New to cooking!

Hey everyone! My name is Danny I'm 17 years of age... I grew up with my Grandparents and my parents. And well I guess you can say I had it pretty easy not having to cook! But now I want to change things up a bit!!! I've always loved and enjoyed sirlion steaks and things of that sort!! But I dont know how to cook them!!! etc... haha I seriously dont know much about cooking! so if somebody could give me some great tips on where to buy steak how to marinate them and cook them that'd be great!!! thank you for your time!!

Danny, I think you'll find all the help you need at the following url:

http://community.compuserve.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?webtag=ws-cooks

Danny,

Before you learn anything fancy about cooking you have to learn how to KISS. Before we get overly excited here, you should know that KISS is an acronym for "Keep It Simple Stupid."

1. Selecting the steak: You really have to learn livestock anatomy here. This is not difficult, livestock anatomy is pretty much the same across the board. For example, a Porterhouse steak is the same cut as a center cut loin pork chop. If you are in a hurry, you can always make a friends with the butchers at your local supermarket. They will be happy to discuss your needs and cut you something special if you request them to do so.

2. Let's assume you found a Porterhouse steak on sale: There are many ways of cooking it, but let's keep it simple for now. Marinade? Forget about it! The best cuts do not need it and will suffer from it. I think grilling or broiling is best when you are cooking meat of this quality. Seasoning? Keep to salt and pepper for now, there is no need to guild the Lilly.

Pepper the steak lightly and do not salt as it only draws out moisture. Add salt to taste after the steak is cooked. If you are cooking outside on a grill keep the steak 2 inches above the heat source, cook about 7 minutes per side. Use the same formula for cooking inside under the broiler on your oven. This method should cook the steak to about 145 degrees, which was the old standard for medium rare. The new standard is 165 but that is really over kill with beef.

3. So the steak is done what next? It isn't really what's next. You should plan ahead what you want with your steak and had it cooking while the steak was cooking. Again, keep it simple.

4. An example: Tonight I am having a 2 inch boneless Rib Eye steak, that I will cook in the oven on broil 2 inches from the heat source. I am making a side of butter sauteed sliced mushrooms with a splash of brandy for flavor. The mushrooms with brandy will be served over the steak and over the mashed potatoes I am making as well. As the steak is thick I figure 10 minutes per side for this one.

5. Read cook books. You will learn. I suggest you start reading with James Beard who really knew how to make great food simple

Danny, tell us what you have tried so far.

It is a great thing to WANT to learn to cook for yourself. I look forward to more posts from you.

Thats great to hear !I suggest you start off with Burgers and work your way on up.I started really young and I grew up in a restaurant all my life,its really hard work when you own your own restaurant but you got to love it to do it!Give me a shout anytime and I will be glad to help you,

Good luck there! But if all fails at the begining, Mac and Cheese has pretty simple instructions on the side of the box...

the desire to be a good cook is 90% of the battle. Those who care about what goes into their mouths & their bodies tend to learn about good food/seek to find good food/and always think about making their meals good! You've made a good start by getting into this forum. Good luck & enjoy the journey!

The most tender and flavorful steaks will have good marbleing (sp?). Which is to say the will be visible fat in the meat. Most of this will render during cooking flavoring the meat and keeping it moist and tender. If you opt for a very lean cut such as eye of round or top round you can do any of the following to make it more tender: pound with a tenderizing mallet, cook as is and slice it very thinly across the grain, marinade it in something acidic (vinegar, citrus fruit juices, cola, etc.).
The pic below is a good example of high quality marbled beef cuts.