Cooking the perfect steak

> Reverse sear is a little-known technique that could transform your at-home meals into culinary gems

STEAK is a divisive food about which people have strong opinions. Cut, preparation, cooking method, duration of cooking and serving are all up for debate.

Everyone has his or her own favourite method – some swear by oiling the steak not the pan, others rely on a grill; many people sear the steak in a pan before transferring it to the oven, others quickly fry on a high heat before turning down to medium.

However, it’s now been claimed that a little-known technique is actually the best way – it’s called the ‘reverse sear’.

According to SeriousEats. com, this method results in the perfect steak. It entails slow-cooking the steak in the oven first, then finishing it off with a hot sear.

The technique isn’t new, but most people don’t know about it.

The reverse sear works best with steaks that are oneand-a-half to two inches thick, and for the best results, you should refrigerate the steak uncovered overnight to dry out the outside.

Here’s what you need to do:

Season your thick cut steak. Place the steak on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.

Preheat the oven to between 200°F and 275°F (93°C-135°C).

Roast the steak until it reaches a temperature about 10° to 15° below the final temperature at which you’d like to serve it (check with a thermometer).

For a rare steak, this would take around 20 minutes, whereas a medium-well steak would need 35 to 40 minutes.

Just before you remove the steak from the oven, heat a tablespoon of oil in a heavy-based frying pan on the highest possible heat.

Once the oil is smoking, add the steak with a tablespoon of butter.

Fry on one side until brown (about 45 seconds), before turning over to cook the top and finally the edges.

There’s no need to rest the steak to serve immediately.

“It’s a really remarkable method, and if you’re looking for a steak that’s perfectly medium-rare from edge to edge, with a crisp crust, there’s no better technique that I know of,” says J. Kenji López-Alt.

López-Alt is a trained chef, former editor at Cook’s Illustrated magazine, a James Beard Award winner, New York Times bestselling author and managing culinary director of SeriousEats.com.

So it might just be worth listening to him. And he’s not alone in extolling the virtues of the reverse sear.

According to Falko Molitor, general manager of transatlantic steakhouses Smith & Wollensky, the technique has been used for many years by professional chefs, particularly when used in combination with sous vide.

“It gives you an excellent control of the core temperature of the meat, especially for smaller steak cuts or when using side of beef when making a roast,” Molitor explained.

At Smith & Wollensky, however, the chefs don’t use the reverse sear technique because their cuts are so big it would take too long – they use charbroilers which produce a thicker crust on the outside of the steaks while keeping the tender, succulent core intact.

But the chefs recommend the reverse sear for at-home steak -cooking because it gives you an excellent control of the core temperature, regardless of the size of the steak.

Molitor concurs, adding that it can yield excellent results. – The Independent hearty dishes, chickpeas are often shunned by dieters.

They are, in fact, a good source of protein with a very low glycaemic index, since they are rich in fibre.

Still, they can be problematic for people with sensitive digestive systems.

Flageolet beans Like lentils and chickpeas, flageolet beans are a type of legume that helps reduce the absorption of sugar and fat.

They are also hunger-busting antioxidants that favour the elimination of toxins.

They also have a low calorie content, with 84 calories per 100g.

However, they are not recommended for those with irritable bowel syndrome, as they can lead to bloating and gas. – AFP-Relaxnews