A professional chef has revealed the most common mistakes people make while cooking steak – and you’re probably guilty of them too.
The winner of this year’s Great British Menu, chef Kate Austen, has shared her top tips for preparing meat at home, including cooking steak so it comes out tender, juicy, and flavourful every single time.
According to Austen, the easiest way to ruin a piece of steak is to cook it straight from the fridge.
She said that, while it can be tempting to chuck a chilled ribeye straight into the pan, especially when you’re in a rush, bringing the meat to room temperature is a crucial first step.
This will help cook the meat evenly all the way through so you’re not left with an expensive piece of steak that’s turned to an unappetising shade of grey.
A professional chef has revealed the most common mistakes people make while cooking steak – and you’re probably guilty of them too (stock photo)
Another small misstep that makes a big difference is cooking the steak on a pan that’s not very hot, she added.
Austen explained: ‘Beef is pretty robust…it can take the heat and you want that beautiful, dark caramelisation.’
By following these two simple steps, you’re likely to plate up a restaurant-quality steak at a fraction of the price, the London-based chef said.
Earlier this month, Austen made history on the Great British Menu, becoming the first female chef to have her main course dish – comprising stuffed quail, truffle french toast, and a scotch egg – featured on the banquet over the show’s 19-season run.
Prior to competing on the BBC Two show, the 30-year-old was appointed head chef at the two Michelin-starred Restaurant AOC in Copenhagen, Denmark.
At the time, she was the youngest female head chef of a two Michelin star in the world.
She has also served as the sous chef at three Michelin-starred restaurant Restaurant Frantzen in Sweden, before landing a job as senior development chef for Gordon Ramsay.
Austen has now joined forces with Asda to ease the reluctance a large number of Brits feel over cooking and preparing meat at home.
The collaboration marks the launch of the retailer’s new Exceptional range of premium meat and fish products, including sirloin, fillet, ribeye, and rump steaks, pork & leek sausages, and smoked sea bass fillets.
The winner of this year’s Great British Menu main course, Kate Austen has shared her simple hack for cooking a steak perfectly every time
Austen, 30, has worked at Michelin-starred restaurants in Denmark and Sweden, before she appeared on the hit BBC Two show
Research commissioned by Asda found that one in seven Brits said they’d never attempt to cook a steak at home. One in five admitted to binning a joint of meat because it didn’t turn out right.
When asked to pick the meat they’re most intimidated by, a group of 2,000 survey respondents ranked the ribeye steak as the hardest to cook, followed by sirloin, and then rump.
Surprisingly, 20 per cent of the respondents said they’d never tried cooking fish at home, while almost 40 per cent revealed they have never attempted to prepare whole prawns.
Over a third of the people surveyed, between the ages of 18-44, said they actively avoid buying and cooking premium meat products for fear of ruining the product and wasting money.
Asda has now launched a Culinary Concierge service in collaboration with Austen, who will share her best tips and tricks for cooking meat with hobbyists and home cooks alike.
For instance, the secret to making the ultimate pork crackling is to salt the pork for 20-30 minutes to draw some of the excess water out of the meat. Austen advises using twice the amount you would use to salt a vegetable.
She became the first female chef in the show’s 19-year history to have her main course dish – featured on the banquet
Austen has also previously worked as a senior development chef with Gordon Ramsay
Next, bring a large pan of water to the boil and place the joint in it for five minutes on a simmer.
Strain and pat dry (you’ll never get crispy skin from soggy skin, Austen explained), before placing it in an oven heated to 220 degrees celsius for 25 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 160 degrees celsius for the remaining time.
Other common mistakes Brits make while preparing meat include piercing the skin of sausages for fear of them ‘popping’. This lets out all the moisture and results in bangers that are dry and chewy, Austen said.
She will be on hand to help with expert advice for cooking different kinds of poultry and fish products as part of Asda’s Culinary Concierge service, which goes live on Thursday 24 October until Sunday 27 October.
Whether you’re attempting the viral ‘Marry Me’ chicken to impress your date or hunkering down to prepare your very first Sunday roast, you can register for a five-minute call with the private chef.
You can register your interest for a five-minute call with Austen here; slots will be assigned on a first come, first serve basis.