🥩 Steaks 🥩

Kitchenware

Kitchen Tools

A dedicated Butcher Knife-set

Expert level! Topic not covered, but intriguing for outdoor survival cooking. First, I have to figure what the different names these knives go under.

A Meat Tenderizer

For example, for a Wienerschnitzel.

You might also look into a dedicated
pizza dough docker (Kødmørner in Danish).

The other side of the hammer has a smooth surface for fish and poultry.

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Breading & Battering

Breadcrumb Coating

Breading vs. Battering

Breading and "battering" (dipping in liquid batter) of meat involves covering meat with a mixture of dry and wet ingredients – typically flour, eggs, milk, and spices – before frying, baking, or deep-frying. This creates a crispy crust, protects the meat from high heat, and improves texture and flavor. Popular techniques include beer batter or tempura for extra crunch.

Basic techniques and ingredients

Batter: Combines flour with liquid (water, milk, beer) and often a leavening agent like baking soda for a fluffy texture.
Breading: Often a three-part process: Flour (binder), beaten egg (adhesive) and breadcrumbs/flour.
Preparation: The meat must be dry before coating to ensure that the mixture sticks.

Popular Batter Types

Classic beer dough: Flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and beer.
Tempura style: High-starch flour (or cornstarch) mixed with ice-cold water for extreme crispiness.
Spicy breading: Flour mixed with salt, pepper, thyme, oregano and turmeric for color and flavor.

Tips for the best result

Consistency: Wet dough can range from "heavy" (sticking to a spoon) to "thin" (like cream).
Frying: Heat the oil to 180-200°C / 356-392°F for the perfect golden color.
Don't over-mix: When mixing wet dough, too much stirring can make the crust tough.
Use: Wet dough should be used immediately after mixing.

Breading with breadcrumbs involves a three-step "standard breading procedure": dredge food in seasoned flour, dip in an egg wash (beaten egg with a liquid, like whole milk), then coat thoroughly in breadcrumbs (like panko), pressing firmly to adhere for a crunchy texture when fried or baked. This process seals in moisture and creates a crispy coating, using all-purpose flour as the initial binder and egg to stick the final crumb layer.

Panade vs. Panering

Jeg tror vist ikke Google og jeg ikke helt er på samme bølgelængde?

Jeg fortolker en panade som fx. en grøn pesto smurt henover toppen på noget, der skal tilberedes i oven og ikke som en panering.

Procedure

Utensils

Prepare 3 deep plates for breading.

Gourmet salting, meaning to rub, preferably coarse salt into the meat on both sides. Remember to rub the salt firmly into the meat before using the meat tenderizer, otherwise the salt will spill all over the table and floor.
Use a meat tenderizer with its grooved side to pound the coarse salt into the meat on both sides.
Dip the meat into all-purpose, all-round flour. For different sorts of flour check out the pizza section.
Then dip the flour-coated meat into a fork-whisked whole egg (yolk and white) with whole milk.
Finally, coat the soaked meat with breadcrumbs like with popular Panko mixed with black pepper. Use your hands to press the breadcrumb/panko to stick. It is important that the meat is evenly coated everywhere to get a perfect even brown color when frying.
Let the coated steak rest for 10 min. before pan-frying.
Use a medium-high heat so they don't get soaked in fat and only flip the steak once per side.
Basting is a technique by pouring juices or melted fat over meat during cooking to keep it moist. Basting is typically done every 15-20 minutes in the oven or continuously on the pan with a spoon, or a dedicated turkey baster.

Breadcrumbs vs. Panko

Panko offers a lighter, crispier, and less oily coating due to its large, airy flakes from crustless white bread, making it ideal for frying and topping; traditional breadcrumbs are denser, finer crumbs from varied breads (including crusts), better for binding ingredients like meatballs or meatloaf due to their superior oil absorption and softer texture. Think panko for crunch and breadcrumbs for binding.

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Marinated steak for extra tenderness
(Min. 2 hours | Max. 2 days in the fridge)

Kangaroo steak with broccoli florets

Kangaroo steak with parsley and garnish and a Swedish inspired cardamom sauce

Kangaroo steak with parsley, a garnish
and a Swedish inspired cardamom sauce

Texas style with Bernaise sauce

Kangaroo Steaks

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Veal Steaks

Veal steak with a Tennessee whiskey sauce.

Green beans in boiling water with plenty of salt for 3½-4 minutes and then transfer to a bowl of ice water to give them just the right crunch.

Cutlet with melted butter curls and parsley

Ingredients

Marinated veal steak
Steamed Haricots Verts (French narrow green beans) | Serve last, gets cold quickly!
Caramelized onions
Peeled potatoes

Level of doneness

Core temperatues

Rare (50°C/120-125°F) | Medium Rare (54°C/130-135°F) | Medium (60°C/140-145°F)

Medium Well (65°C/150-155°F) | Well Done (71°C/160°F and up)

Pull temperature vs. Final temperature

For a more tender result, remove the steak from the heat about 2°C/5°F below the target temperature, as it will continue to cook while resting. Using a meat thermometer is the most accurate way to check doneness.

Salt vs. Sugar

Both are multifunctional chemicals.

Sugar on top of a steak while cooking it can make the amino acids disintegrate,

so, the tenderness of the steak steps into character, and has nothing to do

with adding sweetness to it.

Salt might extract the juice of it, so it's a last-minute ingredient.

Seasoning

Thyme and rosemary complement each other well culinary-wise in the buddy-system, especially with lamb, veal and poultry.

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Game Meat

International Cuisine

Game Meat

Game meats like wild duck or venison are sophisticated and are typically served much redder than medium rare, medium, medium well

or well done. With rare or medium rare meat, smaller chunks or slices are preferred, to avoid it becomes too chewy.

You might look into how to avoid “gamey” flavor in your wild game meat.

Preheat the iron cast grill pan to max.

30 sec. on each side at highest temperature

2 min. on each side at medium-high temp. | Medium Rare (Red)

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Lamb Culottes

Lamb Chops

Chefs say that lamb should be medium cooked and that rare or medium-rare won't work.

The lamb can be pounded first to break down the fibers and placed in a marinade well in advance to make the meat extra tender.

Named for its silvery white sheen, silver skin is the thin membrane of connective tissue found on various meats. You're most likely to find silver skin on larger cuts of meat — most often pork, beef, and lamb tenderloins — and on the underside of ribs. Steaks and chops are typically free from the tough membrane. The silver skin is edible but chewy, so if not removed chefs recommend a longer cooking time.

Kebab were previously made from lamb until the time and effort, and thus the price, increased,

and were later made from pork, called gyros in Greece and for Muslims in Turkey called döner kebab made from beef.

Both gyros in Greece and döner in Turkish mean the same thing.

It means that it is grilled on a rotating rotisserie (read: gyro).

In world-class cuisine it's commonly said that the shoulder is the best part of a lamb.

Lamb culotte, also known as a lamb sirloin roast or French-trimmed sirloin, is a cut of lamb taken from the hind leg, specifically the sirloin area. It's known for its tenderness and rich flavor and is often served as a roast.

Milk-fed Pyrenees lamb culotte is particularly prized for its exceptional tenderness and delicate flavor.

The best way to cook most cuts of lamb is on a grill (-pan). Lamb's essential earthiness stands up to the

smoke and char, yet its fat protects the meat. It's quick and versatile, too.

You really don't need more than olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Suggestions for a classic marinade, garlic and rosemary.

If a grill pan is used, then only go for medium heat, or the culotte will turn into black coal.

Lamb's thymus is a gland found on young lambs and calves, also known as the thymus gland. The gland is part of the immune system, but it shrinks with age, which is why it is primarily used as food from young animals. Lamb's thymus is considered a delicacy but is often harder to find than veal thymus.

Oven

Brown briefly in a pan on both sides. Finish in the oven at 180°C/356°F for approx. 15 min. or until a core temp.

of 63-65°C/145-149°F. Let the culotte rest for 10 min. before carving.

Grill

Grill the meat for 15-18 min. or until the core temp. is 63-65°C/145-149°F. Let the culotte rest for 10 min. before carving.

Aqua - My Mamma Said

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Wienerschnitzel

Vienna/Austrian Cuisine

Introduction

It's possible that Wienerschnitzel is officially considered to have its country of origin in Austria, but it is also believed to be a dish imported from northern Italy, which is funny, since dishes such as pizza, spaghetti Napoli, etc. are only something Italians #identify themselves with if they come from the southern Italy, and they believe that northern Italy is generally imported dishes.

Wiener Schnitzel vs. Schnitzel Wiener Art

Veal schnitzel vs. Ham schnitzels.

The difference is the meat: A Wiener Schnitzel is, by Austrian law, only made from thinly sliced veal, while Schnitzel Wiener Art (Viennese style) is the popular version made from pork (or sometimes chicken) as it is cheaper. Both are thin slices of gourmet salted meat coated in flour, egg and breadcrumbs and fried until crispy, but only the veal version can be called Wiener Schnitzel in Austria.

German Jäger Schnitzel vs. Austrian Wiener Schnitzel

Jägerschnitzel, meaning "hunter's schnitzel" in German, originates from traditional German, Austrian, and Central European cuisine. It historically featured venison or wild boar (hence "hunter") topped with a mushroom-based gravy, though it is now commonly made with fried pork or veal cutlets.

Wienerschnitzel is a classic, breaded and crispy veal Schnitzel served with lemon, while Jäger Schnitzel is a (usually unbreaded) Schnitzel of pork or veal served with a creamy mushroom sauce. While Wiener Schnitzel focuses on crispiness, Jäger Schnitzel focuses on the rich sauce.

Jäger Sauce (hunter's sauce) is a classic German brown mushroom sauce with a deep, earthy flavor, typically made with mushrooms, onions, red wine, beef stock, and cream. It is known as the classic accompaniment to schnitzel (Jäger Schnitzel), but also goes well with game, steaks, and pasta. See also Jäger Soup.

Temperature

See the Veal steak section

2-3 minutes on each side.

Basting Technique

Pour melted butter over the Wienerschnitzel, just drizzled on before it turns brown. Some mix cooking oil and butter, as the oil has a higher smoking point, so the butter doesn't brown too much. As long as you use a medium-high heat, the steak won't absorb more fat, but you need more to be able to scoop it up from the pan.

Serving

Serve with fresh green peas, which only need to be blanched for precisely 10 seconds.

Sorts of peas △|☐

1. Fine peas, frozen (too small)

2. Eco-peas, frozen (medium-sized)

3. Soybeans, frozen (over-sized)

4. Fresh peas (if available)

Garnish "Viennese boy"

Herring vs. Anchovies

The Danish version, called a 'Wienerdreng' is with herring, while it's in international cuisine more correct to serve with anchovies.

Cut a slice of lemon about 4 mm thick - top with 2 fillets of boneless herring (usually salted herring) with lots of freshly grated horseradish and capers.

While anchovies in traditional Austrian Wienerschnitzel (if served at all) are usually salty and used differently. The difference is the type of fish: boneless herring is the Danish standard, which gives a milder, sweeter taste, where anchovies give a more intense, salty umami taste.

Sauce

For example, a cream sauce for schnitzel, a spicy pepper sauce or a light lemon sauce.

Preferably served in a small bowl placed on top of a 12"-pizza plate, so that the

sautéed potatoes do not become soft but remain crispy.

Wienerschnitzel with Pommes de Terre Sautées.

Braised potatoes vs. Sautéed potatoes.

Wine

Whether you should choose a white wine or red wine should be decided by your choice of sauce (if any).

A veal steak alone calls for a red wine.

A wine should balance many flavors in the dish, and therefore it should be acidic, dry and fruity. The best wine choice for the Danish version of wienerschnitzel is a dry Riesling (trocken) from Germany or a dry Riesling from Alsace.

A classic Wienerschnitzel needs a wine that can match its crispy breading and subtle flavor. A light white wine like Austria's most popular white wine Grüner Veltliner or a delicate red wine like Pinot Noir with fruit aromas can both complement and highlight the dish without dominating.

Some would recommend serving a Wienerschnitzel with a beer.

A dish that pairs with a range of beers, including Märzen, Bock, and you guessed it Vienna Lager.

Techniques for eating peas with a fork

-The traditional way, especially at finer dinners, is to mash the soft peas with the back of a fork.

Portion

First Attempt

Wiener Schnitzels should be called Whopper Schnitzels since they are unusually large about 150g.

-I recommend serving on 12"-pizza plates.

Here served with only 35g of leftover fine peas, unusually small and with scalloped potatoes (creamed potatoes).

Veal schnitzels are expensive over ham schnitzels. Only two veal schnitzels costs twice as much as four ham schnitzels.

Since they're so whopper in size, I recommend cutting them down from 150g to 100g and save the leftovers for a Danish Biksemad dish.

Sojabønner og sauteret kartofler og citronbåd

Second Attempt

Here the proportions are about ⅓ of each main ingredients:

140g Veal steak

180g Sautéed potatoes

125g Soybeans

Traditionel no sauce goes for a Wienerschnitzel.

I recommend Worcestershire sauce for the potatoes and HP sauce for the veal steak.

I prefer a lemon wedge on the side instead of a slice, making it less nasty to juice the Schnitzel with your hand.

The veal steak can easily become too dry, that's where the lemon comes into the picture.

Conclusion

Garnishing with a 'Wienerdreng' is a lot of extra efforts, not exactly my recommendation for a bachelor dish.

There's also a huge amount of washing up to do after a relatively simple dish, but with 3 plates for breading and a pizza plate for serving that's too big to fit in the sink, as well as a large pan for frying the Wiener schnitzel and a large sauté pan for the potatoes, or a large lasagna dish for creamed potatoes in the oven plus a pot used for the peas is overwhelming.