How exactly do I learn to tell when steak is done?
M8s say to press on part of my hand and compare steak to that but I don't seem to get it.
Help. I am tired of eating NHS sandwiches.
I am using a pan by the way I don't own a grille.
Cut into the thickest part of the steak and take a look. If it is still pink, it is not done yet.
buy a thermometer
>>7154134
>Cut into the thickest part of the steak and take a look. If it is still pink, it is not done yet.
Truly this is how it's done.
One thing you can do OP, if it's a constant problem, is get that steak out of the fridge a good long while before tossing it on the grill. A cold central part of the meat, especially near a bone stays cold a good long while in the pan, making you get antsy about color, while it's still lukewarm and not cooking deep inside. No real rule about it, but I think of it as "marinating" time, where I rub it all over with salt and pepper, and maybe hit it with some olive oil, squeeze of lime/balsamic or some garlic chimmichurri. I might do more of a dry rub, even. 20 mins? Might be enough, think about how thick it is, and take a guess.
Don't be afraid to put a lid on it for a moment, or cook on really high heat. I like a gas grill, but if doing it inside, I might heat up a cast iron in the oven, and start very hot sear on each side, or I might broil it. I might cook it lower and add some wine to the pan to cook off...sometimes what you do helps the heat get down inside it. I love a crust though, so I don't care about how done it gets on the outside. I especially like well-cooked fat along the edges. I might stand the steak up with tongs in order to get that right.
i've never really cared about an exact targeted doneness.
i shoot for anywhere between rare and medium.
as long as it's not well done, i'm happy.
>>7154134
>>7154147
Won't that let all the juices escape or something?
Also where I live there isn't room to grille so I use a cast iron pan for my cooking purposes. Are those double sided grilles machine units any good?
>>7154137
I guess I could but I feel inadequate in that I can't just do it by feeling. Never had instruction growing up cause we were to povo for real steak.
>>7154153
>Are those double sided grilles machine units any good?
They're okay for being living in a trailer, or on a budget and don't want to warm up all their A/C (retired people). They give cosmetic grill marks, but what they really do is "steam" food, the air is so trapped in there, it really just cooks the food like steam. You'll know when you try one. They are really not that simple to clean, unless you buy one with dishwasher safe plates the come out, but you're still wiping down drip pans and edges.
Foil line your broiler pan, or use the cast iron under the broiler element in the oven. Broil on high 5mins per side and check for doneness.
>>7154122
Sear the fuck out of both sides.
It's done.
>>7154153
Feel is inaccurate. If you truly want to know, buy a thermometer so you know exactly how long it takes to get it to that point, and how it should feel. After a while you won't need to use it any more.
You can cut it open, you wont lose a lot of juices this way.
Alternatively, sous vide ma nigga
>>7154231
Does sous vide steak taste good? I've never had anything made that way so I don't know. I imagine some of the experience of steak is in the char or slight crusting of the outer portion of the meat you geat from searing, no?
>>7154122
Just keep at it until you get the feel right.
Make sure your steak is around room temperature before you start to cook it. Season liberally with salt, and let it sit for about fifteen minutes, then dab dry. Turn your pan to a high heat setting, and sear both sides in clarified butter and minced shallots. If you are cooking a cut with a large fatty strip on one side, like a strip steak, you may want to sear the fat for a minute as well. To do this, hold the steak perpendicular to the pan with a pair of spring-loaded tongs fat side down.
Let the steak rest for 5 - 10 minutes depending on the size, then crack pepper over top to your liking.
Rinse and repeat, and eventually you will get pretty good at cooking a steak.
I've got a real simple solution for ya: learn it by doing it.
You're likely to mess up the first few times and even a few times after you feel you've mastered it, but the only way to learn it is to do it. Eventually, you'll get some sort of extrasensory kinda thing going on about how best to cook a steak. I know it might come across as mystic-sounding bullshit, but that's the best advice I can give ya.
Buy a few steaks.
Cook a few steaks.
And, eventually, you'll just 'get it' how to cook one nicely.
Anyone agree/disagree?
>>7154306
I pretty much agree.
>>7154306
>implying cooking isn't 25% magic
>>7154275
>clarified butter
Get out of my kitchen.
>>7154148
Same. As long as the outside has an aesthetically-pleasing sear that adds a slight crust, I'm fine with and actually enjoy a bit of variety.
>>7154122
Technically most steak will be safe so long as you cook the outside. If you're uncomfortable eating rare meat then you can buy a meat thermometer. If you don't want to buy one of those for whatever reason then you can poke it with a fork, press on it and see what color the juice is. If it's clear then it's well done.
Watch the side of the steak as it cooks. You can see how far the cooking has progressed. When it reaches half way, turn it over and cook the same amount of time on the other side.
>>7154122
Jesus, if you listened to anyone else you're probably already dead, but on the slim chance you're still alive, get a fucking meat thermometer. google will tell you what temp constitutes what doneness. I stop cooking at 130 because it cooks while resting for ten minutes, so I get a 135 perfect medium rare steak every time.
Cutting into a steak to check if its done is idiotic you lose all the moisture the feel test is great if you know what you are doing thermometer which sound like a good idea also allows juice to escape but for you noobs that can't tell by feel go ahead eat that shitty dry steak the feels is the way to go but I only know this cause I cook 400+ steaks a day
>>7155073
No you don't.
You do, however, suck 400+ cocks a day.
Depends on how you like it and the kind of steak you're making. If the steak is less than about an inch in thickness you can poke it to see the color of the juice. If the steak is less than an inch in thickness you can tell by the color of the outside color as long as you aren't cooking too hot.
>>7154122
When the red juice starts to seep out the top you flip it.
>>7154122
That steak right there? It's already way overdone.
>shoe leather
>burnt beyond recognition
>way to ruin a fine piece of meat
>you're probably going to slather ketchup on it too
>/ck/ logic
>>7154234
you still sear it after cooking it sous vide
>>7154122
Use the same pan and the same hob with the same thickness of steak. Use a stopwatch while you do it, so you know how long it takes (also good for knowing when to flip). After 2-3 attempts you will have reached perfection. Aim for 6 minutes total on your first attempt.
>>7154234
you can sous vide it and sear it
