What is the best way to prepare a steak?

United States
February 22, 2007 9:39am CST
Mine always comes out too tough. Any suggestions?????
2 people like this
8 responses
@sylvrrain (659)
• United States
22 Feb 07
Make sure you have a good cut of meat. If you want the steak cooked well done, the trick is to cook it very slowly. If you cook it quick, it will be tough. If you like it medium, sear it on each side for a few minutes, depending on the thickness. For rare steaks, cut the cooking time. For a lesser quality of steak, use a meat tenderizer.
1 person likes this
• United States
22 Feb 07
Thanks. I do like mine well done and I think I cook it much too fast. Thanks!
@maribea (2366)
• Italy
22 Feb 07
well, first of all I like my steak well cooked but anyway if you want it well done but not overdone you have to be very careful with fire..I mean you have to cook your steak using a very weak fire...and of course it depends on the way you cook it either on your kitchen or on barbecue...but the most important thing is cook it little by little...if you liked it well flavoured, you can try and do this too...before cooking it, put your steak into a mixture of olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice with a bit of basil...then after half hour or hour you can cook it and it will be very soft and so good smelling!!!! hope it helps
• United States
22 Feb 07
Thanks! I heard of vinegar and i tried just vinegar one time. The steak came out tender you could cut it with a dull knife but it tasted like vinegar. I am going to try your mixture it will probably kill most of the vinegar flavor. thanks again!
• United States
22 Feb 07
It depends on the cut. Better cuts are more tender than less expensive cuts. Also, don't over cook it, and put tenderizer on it to soften it. Get a piece of meat that has fat running through out it fleckled. It will be softer and more tender. Porterhouse is a good choice, or T bone steak. Broil or bar b que it, and let it stand 5 to 10 minutes before you cut into it, so the juice stays inside the steak.
@jan135 (535)
• Australia
22 Feb 07
I am not an expert on cooking steak, but living in Aussie barbequed meat is very popular. I used to always have steak pretty much cooked through until I moved to here. I now like it medium rare. This is how I was told how to cook a steak, either on the barbie or on the stove. Oil the pan or barbie and get it quite hot. Put the steak on and sear one side, turn over after a few minutes and sear the other side, this keeps the juices in. If you like it medium rare it will be almost done, but for a more well done steak, turn down the heat and cook for a further few minutes each side. (This goes against my partner's way of cooking steak as he only ever turns steak once) Thats the way I cook steak and I havn't had any complaints so far. LOL. Otherwise get someone else to cook it for you. LOL. Good Luck.
@aretha (2538)
• United States
22 Feb 07
i either do mine in the broiler or my crock pot with onions and peppers and some seasonings. my hubby loves it done in the crockpot. it almost falls apart. i don't eat it so i can't say but the hubby likes it this way
• United States
22 Feb 07
that sounds interesting. I will give it a try. thanks
1 person likes this
@Myrrdin (3599)
• Canada
22 Feb 07
Well the primary thing is to get a good cut of meat, poorer quality cuts will always produce tougher steaks. But other then that it depends, the more well done you like your steak the lower the temperature you need to cook it at. Me I like mine still mooing so I use a fairly high flame and grill it up just nice so it is still quite pink on the inside but nicely grilled on the outside. If however you want it burnt (aka well done) then I would suggest going for marinades, any vingrette dressing does wonderful, and depending on what flavours you like you can experiment. You can also make your own, my favourite is oil vinegar and lots and lots of garlic as well as a few fresh herbs. If that doesn't do it you can go with a crock pot recipe, not as good as grilled in my book, but definitely tender. A steak a couple of onions and a can of cream of mushroom soup is a good one, just put it all in the crockpot and let it cook all day. You get a nice tender steak with a very nice cream sauce.
• United States
22 Feb 07
I love putting it in the crock pot. Or even in a baking dish with gravy, peppers, onions and mushrooms and cover with foil. Don't cook it super fast or on a high temp because it will get too tough. But the best is when you can get it just right on the grill. It is so juicy and tender then!
• United States
22 Feb 07
do you use a marinade? I found that bottled Italian dressing is a quick and easy marinade for almost any kind of steak. Of course you can't over cook. For those who like it wall done make sure you pan or grill is super hot before you begin. Hope you enjoy.