Cooking Tips

1. 7 Steps to cooking that perfect restaurant steak at home. Once you get used to it, it's very easy! Room Temperature: Always let your steaks come to room temperature (70 degree F). A cold steak will contract when it hits the heat and this wall cause it to toughen. This is possibly the first biggest mistake people make. Remove your steaks from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you plant to cook them - sometimes as long as 60 minutes (depending on size).

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Five things to look for when buying a steak:

1. When choosing a steak, striploin is a fine choice due to its tasty, melt-in-the-mouth succulence. Good striploin has just the right amount of fat and nice marbling. Rump (sirloin) steak is slightly cheaper than striploin but it's still a great steak for griddling or frying, with more flavour than striploin.

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Marinating is a great way to intensify the flavour of food with just a few basic ingredients. So, choose your favourite flavours and soak up the easy-to-follow tips in this guide. The purpose of marinating is to add flavour and, in some cases, tenderise meat, chicken and fish. Marinades can even be used on some vegies, including eggplant, zucchini and artichoke. In this guide you'll discover the key to successful marinating. Part of the trick is to plan ahead so your food has time to absorb the flavours. A marinade can be a paste, a liquid or a dry rub (such as a simple herb and spice mix). You can also mix and match flavours to create your own blends. [...]

Start breast side down. Positioning the chicken breast side down allows all the juices to gather in the breast meat during the first half of cooking. When you flip the bird, those juices slowly redistribute but leave plenty of moisture behind to keep that white meat ultra juicy [...]

Click 'Read more' for quick time guide.. [...]

All of the following tests will be compared to how parts of your hand feel in different positions. It is important that your hand be relaxed so you get a good idea of what the meat will feel like. Each example involves you using the index finger of your “poking” or “feeling” hand to press on the fleshy area between your thumb and base of your palm on the other hand (Look at the photos below if this sounds confusing). You will be comparing the feeling in this area of your palm with that of the center of the meat you’re cooking. [...]

Using dry heat from a grill is another great way to cook quality steaks. Remove steaks from refrigeration 1 hour before cooking and wipe any excess marinade (if used) off the steaks. When you are ready to grill, preheat barbecue grill and coat your grill with non-stick kitchen spray before you begin to keep your steaks from sticking to the grill. Place steaks onto hot grill. Only flip the steak once. Let it cook on one side, then let it finish on the other side.

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Preheat oven to 500°F (a very hot oven is very important). Place a 10- to 12-inch ovenproof skillet or cast-iron skillet and place on range over high heat (the pan and the handle will be extremely hot - be careful). Immediately place steaks in the middle of hot, dry pan (if cooking more than one piece of meat, add the pieces carefully so that they are not touching each other). Cook 1 to 2 minutes without moving; turn with tongs and cook another 1 to 2 minutes. [...]

In a heavy frying pan over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sear the steaks, moving them with tongs a little so they don't stick to the bottom, approximately 5 to 6 minutes per side. Using this Pan-Searing technique, proceed to cook your steak to your desired doneness. Use a meat thermometer to test for doneness [...]

1. Don’t cook cold meat If you’re only going to change one thing about your BBQ habits, make sure you always bring your meat back to room temperature before cooking. The biggest struggle with cooking on the barbie is to get the heat from the outside of your steak into the middle without burning the surface to a cinder. The warmer things are in the middle before it goes onto the fire, the easier it is to win the battle. [...]