Cooking Steak Can Be Made Healthy Like This

Most people enjoy steak in their meal, but they all have a different preference for how it is cooked.

It is a popular perception that red meat is harmful to health. But, choosing the right kind of steak and following some precautions while cooking can significantly reduce the possibility of health risks and allow us to enjoy steak as healthy food.

Rare

In this type of steak, the center is cool and red in color. It is cooked for around one minute on each side. It is considered as just a stage up from raw meat but cooked on the outside. Unlike chicken and pork, steak doesn't have parasites.

Therefore, the rare steak will not cause any health threats.

Medium Rare

This is the recommended level of doneness for a good steak. A medium rare steak is warm through the middle and most of the center is pink in color with a hint of red — soft and juicy on the inside and firm on the outside.

Medium

After 3 minutes of a hot grill on each side, the center is more grey- brown in color, with a dominant band of pink in the middle in medium cooked steak.

Medium Well

With just a hint of pale pink inside this, the steak will be mostly grey-brown throughout. This is ideal if you want a slightly juicy steak without any blood.

Well Done

These steaks are normally charred on the outside with and are greyish-brown all through with no sign of pink — they’re cooked over medium heat, for ten to twelve minutes, to keep the meat from toughening.

Types of Steak

Sirloin — this lean cut of meat that can become tough if it’s cooked for too long — for a tender juicy steak its best served rare.

Rib Eye — about 6–8 minutes is all you need to cook an inch-thick steak to produce a super flavor and juicy cut of prime rib.

T-Bone — this steak is cut from the loin and tenderloin and can be cooked for a while longer than others.

Filet Mignon — also known as a fork-tender cut of beef cut from the heart of the tenderloin — this steak should be rare to be fully enjoyed.

New York Strip Steak — flavorsome strips of steak from the heart of the beef loin take about 6–8 minutes to cook on average.

Irrespective of the type of steak you opt for, it certainly won’t lack in the
taste department. So why not choose the type that helps you absorb its
maximum nutrients?

Which Kind of Steak Is Healthier?

There is a widespread belief that red meat is bad for your health. But truth is that it is one of the most nutritious foods recommended even for people who are trying to lose weight.

It is a good source for complete protein. Steak also contains a substantial amount of dietary cholesterol, but it isn’t harmful. It increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in the body, which is considered “the good cholesterol”. It plays a significant role in heart health.

Other than protein, beef is also rich in Creatine compound. It helps boost athletic endurance and strength, and it also occurs naturally in food, with red meat being the most significant source.

Despite of these health benefits, laboratory tests on different types of steak have proven that cooking meat at high temperatures results in the formation of potential carcinogens. Higher consumption of well-done meat has been linked to a greater risk of colon tumors and certain cancers.

Whether or not steak is healthy likely depends on the cooking method.

Simple measures like keeping portions of steak small will cut down on cooking time — and pre-cooking in the microwave for just two minutes will significantly reduce the acids when cooking.

Rarer steak is always better. If you are squeamish about blood, then the medium is a nice trade-off between health and taste. The most important thing is to avoid burning your steak!

A study analyzing the perfect cooking time and temperature for beef found that

1. Roasting at low temperatures (135°C) results in better taste, less moisture loss, and increased tenderness.

2. This method of cooking leaves a visual red/pink presence and imparts a better flavor.

Hence, this method of cooking is likely to result in less heat-related damage
and a healthier cut of steak.

Written by: Saija Bhumireddy

Edited by: Anusha Vajha