Steak.

I love a good chunk of meat...

Again, search on the interweb for how to cook steak, and you'll find thousands of methods touting the "perfect steak". 

If you've read my chicken related rant, you'll know that I think the perfect way to cook anything is the way that you like it, not the way someone else does. Point in case - my grandfather wouldn't touch a steak unless you could bounce it five feet off the floor before using it to sole your shoes. Too many people judge, and would say that it is a waste to cook anything like that, but that's how he liked it - why would he cook it any other way?

I'm a rare to medium kind of girl - I like a good bit of pink, with a lovely crusty brown exterior. I don't like spots of blood ruining my sauce. 

Cuts of meat - there are so many cuts of meat for steak, that again, it comes down to personal preference. Some prefer the tender taste of fillet, others the meaty juice of a sirloin. Me? I like a bit of rump. Experiment with whatever is on special offer in your local butchers (or supermarket if, like me, petrol costs mean you've had to downsize on your steak offerings!). 

What to look for - I look for a nice light marbling of fat through the meat (although not too many thick veins of fat running through it). This essentially helps baste the meat from inside while it cooks, and if the marbling is thin enough, the fat will dissolve as the steak cooks so you don't end up chewing on it. Colour will depend on whether you can stretch to well hung meat. This will have a darker colour. If you can, get it - if not, it'll still taste good. 

Prep - take it out the packet, rub a little oil on each side, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Cooking - the make or break moment!

• Get your pan smokin' hot!
• Pop your steaks in - mind out for splashes of hot fat
• Turn, turn and turn - every 15-30 seconds until you get an even colour
• Don't forget to turn your steaks on their side to get some heat into any fat running along the edge

How long to cook?

There are so many factors when you've got steak in the pan, that it's all about looking and touching. You're cooking for yourself, so there is nothing to stop you taking the steak out the pan and cutting into it to see how far cooked it is. 

Stop cooking it just before it's at the point you want it, because like any man after a hot time, it needs to rest. Stick it on a plate with foil over it. The residual heat inside the meat means it will continue to cook for a short while, which is why we want to take it out the pan just before it's ready. Resting lets the moisture inside the steak absorb back into the meat, and allows the fibres to relax, so that when you cut into it on your plate, it doesn't leak everywhere.

After five to ten minutes (depending on how late you're running with everything else, or how much wine you've drunk), it's ready to go! 

Remember, however you like it is perfect.