In the grand scheme of things, there aren’t many better things that a perfectly cooked steak – if you enjoy a more carnivorous diet, of course. The beauty of the steak is its simplicity. To do cook it perfectly you need not stare away at the oven longingly for a couple of hours whilst the afternoon passes by; all it needs, as you will well know, is a handful of minutes and you have an almost flawless meal prepared in, comparatively, next to no time at all.

But even though there is a likeable uncomplicatedness to the steak, it can get a bit technical and a bit faffy to cook which brings up many questions that all respectable chefs and home cooks (who doesn’t enjoy a steak at home?) will need to immediately answer. What are the optimal cooking times for somebody who prefers their prime cut blue? What about for somebody else who likes it well-done? What variances should I take into account for a piece of sirloin as opposed to a fillet?

So many questions!

Preferences

Blue: The meat should be dark in colour once cooked and will retain a mild amount of heat. When pressed, it should feel ‘spongy’.

Rare: A dark red in colour that, when pressed, will show some juice.

Medium-rare: More pink than red, the medium-rare cooked steak will also show some juice when pressed.

Medium: The meat should be a consistent pale pink which, when pressed, feels firm.

Well-done: Barely a trace of pink colouring.

Don’t be afraid to check the steak by hand, though remember hygiene standards if doing so!

Timing

Due to our vast experience cooking steaks, and through advice picked up from numerous chefs and resources through our years, we recommended the following times to cook an averagely sized fillet steak.

Blue: Ninety seconds each side

Rare: Around two minutes each side

Medium-rare: Just over three minutes per side

Medium: Somewhere between four and five minutes each side, depending on the thickness.

Well-done: Again depending on the size, we’d say about six or seven minutes per side.

Don’t forget that once the steak has been cooked, leave it to rest at room temperature for five minutes or so – don’t worry, it will retain its heat for nearer to ten minutes. Science shows that the fibres reabsorb some juices which will make the end product that little bit tenderer. 

CS Catering Equipment can provide a wide range of apparatus to help you cook the perfect steak such as electric and gas griddles and free-standing chargrills.