Quick Beef Dishes
Cooking Skills: Beef and Steak 1
Chapter 7 · Quick Beef Dishes
Skill goal
Slice and cook beef fast, and use up leftovers.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
Beef does not always need hours. Thin slices of a tender cut cook in a minute or two, so a stir-fry, a sandwich or a salad can be ready in 20 minutes. The rule is the same each time: choose a cut that is tender enough, slice it thinly across the grain, cook it hot and fast and don't let it stand. Leftover roast beef can be turned into hash, sandwiches or a salad with only a little more work.
The method
- Slice across the grain, thinly (2 to 4 mm for a stir-fry). Freezing the steak for 30 minutes first makes it easier to slice.
- Cook hot and fast, in batches. A crowded pan steams the beef.
- Have everything ready before you start, because it cooks in minutes.
- Rest steak before slicing for a sandwich or salad.
- Reheat leftovers until steaming hot, and only once.
| Dish | Cut | Cook | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stir-fry | Sirloin, rump or flank, thin | 1 to 2 minutes, in batches | Low to medium |
| Steak sandwich | Rump or sirloin | 2 minutes a side, rest, slice | Medium |
| Beef salad | Sirloin or rump | 2 to 3 minutes a side, rest, slice | Medium |
| Roast beef hash | Leftover roast | 10 minutes, until steaming hot | Very low |
Hot pans, rare beef and leftovers
Hot pan and hot fat: fat spits and the pan gets very hot. Dry the steak well first, lay it in away from you, use tongs rather than your fingers, keep the handle turned in and stay with the pan. If fat catches fire, never use water: turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid or a damp cloth. Open a window or use the extractor fan, because searing makes smoke, and keep children out of the kitchen.Whole cuts and mince: germs sit on the outside of a whole piece of beef (a steak or a joint), and searing the surface deals with them, which is why a steak can be served rare. Mince, burgers, sausages and rolled or tenderised joints can have germs all the way through, so they must be cooked right through (no pink, juices running clear, about 71°C in the centre). Rare beef is not recommended for very young children, older people or anyone with a weakened immune system, and the advice for pregnancy depends on the cut, so check current NHS and FSA guidance.
Leftovers: cool cooked beef quickly (within about 1 to 2 hours), cover it and keep it in the fridge for up to about 2 days (general guidance). Reheat until it is steaming hot all the way through, and reheat it only once. Don't leave cooked beef standing at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
Beef stir-fry
Thin slices of beef cook in a minute or two. A pinch of bicarbonate of soda in a short marinade tenderises the meat (this is called velveting), and the key is to cook it fast and in batches. For more on stir-frying vegetables, see Cooking Skills: Vegetables 1, chapter 4.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 300 g sirloin or rump steak, sliced very thinly across the grain
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 2 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 150 g broccoli florets
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp water
- Toss the beef with the bicarbonate and cornflour and leave for 15 minutes, then rinse it briefly, pat it dry and keep it separate.
- Heat a wok or large pan until very hot, add half the oil and stir-fry the beef for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove. Add the rest of the oil and stir-fry the pepper and broccoli for 3 minutes, with the garlic and ginger for the last 30 seconds.
- Return the beef, add the soy sauce, honey and water and toss for 1 minute until glossy. Serve at once with rice or noodles.
Hot pan, bicarbonate and soy
Hot pan and hot oil: stir-frying uses very high heat and spitting oil. Dry the beef and vegetables first, keep everything ready before you start, use a long spoon and keep children away from the hob.Bicarbonate of soda: only a pinch is used to soften the meat. Too much leaves a soapy taste, so measure it and rinse the beef well before cooking.
Soy and wheat: soy sauce contains soy and wheat. Tamari is usually gluten-free (check the label), and coconut aminos are a soy-free swap.
Raw beef hygiene: keep raw meat on the bottom shelf of the fridge in a covered dish so it can't drip onto other food, use a separate board and knife for raw meat (or wash them in hot soapy water before they touch anything else), and wash your hands for 20 seconds after handling it. Don't rinse raw beef under the tap: it spreads germs around the sink and does nothing to remove them. Cook or freeze it by the use-by date.
Level 2 · Sandwich
A steak sandwich
A thin steak, sliced across the grain, with sweet fried onions, mustard and peppery rocket in crusty bread. Slicing thinly is what makes it tender enough to bite through.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 2 rump or sirloin steaks, about 150 g each
- 2 onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
- 2 ciabatta rolls or small baguettes
- 1 handful handful of rocket
- 1 pinch salt and black pepper
- Fry the onions slowly in half the oil with a pinch of salt for 15 minutes, until soft and golden.
- Pat the steaks dry and season. In a very hot pan with the rest of the oil, cook the steaks for 2 minutes a side, then rest for 5 minutes and slice thinly across the grain.
- Split the rolls, spread them with the mustard and fill with onions, steak slices and rocket. Pour any steak juices over the meat and serve.
Hot pan, resting and slicing
Hot pan and hot fat: fat spits and the pan gets very hot. Dry the steak well first, lay it in away from you, use tongs rather than your fingers, keep the handle turned in and stay with the pan. If fat catches fire, never use water: turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid or a damp cloth. Open a window or use the extractor fan, because searing makes smoke, and keep children out of the kitchen.Resting: after cooking, leave the beef on a warm plate or board, loosely covered with foil, for about 5 minutes for a steak and 20 to 30 minutes for a joint. The juices settle, so they stay in the meat instead of running onto the board, and the centre rises a few degrees as it rests.
Knife safety: slice and carve on a stable board (a damp cloth underneath stops it sliding) with a sharp knife, because a blunt knife slips. Keep your guiding fingertips tucked back, and let the knife do the work. A carving fork or tongs holds the joint steady.
Level 2 · Salad
Beef salad with a warm dressing
Thin slices of warm, pink beef over crisp leaves with a mustard and lemon dressing. The dressing is shaken in a jar, and a spoonful of the steak juices goes into it.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 2 sirloin or rump steaks, about 200 g each
- 1 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
- 100 g mixed salad leaves
- 150 g cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cucumber, sliced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- Season and fry the steaks in the oil for 2 to 3 minutes a side. Rest for 5 minutes, then slice thinly across the grain.
- Shake the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard and honey in a jar with a pinch of salt and add a spoonful of the steak juices.
- Arrange the leaves, tomatoes and cucumber on plates, pile the warm steak slices on top and drizzle with the dressing.
Hot pan, raw salad and rare beef
Hot pan and hot fat: fat spits and the pan gets very hot. Dry the steak well first, lay it in away from you, use tongs rather than your fingers, keep the handle turned in and stay with the pan. If fat catches fire, never use water: turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid or a damp cloth. Open a window or use the extractor fan, because searing makes smoke, and keep children out of the kitchen.Whole cuts and mince: germs sit on the outside of a whole piece of beef (a steak or a joint), and searing the surface deals with them, which is why a steak can be served rare. Mince, burgers, sausages and rolled or tenderised joints can have germs all the way through, so they must be cooked right through (no pink, juices running clear, about 71°C in the centre). Rare beef is not recommended for very young children, older people or anyone with a weakened immune system, and the advice for pregnancy depends on the cut, so check current NHS and FSA guidance.
Salad: wash salad leaves and vegetables before use, even if the bag says ready to eat, and keep the salad cold until serving.
Level 3 · Leftovers
Roast beef hash
A crisp, savoury hash of leftover beef, potatoes and onion, topped with a fried egg. Use beef that was cooled quickly and kept in the fridge for no more than 2 days.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 300 g leftover cooked roast beef, diced
- 400 g cooked potatoes, diced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
- 2 Lion-marked eggs
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and fry for 8 to 10 minutes until golden and crisp, turning only now and then.
- Add the beef and mustard and cook for 5 minutes, until the beef is steaming hot all the way through.
- Fry the eggs in a second pan until the white is set. Serve the hash topped with the eggs.
Leftovers, reheating and eggs
Leftovers: cool cooked beef quickly (within about 1 to 2 hours), cover it and keep it in the fridge for up to about 2 days (general guidance). Reheat until it is steaming hot all the way through, and reheat it only once. Don't leave cooked beef standing at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.Hot pan and hot fat: fat spits and the pan gets very hot. Dry the steak well first, lay it in away from you, use tongs rather than your fingers, keep the handle turned in and stay with the pan. If fat catches fire, never use water: turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid or a damp cloth. Open a window or use the extractor fan, because searing makes smoke, and keep children out of the kitchen.
Eggs: use eggs with the British Lion mark and wash your hands after handling raw egg. Cook the egg until the white is set, and until the yolk is firm if you are serving anyone in a more vulnerable group.
Experiments
Experiment
Slice thickness
2 mm and 8 mm.
- Slice the same steak thinly and thickly across the grain, stir-fry both for the same time and compare.
Look for: The thin slices are tender and cooked through; the thick ones are chewier and tougher. Thin slices cook in a minute, which is why a stir-fry is quick.
Experiment
Marinating time
None, 15 minutes and 2 hours.
- Marinate slices in soy sauce and a little cornflour for none, 15 minutes and 2 hours (in the fridge) and fry them.
Look for: A short marinade seasons the surface; a long one makes it saltier and a little firmer. Don't marinate longer than a few hours, and always in the fridge.
Experiment
Pan size
Crowded and in batches.
- Stir-fry 300 g of beef all at once in a small pan, and in two batches in a large pan.
Look for: The crowded pan steams the beef, which turns grey and watery. Two batches in a very hot pan give a brown, glossy result.
Experiment
Bicarbonate of soda
With and without.
- Prepare two portions of thin beef, one with a pinch of bicarbonate for 15 minutes, rinsed, and one plain, and stir-fry both.
Look for: The treated beef is softer and silkier. Rinse it well, as too much bicarbonate leaves a soapy taste.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beef stir-fry | ||||
| Steak sandwich | ||||
| Beef salad | ||||
| Roast beef hash | ||||
| Slice thickness | ||||
| Marinating time | ||||
| Pan size | ||||
| Bicarbonate of soda |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Chewy stir-fry beef | Sliced with the grain, or overcooked | Slice across the grain; cook for 1 to 2 minutes only |
| Grey, watery stir-fry | Pan crowded or not hot | Cook the beef in batches in a very hot pan |
| Tough steak in the sandwich | Cut in thick slices | Rest, then slice thinly across the grain |
| Soapy taste | Too much bicarbonate | Use only a pinch per 300 g and rinse the beef |
| Hash is soggy | Potatoes not dry or too much stirring | Dry the potatoes and fry without turning too often |
| Leftover beef is dry | Overcooked in the first place | Slice thinly and add to something saucy |
Hot pans, soy and leftovers
Hot pan and hot oil: stir-frying uses very high heat and spitting oil. Dry the beef and vegetables first, keep everything ready before you start, use a long spoon and keep children away from the hob.Soy and wheat: soy sauce contains soy and wheat. Tamari is usually gluten-free (check the label), and coconut aminos are a soy-free swap.
Leftovers: cool cooked beef quickly (within about 1 to 2 hours), cover it and keep it in the fridge for up to about 2 days (general guidance). Reheat until it is steaming hot all the way through, and reheat it only once. Don't leave cooked beef standing at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I can slice beef thinly across the grain.
- I can stir-fry beef in batches in a hot pan.
- I can make a steak sandwich and a beef salad.
- I can turn leftover roast beef into a new meal safely.
- I know when to rest meat and when to serve it at once.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Beef and Steak 1, chapter 8 is A Beef Dinner: planning and serving a full meal.