Cooking steak is a great way to get acquainted with Sous Vide technology. This is due not only to the ease of preparation, but also practical validity. Frying pan or grill do not forgive mistakes and often even the best cuts in the cooking process become dry and hard.
When using su kind you do not need to worry about something, the temperature will be exactly what you set. Thanks to the gentle modes, the meat is cooked evenly, which allows you to achieve results, as in the best steakhouses.
When cooking at high temperatures, especially for novice cooks, there may be problems with choosing the right temperature. The use of su type completely eliminates the possibility of such errors.
Why Sous Vide?
Unprecedented accuracy and temperature control allows you to get exactly the results you expect. No more guesswork as to obtain the desired degree of doneness. Without thermometers, incision and check with your fingers.
It also saves time to recoil. When using traditional methods, it all depends on the meat. Starting the cooking process, you can not postpone it. Steaks cooked in su form can be stored for several hours, after which they are quickly served to guests.
Finally, the Sous Vide technique allows you to obtain a result that is unattainable by other methods. When using high temperatures, meat can be cooked unevenly. The center may still be medium rare, while most are well done. When using sous vide, the meat is cooked evenly from edge to edge.
Cooking steak involves two steps: you put the meat in a vacuum bag and cook at a given temperature. Then you burn the steak to give it a proper taste, color, smell and, of course, melt some fat.
It is the temperature of the bath at the initial stage that determines what kind of roasting the meat will be.
The thickness of the steak.
Thickness isn't just about serving size. Without enough thickness, it is very difficult to get this amazing difference between the outside and the inside of the steak. Very thin steaks are usually overcooked at the moment of roasting, while thick steaks, cooked in compliance with temperature and time conditions, are ideal for subsequent roasting.
Usually I take 4 cm, if not five-centimeter steaks. This means that each piece weighs at least 340 grams. This is a lot even for a person with a good appetite. But remember: it is better to cook one big steak for two people than two small ones. Learn to share.
How to choose the right temperature?
Roasting a steak is determined by the maximum temperature it reaches during cooking. We can cook for a long time at a temperature of 54 degrees, but never get roasting on medium rare. In traditional cooking, the moment when the meat is ready, but not yet passed, it is difficult to determine. An extra minute means meat gone. With sous vide, this moment can last for hours, meaning the meat is at the right temperature and ready at any moment.
The temperature has a decisive influence on the juiciness and texture of the steak. Below is a photo of the collected juice from three identical steaks cooked at different temperatures.
Meat warmed to 71, lost 10 times more liquid than what was prepared at 49. In addition, in the extreme right of the container, you can see a layer of fat floating on the surface. We recommend cooking rare or medium roast meat to minimize the loss of juices and preserve the fats inside the steak, which will ensure the best taste and juiciness.
Here is a very rough classification, as the meat feels at different temperatures.
Rare (49 C). The meat is still raw. Muscle proteins have started to denature and the meat has a slimy, wet texture. Fat also has not changed its structure and gives a waxy taste. We recommend this roasting for lean and tender cuts,such as tenderloin.
Medium Rare (54 C). The steak is still red, but the muscle fibers are already changing their structure. At this stage, the meat loses some of the liquid, but this is compensated by the improvement of tenderness. They're easier to chew than rare steaks. We recommend this type for all types of cuts, although steaks with a high fat content is better to fry until the next step.
Medium (57 C) meat is pink and has lost about 4 times more liquid than rare roasting. However, in the case of marbled beef, melted fat will make up for this loss. The ideal method for preparing fatty or large pieces of beef.
Medium Well (63 C) your steak is on its way to over-drying. Meat has lost 6 times more liquid, and the granular structure is not covered by melted fat. If you still want to cook medium well meat, use short rib, skirt steak or hanger.
Well done (above 69 C) Some people prefer this roasting. In this case, no sous vide, no, our article does not help. Just fry the meat in a pan until you think it's ready enough.
Temperature influence.
Some cooks believe that regardless of the cooking time meat will not change its qualities. A few years ago, we had this opinion. Later we came to the conclusion that this is not so. Even at low temperatures, the meat is undergoing some changes. Enzymes break down proteins, chemical reactions occur.
In order to better understand what is happening, we prepared identical pieces of meat with a difference of 1 hour, up to 48 hours. The biggest differences between 4 and 24 — hour steaks.
As you can see, a steak that's only been cooking for an hour stretches out when you try to break it. This is reflected in the chewing qualities. It's still tender, but it tastes like steak. After 4 hours the properties of muscle fibers changed. The connective tissue has collapsed and the muscle fibers have split, but it still looks pretty decent.
After 24 hours and then the meat is split into separate fibers. This is a rather strange feeling: the steak is still quite juicy (it hardly lost more moisture than the one that was cooked for an hour), but the meat is fibrous.
How to cook the perfect steak: step by step.
- Prepare a water bath.
Warm the water to operating temperature. By the time you put the steak there, it should be equal to the given one. - Season.
Salt and pepper. Don't forget the edges. - Add aromatic herbs.
Put thyme or rosemary on both sides of the steak. - Sabacolypse package.
It is not necessary to use a vacuum packer. Use a bag with a fastener and by immersing it in a container of water, remove the air using the fluid pressure. After the air is removed, carefully close the bag. - Prepare the steak.
Place the bag in a water bath, making sure that it does not cover the openings of your machine for low-temperature cooking. - Remove the steak from the package.
Place it on a tray with a napkin and wipe on both sides.
Bringing to readiness in the oven.
Cooked in the sous, the steak must be fried to the last reaction Maillard gave the meat the right taste and aroma.
Preheat a cast iron or steel pan.
Turn on the ventilation and open the Windows. Put the pan on the fire, add a tablespoon of oil and wait for the moment when there is a light smoke.Start frying.
Gently place the meat in the pan. If necessary, add a tablespoon of butter. It contains dry milk particles, which when fried will provide the perfect color of the meat and give a characteristic flavor.Add aromatic herbs.
If necessary, throw thyme or rosemary, shallots or garlic into the pan.turn the steak Over.
After 15 - 30 seconds turn the steak to the other side. Repeat this procedure several times until you are satisfied with the crust (usually it takes 1.5-2 minutes). If you didn't add butter in the previous step, you can put it now, it will add juiciness to the steak.Burn with a burner.
If you have a burner at home, now is the time to use it. We recommend you to purchase a special nozzle Searzall for uniform heating.don't forget the edges.
Use the tongs to turn the steak so that its edges are in direct contact with the pan. Fry until tender.Let the meat rest.
Place the finished steak on a rack mounted in a baking dish. In fact, when using su species there is no need to give the meat a rest, but this time can be spent on the preparation of wine and sauces.
There is one trick that allows you to get a crispy crust and once again make sure that the steak is hot during serving. To do this, heat the remaining oil and gently pour on the steak. Serve immediately with coarse sea salt.
Cooking on the grill.
Using the grill will give a pleasant flavor to your steak (though whether it is worth to make a fire, the big question). Cooking on the grill is not much different from cooking in a pan. Here we also need a very high temperature. Our goal is to quickly fry the meat, get a crisp, but not dry. Therefore, ignite the coals, wait until they appear in a light coating and cooked, not forgetting to flip.