A scientist claimed we’re all cooking and eating steak the ‘wrong way’, and we should be cooking our steaks in the microwave
A scientist has turned the culinary world on its head by claiming we’re all searing our steaks incorrectly. George Vekinis, a leading researcher at Greece’s National Centre for Scientific Research, is advocating that steak lovers abandon their griddles and reach for the microwave instead.
Even more controversially, he advises ditching the seasoning salt before cooking. George, who revealed his unconventional methods on the BBC podcast Instant Genius and in his book, Physics in the Kitchen, said salting your steak pre-fry could be ruining your dinner, reports Gloucestershire Live.
Speaking with conviction, he explained: “Salt must never be put on a steak before frying. Salt has this osmotic ability to drag out as much water as possible from the meat and you’re going to get [something] tough and inedible.”
Furthermore, not only should your steak skip the fridge-to-pan route, but it also deserves a zap in the microwave first. The scientist’s method explained: “Put steak in the microwave for one or two minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat, then you fry it quickly, a very short time, as short a time as possible, just to give it that little bit of reaction on the surface.”
Hot from the microwaves, George added: “When I say short, I’m talking about a minute maximum. You take a steak or beef or whatever it is and you just fry it on both sides as little as possible.”
George detailed that the internal temperature of the meat should hit a minimum of 55 to 60C “at least”. For those who fancy it, he suggests you can drizzle some oil for added flavour.
Adhering to this technique, he assures that a medium-rare steak will turn out “slightly red and cooked on the outside”.
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