The perfect steak dinner at home can’t happen just with excellent cooking. There is a lot of things involved to preserve the quality of the steaks that would make the perfect dinner. Regardless the grade of the steaks, aging is very important as it concentrates the full flavour and makes steaks tender and succulent. We age meat for a minimum of 28 days in our cold room before cutting into steaks. The next challenge is to preserve the flavour, tenderness and overall quality of the steak before cooking. Some consumers think frozen steaks don’t have the best quality. Freezing steaks after packing is the best way to preserve the quality. But If you don’t do the prep work before cooking, the outcome may not be what you expected.
If you’re great with meal planning
Thawing in the refrigerator is the safest way. Usually, steaks thaw in 24 hours in the refrigerator. Then seasoning is one of the important factors. Seasoning should be done well before or just before cooking. After applying seasonings, the salt will draw moisture to the surface of the steak. But less moisture is better because dry steaks get a better crust. So, you need to leave seasoned steaks in the refrigerator for a reasonable time (~1 day) until the salty moisture re-absorbs into the meat and resulting in a more flavorful meal. Any excess moisture that hasn’t been reabsorbed can be wiped dry before cooking. Because excess moisture will begin to steam during cooking and prevent the browning effect that will bring a good hot sear.
Important: Thawing or keeping seasoned steaks at room temperature is not recommended, as bacteria growth can multiply quickly if the product temperature is more than 4 degrees Celsius.
Last-minute cooking
Maybe you didn’t even think about dinner on a busy day. We all have “what do I cook for supper” moments. Whatever your dinner strategy is, you have frozen steaks or any other meat in your freezer and you need to make a nice meal quickly. No time to thaw in the refrigerator which is the best method. In this case, cold water thawing is the best method. You can put unopened frozen steaks in the cold water for half an hour. If it is thicker it might need a little bit more time. Every half an hour you change the water as it will speed the thawing process. This method requires some attention to make sure the package isn’t leaking. Keep in mind, season steaks just before they hit the hot pan. This method will not allow the salt to draw moisture to the surface.
Important: Defrosting in the microwave is the least preferred method because it reduces the quality of the steaks drastically.
