Sarah Swain demonstrates how to cook the perfect healthy steak.
Tools you will need
- oil spray or an oil can with a fine spout
- pastry brush
- long tongs for turning food
Step by step
Step 1 Spray or brush steak with oil. Once barbecue is hot, use long tongs to place steak on barbecue.
Step 2 Consult timing guidelines to cook steak as preferred. Turn steak using tongs and press down lightly.
Timing guidelines
These guidelines are for steaks about 3cm thick, cooked over a medium-high heat.
Rare: Cook for two minutes each side. The steak should feel quite soft when pressed lightly with tongs and will be red and moist inside.
Medium-rare: Cook steak for about three minutes each side. The steak will feel quite soft when pressed with tongs, and inside will be a lighter red with pink juices.
Medium: Cook steak for about four minutes each side or until the juice comes to the surface. Then turn it over and cook until juice appears on the other side. The steak will feel slightly springy to the touch and the inside will be pink in the middle and brown near the edges with clear pink juices.
Well-done: Cook steak for five minutes each side. Sear until juice is seeping out on the top, then turn and cook until juice seeps out again. At this point reduce heat slightly so steak can continue to cook through without burning. Steak should be quite firm when pressed with clear juices and no sign of pink inside. A well-done steak will tend to be drier no matter what steak you use.
Tips for the perfect steak
- Buy the best steak you can afford. Fillet steaks are a good choice.
- Trim steak of any visible fat.
- Make sure the barbecue is hot before cooking steak.
- Spray steak, not the barbecue, with a little oil to prevent them sticking to the barbecue.
- It’s OK to turn steak more than once during cooking.
- Once steak is cooked, allow it to rest for a few minutes before serving to allow the juices to settle.
Recipe idea
www.healthyfood.com
