Hints & Tips for Successful Cooking


In another article I covered some of the hints and tips for successful meat purchasing and hopefully,
these guidelines have enabled you to make more informed decisions about the meat and meat products you purchase.

So, having purchased your meal occasion…what next? I say ‘meal occasion’ because this is what needs deciding upon first. The meat then needs to match. For example, do you want a stew, a roast, a juicy steak or bangers and mash? Obvious then what you need isn’t it? Well not really…

I mentioned in the meat purchasing section that you would not ‘stew’ a fillet steak for example, nor would you fry silverside, yet time and again I see silverside steaks on sale for ‘frying’ and in my opinion they simply are not suitable…not if you want a ‘melt in the mouth’ steak.

The following guidelines, though not exhaustive, give an indication of what cuts to choose, for what cooking method to achieve your desired result. If available, a ‘meat probe’ is a very useful tool to enable accurate results as oven temperatures can vary. Also, the setting of the oven temperature is important depending on what is being cooked and the degree of ‘done-ness’ required. For example, a joint of sirloin cooked rare would require an oven temperature of around 190 – 200° C to an internal joint temperature of 60° C. Whereas, a well-done shoulder of lamb would require an oven temperature of 170 – 180° C to an internal joint temperature of 75 – 85° C

As a general rule it is best to let meat come up to room temperature by taking it out of the fridge 30 minutes or so before cooking. This does not apply to minced meat or minced meat products such as burgers and sausages. It is also a good idea to dry meat with absorbent kitchen paper as wet or damp meat does not brown well.

Well matured meat, especially beef and lamb will also brown easier as it is drier than non-matured meat. When frying meat such as steaks, or browning meat before stewing or braising, it is best to use vegetable oils such as rapeseed, groundnut or sunflower oil as these will stand much higher temperatures than olive oil or butter which could burn and turn bitter.

Grilling & Frying

Beef

Suitable cuts: –

  • Steaks – Sirloin, Rib-eye, Fillet, Rump
  • Stir fry strips
  • Minute steaks
  • Burgers & Sausages

Approximate time for each side of the steak:-

  • 2 cm thick – Rare 2½ minutes
  • Medium 4 minutes
  • Well Done 5½ minutes
  • 2½ – 3 cm thick – Rare 3½ minutes
  • Medium 5 minutes
  • Well Done 6½ minutes
  • Burgers – 6 – 8 minutes
  • Sausages  –  Thin 8 minutes in total, turning regularly
  • Thick 12 minutes in total, turning regularly

Lamb

Suitable cuts: –

  • Steaks
  • Chops/cutlets
  • Neck fillet
  • Sausages
  • Burgers

Cooking times as for beef + 1 minute each side
Burgers – 6 – 8minutes

Pork

Suitable cuts: –

  • Escalope
  • Loin steaks
  • Loin chops
  • Fillet (tenderloin)
  • Sausages
  • Burgers

Approximate timings: –

  • Escalope 0.5cm thick – 1½ – 2 minutes
  • Steaks 1.5cm thick – 6 minutes
  • Chops 2.5cm thick  – 10 minutes
  • Burgers  – 6 – 8 minutes

Roasting

Oven temperature 170 – 200° C

Beef

Suitable cuts: –

  • Fore rib
  • Rib eye joint
  • Sirloin
  • Topside
  • Silverside
  • Rump

Approximate timings: –

  • Rare – 15 – 20 minutes per lb (450g) + 20 minutes to internal temperature of 60° C
  • Medium – 25 minutes per lb (450g) + 20 minutes to internal temperature of 65 – 70° C
  • Well done  – 30 minutes per lb (450g) + 30 minutes to internal temperature of 75 – 80° C

NB: Small or very lean joints are best covered with foil if cooking medium or well done.

Lamb 

Suitable cuts: –

  • Leg
  • Shoulder
  • Loin joint
  • Chops
  • Cutlets

Approximate timings are as for beef with the exception of Chops & Cutlets which will need approx.. 35 minutes total cooking time.

Pork

Suitable cuts: –

  • Rolled loin
  • Leg
  • Shoulder
  • Belly
  • Chops

Approximate timings: –

  • Leg/Loin  –  Medium to well done – 30 minutes per lb (450g) + 30 minutes to an internal
  • temperature of 75 – 80° C
  • Shoulder/Belly  – Medium to well done – 35 minutes per lb (450g) + 35 minutes to an internal temperature of 80 – 85° C

Stewing & Casseroling

These are moist methods of cooking, i.e. they require added water or stock in which the meat is effectively simmered, either in a pot in the oven (casserole) or in a pan on the hob (stew).

Meats high in connective tissue are ideally suited to these methods. They are good for ‘one pot’ meals which incorporate diced vegetables, potatoes, etc.

Suitable cuts:-

Beef

  • Chuck dice
  • Shin
  • Thick rib
  • Skint neck
  • Diced brisket
  • Oxtail
  • Ox cheek

NB: Cuts such as silverside, top rump and topside are not good for stewing & casseroling.

Lamb

Most lamb cuts are suitable for this style of cooking.

Pork

Most pork cuts are suitable for this style of cooking.

Braising

Many refer to braising as if it were the same as stewing and casseroling. However, strictly speaking braising meat is actually a form of steaming where suitable cuts are placed on a bed of chopped vegetables. The vegetables are immersed in the stock with the meat suspended above. Braising takes place in a lidded dish and is best for steak type cuts and not diced meats.

Suitable cuts:-

Beef

  • Chuck steak
  • Thick rib steak
  • Skirt steak
  • Sliced brisket
  • Ox cheek

Lamb

  • Shoulder steaks
  • Leg steaks

Pork

  • Shoulder steaks
  • Loin steaks
  • Leg steaks
  • Stewing traditionally takes place on the hob in a pan. The meat is cooked at a simmer until tender and flaking. Timings will vary according to the cut of the meat chosen.
  • Casseroling/Braising takes place in the oven in a lidded pot or container. The oven temperature should be 170° C (gas mark 3) and again cooked until the meat is tender and flaking.
  • Stewing, braising and casseroling are very forgiving methods of cooking and going over on timings is not as crucial as for roasting or frying and grilling. Prolonged ‘over-cooking’ should be avoided though as ironically, this can dry meat out making it chewy.

Pot Roasting

As the name suggests, takes place in a lidded pot in the oven. This method is similar in many respects to casseroling but uses joints of meat rather than chopped or diced. Most joints of meat can be ‘Pot Roasted’ though it is usually reserved for fore quarter cuts such as brisket, thick rib and shoulder of pork or lamb.