Loosely cover with foil and rest for five minutes to let the meat relax. This will make the steak more tender and juicy. Use any juices that may collect in a sauce and pour them over the meat before serving. W

Tefal Expertise and Character cookware ranges are available at all major department stores.

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Rare, Medium or Well-Done?

Rare: Depending on the thickness of the steak, cook for several minutes per side.

Medium – Rare: Cook one side until moisture is just visible at the top. Then cook on the second side until surface moisture is visible.

Medium: Cook on one side until moisture is pooling on top and on other side, and until moisture is visible and steak feels springy.

Medium– Well-Done: Cook on one side until moisture is pooling on top. Cook on second side until moisture is pooling on top. Reduce heat slightly and cook until steak feels firm when pressed with the back of a pair of tongs.

Well-Done: As above, but cook until steak feels very firm when pressed with the back of the tongs.