Life hacks on how to turn an ordinary dish into a culinary masterpiece

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Meat is a universal product that fits perfectly into breakfast, lunch or dinner. A hastily baked steak or fried cutlets are also eaten, but if you use a couple of tricks, they will become many times tastier:

• Rub the meat with oil, not the pan. Usually, when frying meat, oil is poured into a heated pan. Then a nuisance occurs: oil splashes fly, and the meat itself sticks to the bottom. To prevent this from happening, the meat and the pan must be completely dry. Dry the meat with a paper towel, and then rub it with a mixture of olive oil and sea salt. Rinse and heat the pan, put the pieces of meat on a completely dry pan. Fry for two to three minutes on each side. This is enough for a golden crust to form on the surface, and the juice to be thoroughly sealed inside. It is better to cook the meat in the oven, not in a pan. This way it cooks evenly and turns out juicier.

• Don't skimp on the spices. Meat is interesting because it actively absorbs the aromas of fragrant herbs and spices. This allows you to cook familiar dishes in a new way every time, giving them original flavor shades. The most susceptible in this regard are pork and chicken, beef and lamb have a harder time absorbing spices, so you should choose more fragrant combinations for them. Marjoram, basil, thyme, oregano, chili pepper, rosemary, sage and tarragon are perfect. Next, you need to roll a piece of meat in this spice-butter mixture and send it to languish in the oven.

• Soak the meat in a marinade. To prevent the meat from drying out when baking, use a simple technique – soaking in a marinade. It can be pomegranate juice and paprika, dry red wine and tomato adjika, lemon juice, fresh mint leaves and garlic, or soy sauce, olive oil and honey. After the meat is marinated, place it on a hot frying pan and wait until the meat is browned on both sides. Then transfer it to a baking sheet and send it to an oven preheated to 200 degrees.

• Experiment with flavors. Do not be afraid to add different products to the minced meat in the process of forming cutlets. For example, rice, zucchini, pumpkin, carrots, any hard cheese, fresh greens or an apple. They will help retain moisture and enrich the taste and texture of the cutlet. Just do not grind the products in a blender – the minced meat will be too fatty and the cutlet will lose its shape. If you want to give the dish a more delicate consistency and creamy taste, you can put a little butter inside each patty.

• Check the temperature of the meat. To make sure that a steak is ready or that several different pieces of meat are done at the same time, you need to measure their internal temperature. For this, digital probe thermometers are used, which provide instant and accurate temperature readings and display their values ​​on the display. The latter will depend on the degree of doneness you want to get: 50-54 degrees – Rare (raw or with blood), 55-59 – Medium Rare (half-rare), 60-64 – Medium (medium-rare), 65-69 – Medium Well (almost done), 70-100 – Well Done (completely done). Thanks to such a useful device, you won’t have to worry about the meat remaining raw or drying out in the pan or in the oven. Don’t rush to serve the steak right away – let it cool down a bit and reveal its flavor.