Want to cook the perfect eye fillet but not sure how? Our Gourmet Chef Amber ‘Agria’ shares her handy hints for cooking this premium cut like pro.
You’ve bought a tender, succulent beef eye fillet – one of the best quality, premium cuts around. So, now what? Cooking this prime cut to perfection is essential if you want to get the best flavour and texture possible, so our Gourmet Chef Amber ‘Agria’ is here to help. Here are her top tips for making the most of your beef eye fillet.
Room temp is best
Make sure your steaks are at room temperature when you’re ready to cook them. Take them out of the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking. This will ensure the steak cooks evenly and doesn’t dry out on the outside before the inside has had a chance to cook.
Hot pan, happy steak
Get the pan nice and hot and then add oil. Once the oil is hot, place the steaks in the pan – if the eye fillet steaks don’t sizzle, the pan is too cold! If you’re cooking a few steaks leave space between them. This ensures they cook evenly and prevents the meat from steaming or stewing instead of searing.
Butter it up
Butter makes everything better, right? Same goes for eye fillet. Basting it with butter produces a crispy caramelised crust on the outside of the steak. A couple of minutes before the steak is ready, add a knob of butter to the pan. Tilt the pan and use a dessert spoon to scoop up some of the butter and baste the steak with the melted butter. Check out our handy how-to video below.
Pop it on the barbie
We love to BBQ at My Food Bag! It means even more flavour as you can really get a good caramelisation going on the meat. Preheat your BBQ so it’s nice and hot. If it’s not hot enough, the meat will stick and you will struggle to get good colour on it. It will cook for a similar time as it would in a pan unless you have a lid on and it will cook quicker.
Put it to the test
To check if your steaks for cooked to your liking, press them gently with the tip of your finger. Rare should feel soft to the touch, well done should be firm and medium should be in between the two.
Let it rest
Remove the steaks from the pan and rest. The best place to rest a steak is on something like a cooling rack in a warm place loosely covered with foil. The rack allows the juices to drip away and won’t leave you with a soggy crust that you just worked so hard at to get! Rest for at least half the amount of cook time. When cooking steaks, the heat causes the fibres in the meat to clench up. Resting will help relax the meat ensuring a juicy tender steak. Delicious!
Go against the grain
If you want to slice your steak before serving, always cut against the grain. This will make for a tender eating experience.
Bon appétit!
