EXECUTIVE head chef Stephen Coxell at Rancho’s steak house in Bournemouth gives us some prime pointers to cooking the perfect steak.

  • Only the best produce will do: Make sure your local butcher is giving you the best of their local meat. Whether it’s rump, sirloin, rib-eye or fillet, it needs to be at least an inch thick in order to really make the perfect steak.
  • Believe it or not, fat equals flavour: Whilst this is dependent on the cut of meat, the general rule of thumb is that the leaner cuts of meat do tend to be slightly less flavoursome.

You can always add seasoning, but cuts of beef such as rib-eye give the perfect small amount of fat to give that perfect flavour.

  • Turn up the heat: When cooking, make sure that the heat is as high as possible and remains at a constant temperature.

Here’s how to cook the perfect 250g steak:

Use a flaming hot griddle pan and rub your steak in a little vegetable oil (don’t use olive oil, as this will burn) Season, using only a touch of salt (again, no pepper, as this too will burn)

Assuming the steak is approximately 1 inch thick, cook for:

Rare: 1 to 1.5 minutes per side

Medium rare: 2 minutes per side

Medium: 2.5 minutes per side

Well done: 3-4 minutes per side.

It is best to wrap your steak in foil and allow it to rest for 2-3 minutes. Then enjoy with a sumptuous glass of deep red wine.