Steak, glorious steak. Great with chips, in strips, rolled into a wrap or tucked into a baguette. Great cooking advice is anything but rare at Morrisons - so however you eat yours, our chef Mike Hibberd has served up these handy tips on how to cook a steak and make the most of your meat.

How do I prepare a steak?
Before cooking, ensure the steak is at room temp so take it out of the fridge half an hour before you intend to cook it. Brush the steak lightly with groundnut oil (it has a higher frying temperature so it’s ideal for getting the flavour you want without burning the meat) season well with sea salt flakes and ground black pepper just before you cook - if you season too early you’ll draw all that tasty moisture from the steak.

How long should I cook my steak for?
Cooking steak depends on thickness and type of steak but to give you a starter for ten, a 2-3cm piece, the following is a  good rule of thumb for a ‘standard’ 2-3cm piece when cooking in a hot pan, grill or broiler.


Rare
2 to 3 minutes each side

Medium
4 to 5 minutes each side

Well done
5 to 6 minutes each side


Are all steaks the same?
Not quite. On some cuts, like BavetteFlat Iron and Denver (at 2/3cms), don’t cook past medium condition - no more than five minutes per side.

RumpSirloinFillet and T-Bone steaks can be cooked to any state but it’s worth noting that cooking to ‘well done’ will dry the meat out more than rare or medium. There’s no right or wrong way to serve steak though - it’s down to personal preference.


Sirloin steak is particularly good for 'stripping' once it's cooked...either in wraps, baguettes or simply served with BBQ'd corn on the cob.


How To Cook A Steak

How do I make that ‘flame-grilled’ pattern on my steak?
When cooking on a broiler, grill or barbecue turn your steak 90* half way through the first side cook to get classic criss/cross grill lines. Always handle the steak with tongs when cooking so you don’t pierce the flesh, which can cause the juices - and flavours - to run out. Only turn the steak once when cooking to prevent it from drying out.

How do I know if my steak is done?
You can do a little ‘touch test’ to check as you cook... a rare steak would be soft, with a medium steak slightly more spongy, and well done even more so. 


Top tip: Don’t try to cook too many steaks at once in a pan as you'll drop the temperature. For a medium sized pan, cook 2 steaks max.


How long should I let my steak rest for?
Always rest the steak for five minutes after cooking to allow the heat on the meat to die down and let the steak settle to become more juicy.