LogFAQs > #897771275

Ok, let me learn you something.

Fat is one of the most important attributes in cooking. It's what carries the flavour, allows things to crisp up without drying out, allows spices to spread throughout the dish, and what gives your food the delicious textures you're looking for. Fat is important. Someone even wrote a book called "salt, fat, acid, heat" which pretty much sums up the four pillars of what makes food taste delicious. This is why we use vegetable oil, butter, olive oil, coconut milk etc. in cooking. They're all types of fat.

Raw fat on a steak is unpleasant, but rendered fat on a steak is what gives it that beautiful flavour while keeping the steak juicy. You render the fat by cooking it until it starts to break down and change colour, essentially.

With steak, the general rule of thumb is that the more expensive cuts of meat have less fat and are a softer texture, but are less flavoursome as a result. We're talking your fillet mignons and tenderloins here. The slightly cheaper steak cuts like rib eye and new york strip are firmer but much more flavoursome .The really cheap cuts like flank have a lot of fat and connective tissue all the way through them and can't be pan fried in the same way, but are perfect for slowcooking so that you can render down all that fat properly. Good for things like brisket or pulled beef.

So next time, don't cut the fat off. Sear the steak at a high heat until the fat goes a golden brown and starts to crisp up. It's not unusual to cut the fat off after you cook it if it's got a big fatback on it (such as with a new york strip), but definitely do not cut it off before you start cooking.
---

CE's Resident Scotsman.
http://i.imgur.com/ILz2ZbV.jpg