Meat cooking

[NoCarb]

Hello!

What is the fastest way to cook meat, steak, salmon fillet etc?

Is a frying pan the best method?

If yes, can I just put the meat from freezer directly onto the frying pan? Or it needs defrosting or preprocessing?

Is there a way to prevent oil spillages while cooking? And is it okay to just wipe the pan with kitchen paper afterwards and that's it?

thanks!

 

[Martin Canty]

I certainly would not recommend freezer to frying pan without defrosting, the cooking would be uneven & potentially dangerous.

The end result dictates how the meat is cooked but A frying pan is my most used cooking dish though I usually have a Splatter Screen on hand to save mess on the stove top.

 

[grainger]

Salmon fillet defrosted cooks in about 7 mins in a steamer. Can't really help with the others as I tend to use a slow cooker more than anything else

 

[Ditto]

I cook fish straight from the freezer because my Mum used to cook everything from the freezer even chicken! Is this a bad thing then?

I fry fish in butter, luv it, especially cod.

 

[SonSam]

I certainly wouldn't recommend chicken from the freezer? Always thought chicken had to be defrosted!

 

[Copepod]

I'd always defrost meat or fish before cooking, to avoid risk of inadequate / unsafe cooking. Microwave defrosting works well before oven baking. For salmon, I like to wrap in foil with some herbs and / or sauce.

 

[Stitch147]

I always defrost meat and fish before cooking. Depending on what I'm cooking will depend on how it gets cooked.

 

[DeusXM]

The only meat you can really cook from frozen needs to be oven-baked (and even that's dubious). Grilling from frozen will give you meat that's burnt on the outside and still frozen on the inside. You should NEVER fry frozen meat as the water will react with the oil and spit everywhere.

As for oil spillages, a good start would be not too much oil and a steady hand. You also need to wash a frying pan after using it, you certainly can't just wipe it down with a kitchen towel.

I hate to have to ask this but...you have, like, cooked things before, right?

 

[Vicsetter]

there is no best way to cook meat/fish, its a personal choice. You shouldn't be looking for the fastest way to cook anything, but looking for the way to produce the best flavour. if you cut your meat/fish into small strips then I guess stir frying is your best bet for flavour and speed.Personally I prefer my steak fried(griddle pan is best) or barbecued. You need a good cut of meat to fry/grill it. Joints of meat tend to be cooked in the oven(roast). About the only way I would cook a frozen joint is 'sous vide' but that takes a couple of days.
fry salmon, skin side down to crisp it and then put in oven for a few minutes to cook to your desired measure of doneness (same for steak). When frying avoid too much movement as the meat/fish will stick to the pan until it has formed a crust, at which point it can be moved(you can try lifting a corner to see if its still stuck)

ideally you should wash all cooking utensils in hot water with anti-bacterial detergent. Wiping the frying pan with paper will not remove all oil and food particles and who knows what will be there in a few days?

get a book on cooking techniques (I think Prue Leith does one, pricey tho), don't know this one but it looks good: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Basic-Basi...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=BVNBN4BZ93TJFKYCT3S5.

Perhaps a better section for this thread is Food.

 

[NoCarb]

Some suggest frying steaks from frozen for optimum results: http://www.businessinsider.com/never-thaw-frozen-steaks-before-cooking-2014-8?IR=T

I need to cook steaks etc without having to wash pans etc afterwards, is there any way?

 

[Martin Canty]

I need to cook steaks etc without having to wash pans etc afterwards, is there any way?

The grill is a great way of cooking steaks, Actually & use my grill or smoker a lot. I also oven roast.

A recent purchase is an Air Fryer, cuts down on the mess a lot as the food cooks in an enclosed basket. Our electric double sided indoor griddle/grill is also used a lot.

Sorry, but washing food preparation equipment is essential.

 

[trophywench]

(thinks bubble - Best not let my daughter the chef see this post about washing utensils up .......)

Ideally of course you'd keep a different pan for cooking every different food you cook in a pan. Even for fish you wouldn't cook salmon in the same one as sole. For those of us who don't have eg a dedicated whatever pan - then I personally agree wholeheartedly with washing them!

However when I get stuck on bits on a non-stick pan more than once I'd like to bin it but I think my husband won't be happy until she's scoured all that black stuff off. That's ALL the black stuff I mean - not just the food. Whereas I'd soak em for a bit in a bit of bio laundry powder dissolved in water because it floats off and then wash it in red hot water etc. When it will no longer float off - then bin it. But he can't wait that long before applying the stainless steel scourer! Apparently leaving washing up for more than say 10 minutes is the sign of slovenliness ......

Funny I haven't given anyone food poisoning yet, doncha think?

 

[trophywench]

PS - I dry fry steak - usually buy finely laced sirloin - I do freeze it, but it's shrink wrapped when raw so I defrost it, then unpackage it, dry it both sides on kitchen paper and when the pan's smoking hot having been on 'high' long enough to do that, put it in, and make sure it stays flat as it starts to cook. Hold it down with the fingers to make sure it all touches the pan. As soon as it moves easily when you shove the side of it with the back of a fish slice, turn it over and do the other side the same. Then turn the heat off and walk away and leave it for at least 5 minutes before plating. Rib eye ditto but only heat the pan to the hot side of medium and cook it for a couple or 3 minutes in total, longer than sirloin.

I use the very minimum amount of oil I need for anything - our Corinne reckons that thinks that need a bit longer - eg getting all the white cooked around the yolk on a fried egg, then the fat should never be hot enough to hiss or spit, only ever bubble little bubbles. She's usually right - and, she can do it of course. I haven't actually mastered this black art exactly even now!

 

[AndBreathe]

Meats, including chicken are safe to cook from frozen in decent pressure cooker, due to the way it works. By personal preference I don't cook from frozen.

 

[Ljc]

I love my frying pan, for things like steaks, chops, sausages and onions I either use a little fat or oil. Unless its going in the oven I don't cook from frozen.

 

[Kaylz]

You cant cook anything without having to do at least a small amount of washing up at the end its just part of life nobody particularly likes doing it im sure but has to be done x

 

[Robin]

Some suggest frying steaks from frozen for optimum results: http://www.businessinsider.com/never-thaw-frozen-steaks-before-cooking-2014-8?IR=T

I need to cook steaks etc without having to wash pans etc afterwards, is there any way?

They did put the steaks in the oven, to cook through, they didn't just rely on frying, which I think would have burnt the outside before the inside was defrosted, let alone cooked!
I'm afraid cooking does make a certain amount of mess, (though I'm all for minimising it). If you have an oven, putting meat in a Pyrex dish with a bit of stock ( crumble a stock cube) means it'll take a bit longer, but it won't burn on to the dish, which will be much easier to wash, but wash it you must!

 

[Ljc]

If you have the space and the money how about a dishwasher. I still wash up by hand , for some odd reason I enjoy it.

 

[Kaylz]

If you have the space and the money how about a dishwasher. I still wash up by hand , for some odd reason I enjoy it.

I love washing up at this time of year something to do with standing with my hands in the lovely warm water haha not so keen in the warmer weather though x

 

[Ditto]

I love washing up at this time of year something to do with standing with my hands in the lovely warm water haha not so keen in the warmer weather though x

I thought it was just me!