Saturday, November 8, 2008

A perfect steak

Steak is one of my husband's favorite dishes.

For the last eight years, uh, probably because I personally don't like steak, every one I have attempted to make has utterly failed. Badly.

Until now. A good friend is in culinary school, and after John had "the best steak of my life--no, the best three steaks!" at her house, I got her tips to make one for John's birthday last week, and TA-DA! Earned status in the top five lifetime steaks! A significant accomplishment for me! Now it's one of Baden's favorites, too.

I thought I'd share for those of you with carnivorous husbands...

1. Heat your skillet very hot; cast iron is ideal. Open your windows, because it will smoke.

2. Sprinkle room-temperature meat with paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and meat tenderizer (careful, this has MSG for those who are allergic).

3. Brush oil (Anne uses olive oil) directly on steak.

4. Brown (sear) the meat on both sides. This will happen pretty quickly.

5. Finish the steak in a 375 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes. For medium/medium-well steaks, your thermometer should read 145-150; it will continue cooking after it's removed from the oven. Don't cut into it, because you want the juices to remain inside.

Bon appetit!

1 comment:

Alison said...

Great tips about the steak! Bill and I love steak so I'll have to try that.

On another note, a few posts back you mentioned you were using cloth diapers. I've been doing some research, trying to determine whether to go with cloth or disposable for our baby. I like the cheaper (and greener) option, but I'm wondering how they've worked for you. Has it been worth the hassle to wash that much? Do they leak? Would you recommend the brand you bought? How many diapers would you suggest buying for one kid?

Thank you for your help! I'm trying to learn all this mom stuff---I have so much to learn! :-)