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how to cook the perfect steak: foodie tips.

How to cook the perfect steak

From rump to ribeye and fillet to flat iron, we all have a favourite cut of steak. And even more so, a favourite way to cook them. I particularly love a good quality rump steak, cooked medium rare and served with a creamy peppercorn sauce. Or if I'm feeling spendy, a fillet steak for a treat. Oh, and it has to be skin on chips.

I've teamed up with Aldi to test out their acclaimed British steaks, as well as ask a few fellow foodies and bloggers their top tips on how to cook the perfect steak. I opted for their Specially Selected British fillet steak, which retails at £5.49. For 170g of premium 30 day aged British beef, this really is a steal. But how did I cook it?



How I cook my perfect steak


  • Begin by taking out your steak a few minutes beforehand and getting to room temperature.
  • Season with black pepper before putting the in the pan.
  • Get your frying pan or griddle pan on a medium-high heat.
  • Add a knob of good quality butter to the pan, cooks butter is even better as it won't burn.
  • Place your steak in the pan, only turning once except for searing the edges.
  • When cooked to your liking, allow to rest for at least five minutes before serving.
Top tip: fillet steaks are a little thicker so you may need to add on 2-3 minutes to the cooking time.


The perfect steak cooking times

  • Blue – 1 min per side, rest for 6 mins
  • Rare – 2 mins per side, rest for 6 mins
  • Medium-Rare – 2.5 mins per side, rest 5 mins
  • Medium – 3 mins per side, rest for 4 mins
  • Well done – 5 mins per side, rest for 0 mins


A tasty peppercorn sauce recipe from Aldi

  • 2g Black Peppercorns
  • 130ml Double Cream
  • 1 Beef Stock Cube
  • 30ml Brandy
  • 5ml Lemon Juice

Put the brandy, peppercorns, lemon juice and double cream in a small saucepan. Crumble over the stock cube and slowly cook till the stock cube dissolves.


Some top steak tips from the professionals...


Chef Laurie @lozza876 
"Choose a good steak, preferably two fingers width thick and if possible cut buy a butcher. My number one tip, once the steak is cooked to your preference, turn off the heat and baste with butter, yes you can be quite generous and rest for about half the time it was cooked..."

"The way a steak is seasoned is important too. Only add the salt, a good flaky salt, when the sides have been seared, it'll stay more juicy this way. On a wine tip you can pretty much drink whatever you like with steak but Argentinian Malbec is a natural match, Carmenere or new world Syrah from Chile, South Africa or Australia would be great too."

Food Blogger Alex @GingeyBites
"Let the steak come up to room temp before cooking and always season and oil the steak not the pan!"

Food Blogger Claire @FoodieQuine
"Use a Thermapen I never cook steak without mine!"

Foodie Malcolm @MalcolmHeaven
"Cook at room temperature not straight from fridge. Seal both sides before cooking as required rather than do one side then other. It keeps juices in. I will rest just a little before I serve often with a little butter on top..."

Head Chef Ben @Fed_by_Ben 
"Room temperature meat, screaming hot pan, salt & pepper both sides of steak, cook. Then rest for the same length of time it was cooked for..."

Food Blogger Rebecca @WritingForFun (Munchies and Munchkins)
"My absolute favourite way to cook steak is to sous vide then sear but obviously not everyone has a sous vide. So my tip is to oil the meat not the pan, season well and always always rest."

Food Blogger Helen @FussFreeHelen
"I second the sous vide. even if you don't have one get the butcher to vac pack them and bung in a bowl of hot water for half an hour - it makes a difference. Always cover with foil and all to rest before serving. The meat absorbs the juice and the steak is far juicer."

Food Blogger Janice @FarmersGirlCook
"I always grill and like to cover in oil and crushed peppercorns first. I buy sirloin steaks not cut too thick and after resting slice before serving, you can feed 3 people with 2 steaks that way, or keep some for sandwich next day..."

Food Blogger Kavey also has a fab guide on how to cook sous vide steak over on Kavey Eats.



How do your cook the perfect steak? Do you have any good cooking tips? How do you like yours and what sauces and sides would you opt for?

In collaboration with Aldi

1 comment:

  1. We shop at Aldi a lot, there's one a couple of minutes walk from our house and the products, prices and service there are excellent. In contrast our local has gone from bad to worse when it comes to service. Aldi's steaks and other meat products are always very good.

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