Everyone knows steak isn't cheap, and the worst thing you could ever do is waste a
decent cut of meat. Naturally, then, there are a few dos and don'ts you really should
know before you dig in. Here are some of the biggest mistakes people make when eating steak.
If you're grilling your own steak at home, chances are you used at least a handful of kitchen items
in the process. There's the plate you set it on, obviously, the tongs you used to place them on
the grill — and, if you're feeling fancy, maybe a grill spatula to flip it over while cooking.
And then there's the knife or thermometer you'll have used to cut into it to check its doneness.
But before you head back into the kitchen to start plating up your meal, be careful — because you
never, ever, ever want to use the same utensils or plates that you used when the meat was still raw.
It may seem like an obvious precaution to take, but accidents still happen.
Maybe you're cooking with someone else and they don't realize which plates have come
into contact with raw meat. Perhaps you just plain forgot which fork you used. In fact,
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that putting cooked meat back on a plate
that recently held raw meat is one of the top 10 food safety mistakes people make.
Your best bet? Stash anything that touched uncooked meat in the sink or dishwasher as soon
as you've used it. You'll minimize the chances of a mix-up — and might just save your guts.
Okay, so everyone knows that steak is delicious on its own. It's savory,
hearty, and has just the right amount of salt — especially when seasoned and cooked to perfection.
"It is juicy... and delicious."
But when it comes to truly enjoying steak, you should never underestimate the power
of a good wine pairing. Choosing the right wine can sometimes feel like rocket science,
but it doesn't have to be that way — and once you learn a broad overview
of the different types of wine on the market, you'll be in a prime position to
make the most of your next steak meal. If you're serious about eating steak,
it'll be worth your time to do a little research the next time you're at the liquor store.
But if you just can't tell a Cabernet Sauvignon from a Merlot, never fear. There are some easy
wine pairing rules to keep in mind. In general, if you're eating red meat, you should look for
a red wine. Simple enough, right? This is because your steak can handle and even complement the big,
bold flavors of a good red wine. These particular wines tend to be higher in tannins too,
a type of bitter flavor compound, which pairs well with the fat and salt in your steak.
Walk through the spice aisle at your local grocery store
and you'll likely be met with a dizzying array of seasonings,
rubs, and spice blends — including some that are specifically marketed as steak seasoning.
If you're feeling overwhelmed by all these steak seasoning options, know that you're not alone.
Seasoning a steak perfectly is something that even experienced chefs struggle to get right
all the time. Add too much seasoning and you run the risk of completely masking the flavor
of the meat — or creating the dreaded dry-mouth situation. Add too little seasoning, however,
and your steak will taste bland and flavorless. So what to do?
The best advice is to find a happy medium, which may require a bit of practice.
Remember that, while you can always add more seasoning to a steak, it's really difficult
to take any seasoning away. So start small, take a bite, then add more as needed. This is
especially true when it comes to salt, which can be particularly overpowering for any dish. Oh,
and at least to start with, you probably ought to ignore all those fancy bottles of steak seasoning.
After all, you really can't go wrong with good ol' salt and pepper.
"S and P, the choice for me."
If your family ate steak for dinner while you were growing up,
the chances are it was served alongside a bottle of A1 or Heinz 57.
And it's just as likely that you completely smothered your meat in sauce before tucking in.
These days, however, there's been a big shift away from steak sauce,
as chefs and barbecue cooks feel that it hides too much of the flavor of the meat itself. If
your steak is well-seasoned and well-cooked, you shouldn't want anything to mess with that flavor,
let alone need to add sauce just to choke it down. Bottled steak sauce is basically
just a Band-Aid solution to help cover up meat that's overdone or dry. Instead, it's better to
fix the root problem, rather than lean too heavily on sauce to cover up your mistakes.
If you must insist on eating your steak with some kind of sauce,
you might want to consider something more complex than the usual store-bought options.
There are so many delicious homemade sauce recipes out there, and if you're feeling adventurous
you could always try to come up with your own. The options are practically limitless!
So, you've sat down at the dinner table and are ready to cut into your steak.
And maybe you're happy to just cut into it all willy-nilly, in any direction you feel like.
"No God! No God please no! No! No! Noooo-"
Okay, sure. Technically, doing this won't be the end of the world,
but it can destroy a steak's texture,
make chewing a lot more difficult, and might just ruin your overall perception of your meal.
There's actually a right way to cut a steak for the perfect texture and chewiness:
Against the grain. You've likely heard this phrase before, but what does it actually mean?
Well, it means you cut against the meat's muscle fibers, rather than with them.
When you look at your steak, you'll notice small, parallel lines — these are the muscle fibers. You
want to cut perpendicular to these lines whenever possible. This helps you achieve that "melt in
your mouth" feeling you get when you bite into a delicious steak. And who wouldn't want that?
If you sit down to a big juicy steak and immediately get to work hacking off every
speck of fat, put down that knife. The fat is what gives your steak flavor, texture,
and depth. It helps the steak stay nice and juicy on the grill, not to mention the fact that it
helps make the steak taste even more delicious. If you've ever bitten into a crispy, crunchy bite
of perfectly cooked fat, then you'll understand just how important it is to a good steak meal.
Think about it. There's a reason why so many people love ribeyes: The marbling,
which is a fancy way of saying there are swirls of fat present throughout the meat.
During the cooking process, all these little pockets of fat heat up and melt,
which contributes to the steak's juicy flavor and moistness. So the next time
you're at the butcher shop buying raw meat — or the next time you sit down to a perfectly
marbled steak — go ahead and savor that fat as much as possible. Wasting it would be a crime.
We've all been there — you're cooked up a nice meal, you're basically starving,
and all you want to do is sit right down and dig in. But hey, not so fast.
Without wanting to sound too much like your mother,
it's incredibly important that you wash your hands thoroughly before you eat — especially
if you're the one who handled the raw meat. Even if you're eating steak at a restaurant,
it's still a good idea to excuse yourself and head to the restroom.
Be sure to wash your hands in warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds, and don't forget to
scrub all parts of your hands and fingers, including your wrists. Doing so prevents any
harmful bacteria or viruses from making their way to your mouth once you start eating. In a pinch,
you can use hand sanitizer, but ideally, you'd wash your hands in the sink before you dig in.
If you've ever hosted a backyard barbecue for friends and family, then you'll know how
easy it is to become distracted while grilling. Maybe you're serving everyone else their meal,
and end up having to rush around making sure everyone has everything they need.
In the meantime, your own steak has gotten cold. No big deal, right?
Actually, yes big deal. This is a serious no-no, according to the Centers Disease
Control and Prevention. It might not seem like much of a problem at
the time, but temperature is incredibly important when it comes to food safety.
Why? Because germs thrive when your food reaches the temperature "danger zone," which is between 40
and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. As the CDC says, hot food should be served hot and cold food should be
served cold — and there's no room for maneuver on that one. If you disregard this advice,
you could be setting yourself up for a nasty foodborne illness... and nobody wants that.
When you're completely stuffed and think you can't eat another bite of that delicious steak,
it's gonna be time to break out the tupperware. But be sure to act quickly,
because leaving your leftovers too long can be a recipe for disaster.
A good rule of thumb is to refrigerate leftovers within two hours of eating.
If the temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, you should refrigerate them within one hour.
After that, be sure to reheat and eat them within three to four days, per CDC guidelines.
Food that's left to sit out for too long can
very quickly become the home of some pretty nasty germs,
and you should probably know by now what happens if they get their grubby little claws into you.
"Oh, God, don't say that."
Don't fancy spending the next week in the company of norovirus, salmonella, clostridium perfringens,
campylobacter, or staphylococcus aureus? Then treat your leftovers properly.
It almost feels like a cliche to do this, but how could you possibly resist? Once you finish up your
bone-in steak, your first instinct might just be to toss the leftover bone to your dog. After all,
he's been watching you eat your dinner all night — so why not quite literally throw the dog a bone?
And while this may seem harmless at first, it's actually not a very good idea. For one,
any bone could be a choking hazard for your dog, no matter how big the bone is. Cooked bones also
have a tendency to splinter more, which can wreak havoc on your dog's teeth and digestive system.
If you absolutely must give your dog a steak bone, be sure to stay vigilant and keep an eye on it.
You'll want to be nearby in case your dog starts choking, tries to swallow the bone,
or breaks it down into smaller pieces. Or,
you know, you could save yourself the hassle and use it to make a broth, or something.
There's really nothing wrong with eating a steak with just a little salt and pepper.
But if you've eaten plenty of plain steaks and you're starting to get a little bit bored,
it might be time for you to try out some new steak toppings.
You can basically use anything as a steak topping, but some great ideas include sauteed mushrooms,
blue cheese chunks, and bacon. You can also go down a deep,
delicious rabbit hole of compound butters, which are basically just
different versions of butter that have been flavored or combined with other ingredients.
Some examples include shallot and red wine compound butter, jalapeno-lime compound butter,
and avocado compound butter. They're easier to whip up than you might think, too.
If you're feeling particularly decadent, you could even top your steak with other meats.
Lobster, crab, and shrimp are popular choices if you're going for more of a surf-and-turf vibe.
Otherwise, the world is your oyster. Nobody will blame you for having a little fun with it.
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