When the waiter asks “How would you like your meat cooked?”, the answer is not ‘Yes’. It means at what level of doneness would you like your meat to be prepared for you at.
Generally, there are only 5 levels of doneness at which results in each having a different level of taste and texture both visually and internally. Some people like it Rare, some might want it Medium Rare, some prefer Medium, some favour Medium Well and the rest likes it Well Done!
Still confused with the terms? Here we provide you with, ‘𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒖𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒌’ and we hope this will help you in making the right decision in receiving your Own ‘Perfect Steak’ the next time you’re at your favourite Steak Restaurant!
RARE
Rare Steak takes a fraction longer to cook than blue steak, but you can certainly tell the difference in tenderness!
For the perfect rare steak, cook each side for about two minute. Cook each edge for a few seconds. This ensures that the interior is around 75% red, with a little amount of blood still seeping.
To top it off, a classic onion ring is one of the best side dish options to serve with a Rare Steak. The flavour of the onion complements the savoury nature of the Rare Steak, and the batter will give the plate a pleasing crunch.
MEDIUM RARE
To prepare a Medium Rare Steak, it requires 7 minutes of cooking with 3.5 minutes on each side. Be careful not to leave it on heat too long. Otherwise it will be a Medium Steak.
A Medium-Rare Steak should have an interior that is half pink and half brown in hue. You may compare the insides of each steak to observe how the colours vary based on the amount of time the steak is cooked if you experiment with cooking each level of steak doneness.
A portion of fresh, roasted veggies is another delectable steak accoutrement. In addition to adding a pop of color to your plate, pairing steak with tomatoes, peas, peppers, and even runner beans offers an array of flavors.
MEDIUM
Medium Steaks is one of the best doneness of Steak. To get a perfect Medium cooked Steak is by cooking each side for as long as four minutes.
The inside of a Medium Steak have a no more than 25% strip of pink in the middle. There are still visible amount of juice flowing but in a small amount.
MEDIUM WELL
As you can probably guess, steak cooking times are getting longer now. To achieve the perfect medium well steak, you’ll need to cook it for a grand total of ten minutes – five on each side.
The inside of medium- well steak should have a faint hint of pink colouring, but shouldn’t have any juices oozing from it. The meat has a much tougher texture and outer, but is still ever so slightly tender in the middle.
Going the whole hog? Serve your medium well steak with some creamy mash – perhaps with some wholegrain mustard mixed through it. This will break up the texture on your plate while the mustard’s taste compliments the flavours of your medium well steak.
WELL DONE
A well done steak takes approximately 12 minutes to cook. Six minutes on each side is all it will need – be careful not to leave it on the heat for any longer, as you’ll struggle to take a bite!
Well done steak is a lot drier compared to the rarer stages of doneness. This is a much-loved stage of doneness for some people, whereas others prefer a bit more moisture to their meat. Depending on your preferences, you could also apply a dollop of mayonnaise to well done steak while the meat is hot, just to soften it slightly.
