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How do you stop a steak from "stewing" when you fry it in a frying pan?

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How to Pan Fry a Great Steak

August 12, 2009 By Jenny 8 Comments
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1. Choose grass-fed beef.

Grass-fed beef is rich in conjugated linoleic acid, beta carotene, iron, zinc and B vitamins making it a nutritional powerhouse. Moreover, grass-fed beef contains less saturated fat and offers a higher proportion of omega 3 fatty acids than its grain-finished counterpart. Moreover, grass-finishing respects cattle’s natural diet and keeps animals healthy. Grass-fed cattle are considerably less likely to be infected with acid resistant e. coli than grain-finished animals, thus reducing consumer’s risk of infecton. In short, healthy animals produce healthy meat, and . (Learn more about why you should eat red meat.) If you can’t source grass-fed beef locally, you can always order it online (see sources for grass-fed beef).
2. Age the steak in the fridge for a day or two.

Grass-fed beef suffers an unfortunate reputation of being tough, though, in my experience that is not always the case. While you can purchase aged steaks, you can mirror the process to some degree at home. Simply oil your steak with unrefined extra virgin olive oil and wrap it in a clean kitchen towel. Set it on clean plate in the coolest part of your fridge. Every day for three days, flip the steak and give it a new towel. Traditionally, steaks were aged for a minimum of fourteen days under conditions much more controlled than your refrigerator, but a little bit of aging can do some good to make your steak tender.
A simple note of caution if you wish to age your steak: use common sense. If you notice a rancid smell or the meat appears otherwise unpalatable after aging, toss it.
3. Allow the steak to come to room temperature before cooking.

Don’t cook your steak cold. Instead, set it on a plate on your countertop, covered with a dish towel, for a few hours before suppertime. Putting a cold steak straight from the fridge and into a hot pan results in uneven cooking and the loss of the beef’s flavorful juices.
4. Use a nice dry rub.

Instead of marinating our steaks, I prefer a nice dry spice rub massaged into the meat. A combination of black pepper, dried onion, garlic and other spices that suit your tastes can do wonders for a grass-finished steak. Don’t add salt to the dry rub, instead salt your steak to taste after it has been cooked.
5. Oil or lard the steak.

Rub the steak with butter, ghee or unrefined extra virgin olive oil before you toss it into the pan. By oiling the steak instead of the pan, you’re able to get the pan really hot for a nice good searing and keep the steak from sticking at the same time.
6. Use a preheated cast iron skillet.

Preheat a cast iron over a high flame while you oil and rub the steak. By using a very hot skillet, you’ll be able to sear the steak nicely without overcooking the meat – thus preserving many of its natural heat sensitive nutrients.
7. Use tongs.

When cooking the steak, use tongs instead of a knife or fork to turn the meat. By using tongs, you prevent puncturing the meat and thus losing valuable and flavorful juices.
8. Cook steak hot and quick.

Grass-finished meat should be cooked more quickly than grain-finished meat as it contains less fat and more protein which can leave make it tough if cooked to long. Instead, simply cook it on high heat for about 1 minute per side until it is seared, but not cooked through. If you prefer a well-done steak, and don’t mind losing valuable micronutrients in the process, finish the steak in a hot oven until it’s done to your liking.
9. Let it rest a bit.

After your steak is cooked to your liking, let it rest for a few minutes. Allowing the steak to rest gives time for the juices to redistribute themselves among the meat. A steak that has rested before being served will be juicier than one that has not rested.
10. Finish it right.

While the steak rests, you can take the time to ensure that you finish the steak just right. Deglaze the pan with red wine and sharp herbs or beef stock and caramelized onions to create nice reduction sauce to serve along side the meat.
Photo by Crankin at SXC.

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That sounds absolutely amazing. I like my steak cooked a little more than what's in the picture. Closer to medium well than rare. lol

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Dang. . Im hungry for a nice steak now, but it is only 09:26 am here. . a little early lol

How to cook a great steak? EASY Medium rare! Delicous!

I tend to broil mine in the oven. Depending on the steak about 7 to 10 mintues for the first side, and 5 to 7 minutes on the other side gets me a medium rare peice of tastyness. The key to a good steak though is a good cut of beef.

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Hope and the happy feline trio

Such a long post as to how to cook a great steak. Don't get me wrong, I fully appreciate it, BUT all you have to do to cook a great steak is:

Throw on grill, let cook on that side for desired like (rare, meduim etc) THEN, flip once and repeat, and your done.

The Alton Brown method is pretty good.

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Without humility some angels became devils, and with humility some devilish people became angels.
- Saint John el-Daragi

http://www.geekcatholic.com

Simple; cook it with an absolute minute, tiny amount of oil, and instead of using a frying pan, use a griddle pan so the oils and juices runs into the channels

im not a rare steak fan so yea. but its all in the cooking like find a cast iron pan or bbq and cook both side hard and fast (till you see blood come up from the other side) then i wack mine in the oven for 3 or 4 minz on a low heat so it cooks though but doesint get dry.


my fave marinade is just:

-crushed garlic (heaps)
-soy sauce
-brown sugar (this is the key! just a spoonfull though)
-pepper

the good thing about this marinade is it real strong so you can do it just before you cook it and the taste will still come though.

(note) scrap of the marinade before cooking as it has done its job all ready. cooking it will just cause it to burn.

p.s i only use cheap steak cuz i dont have much money. a better cut of meat souldint need extra flavers. just salt and pepper.

I love Alton Brown!

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YEP!!!!

You got to cook it on higher heat, high to start then reduce to medium high; let the pan get hot first so that your steak should start sizzling as soon as you place the steak in the pan.

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Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. [Philippians 2:3]

Holy Scripture is a stream in which the elephant (giants) may swim and the lamb (midget) may wade. Pope St. Gregory (590AD) http://www.quotecatholic.com/index.php/category/scripture/

A good steak is best cooked on the grilled.