There are many uses of spices if you know their properties well. Here, in this article, we are going to tell you the best spices for steak, cosmetic and gastronomic purposes. In the modern western world, spices are commonly used as a flavoring agent. They mask the smell of meat or fish and enhance the taste of vegetables. Various kinds of cubes and powders have become an integral part of modern cooking.
In fact, spices not only change the taste of the product but also have many properties that undeservedly remain in the shade. And let’s figure it out, do you need spices for a steak at all? If you are preparing a luxurious marble ribeye, then the best seasoning for it will be… salt and pepper, and no one has come up with a better one here. Quality meat has a rich beef flavor, and this is the main value of a good steak. It is quite possible to shade it with aromatic herbs, but it is better to do this at the very end.
Universal spices
If you like to experiment and plan to add a spicy note to the finished steak, in addition to the standard salt and pepper, you should consider options:
- garlic;
- rosemary;
- thyme;
- oregano;
- chilli.
How to add spices correctly
There are two religious movements among culinary specialists. Representatives of the first prefer to salt the steaks before cooking, and the fans of the second prefer to salt the ready-made dish. We will stop at the golden mean: if you season a steak with coarse salt and pepper twenty minutes before cooking, it will retain its juiciness, and the seasoning will be evenly distributed.
Garlic can be added as whole cloves to the pan during cooking, or chopped onto a “resting” cooked steak. Since garlic has a distinct flavor and aroma, you should use it sparingly, otherwise you can overpower the taste of the meat.
Bulk ground spices including thyme, oregano and any other herbal spices are best added to the steak at the moment when a beautiful crust has already formed and the fire is lowered, otherwise the herbs will begin to burn. Be careful when adding chili peppers – it’s a matter of taste and can be added with or instead of regular chili peppers.
Spicy oil
For complete happiness, you can experiment and use butter or olive oil. An important nuance – butter is added to the pan almost at the end of cooking, otherwise it will burn out due to the high temperature. The melted butter mixed with meat juice is poured over the steak until the end of cooking. Instead of sunflower oil, grease the steak with olive oil before frying. It is important to remember that the aroma of spices and seasonings is fully revealed after cooking, for this it is worth giving the steak a “rest” before serving.
Tips for spice lovers
And finally, a few more secrets. For the spices to work and fully develop, they need to be fried in oil. This is done at the very beginning of cooking. Unless it’s herbs like basil or parsley. It is best to add them at the end so they will retain their flavor.
It is better to buy bulk spices wholesale in shops specializing in oriental themes. A good assortment is also often found in health shops. Such wholesale spices australia shops work with good firms or carry goods directly. In supermarkets, you can buy a pig in a poke, spices of poor quality or old ones. You should not buy spices in the markets: open storage is destructive for them, and the quality is questionable.
Store your magic spices in sealed containers, preferably in glass jars. So they will not weather out and retain their properties.
