Today, while browsing through my collections of recipes to find those
for avocado soups, I came across a recipe for "Asian-Style Flank Steak"
(Bon Appetit, November 2006; recipe follows) that intrigued me, so I
decided to try that for this evening's dinner. The directions specified
'broiling' the flank steak after marination, but I was less than pleased
with the results (grrrr)! I think pan-fried (er, sauteed) would've been
better, but that's my own personal finding(s)(?!).

In my cooking experience, I've rarely broiled anything, so I'm far from
an expert or comfortable with that technique. I followed the recipe to
the "T" with nary a modification, unless one counts it cheating since I
used garlic paste from a tube and ginger paste from a jar for the
marinade/sauce.

What techniques provide the best results when using the broiler in the
oven?

I preheated the oven/broiler & broiler pan(s) before I put on the flank
steak (natural gas). I had the rack & broiler pan set as high as
possible in the oven closest to the flame. But, the flank steak didn't
get a nice crispy outside as was shown by the photo (I bet it was
air-brushed??!), and I worried about it getting over-done. I think
grilling the flank steak over very hot coals would've provided a good
'bark' instead of the lame finished product I ended up with! The steak
was still tasty, but I didn't like the 'cosmetic' result.

Sky, who likes her beef to practically "moo"!

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************************************************** **********

RECIPE: Asian-Style Flank Steak, Bon Appetit, November 2006

0.5 cup dry sherry
0.33 cup soy sauce
2 Tbs ketchup
2 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 Tbs minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tbs Asian sesame oil
1.5 - 1.75 lb flank steak

Whisk first 6 ingredients together in a container. Add steak, turn to
coat & let marinate for 2 hours at room temp, turning occasionally.
Preheat broiler. Put steak on broiler pan. Drain marinade from dish &
boil in saucepan for 3 minutes. Broil steak until desired doneness,
about 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Cut against grain in thin
slices and serve with cooked marinade as a sauce.

Sky wrote:

Typo correction: see below

> ************************************************** **********
>
> RECIPE: Asian-Style Flank Steak, Bon Appetit, November 2006
>
> 0.5 cup dry sherry
> 0.33 cup soy sauce
> 2 Tbs ketchup
> 2 garlic cloves, minced
> 1.5 Tbs minced peeled fresh ginger
> 1 tbs Asian sesame oil

tsp! teaspoon of sesame oil!!!!

> 1.5 - 1.75 lb flank steak
>
> Whisk first 6 ingredients together in a container. Add steak, turn to
> coat & let marinate for 2 hours at room temp, turning occasionally.
> Preheat broiler. Put steak on broiler pan. Drain marinade from dish &
> boil in saucepan for 3 minutes. Broil steak until desired doneness,
> about 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Cut against grain in thin
> slices and serve with cooked marinade as a sauce.

Sorry for the typo!

--
Ultra Ultimate Kitchen Rule - Use the Timer!
Ultimate Kitchen Rule -- Cook's Choice

"Sky" > wrote in message
>
> What techniques provide the best results when using the broiler in the
> oven?
>
> I preheated the oven/broiler & broiler pan(s) before I put on the flank
> steak (natural gas). I had the rack & broiler pan set as high as
> possible in the oven closest to the flame. But, the flank steak didn't
> get a nice crispy outside as was shown by the photo (I bet it was
> air-brushed??!), and I worried about it getting over-done. I think
> grilling the flank steak over very hot coals would've provided a good
> 'bark' instead of the lame finished product I ended up with! The steak
> was still tasty, but I didn't like the 'cosmetic' result.

In the past, the broiler was my last resort for cooking because of the
results that you got. . We used it a lot for browning stuff, as in with a
cheese topping, but never really did a full cooking. Our new range has a
more powerful infra-red broiler so I may try it again.

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
>
> "Sky" > wrote in message
> >
> > What techniques provide the best results when using the broiler in the
> > oven?
> >
> > I preheated the oven/broiler & broiler pan(s) before I put on the flank
> > steak (natural gas). I had the rack & broiler pan set as high as
> > possible in the oven closest to the flame. But, the flank steak didn't
> > get a nice crispy outside as was shown by the photo (I bet it was
> > air-brushed??!), and I worried about it getting over-done. I think
> > grilling the flank steak over very hot coals would've provided a good
> > 'bark' instead of the lame finished product I ended up with! The steak
> > was still tasty, but I didn't like the 'cosmetic' result.
>
> In the past, the broiler was my last resort for cooking because of the
> results that you got. . We used it a lot for browning stuff, as in with a
> cheese topping, but never really did a full cooking. Our new range has a
> more powerful infra-red broiler so I may try it again.

No wonder I've so rarely used the broiler. If these results are
typical, I'll stick with pan-searing and the charcoal grill. Thanks.

Sky

--
Ultra Ultimate Kitchen Rule - Use the Timer!
Ultimate Kitchen Rule -- Cook's Choice

"Sky" > wrote in message
...
> Today, while browsing through my collections of recipes to find those
> for avocado soups, I came across a recipe for "Asian-Style Flank Steak"
> (Bon Appetit, November 2006; recipe follows) that intrigued me, so I
> decided to try that for this evening's dinner. The directions specified
> 'broiling' the flank steak after marination, but I was less than pleased
> with the results (grrrr)! I think pan-fried (er, sauteed) would've been
> better, but that's my own personal finding(s)(?!).
>
> In my cooking experience, I've rarely broiled anything, so I'm far from
> an expert or comfortable with that technique. I followed the recipe to
> the "T" with nary a modification, unless one counts it cheating since I
> used garlic paste from a tube and ginger paste from a jar for the
> marinade/sauce.
>
> What techniques provide the best results when using the broiler in the
> oven?
>
> I preheated the oven/broiler & broiler pan(s) before I put on the flank
> steak (natural gas). I had the rack & broiler pan set as high as
> possible in the oven closest to the flame. But, the flank steak didn't
> get a nice crispy outside as was shown by the photo (I bet it was
> air-brushed??!), and I worried about it getting over-done. I think
> grilling the flank steak over very hot coals would've provided a good
> 'bark' instead of the lame finished product I ended up with! The steak
> was still tasty, but I didn't like the 'cosmetic' result.
>
> Sky, who likes her beef to practically "moo"!


Food photography is an art and the food is rarely cooked as shown in the
recipe. The milk poured on cereal is a mixture of milk & white glue. The
grill marks on meat are usually created with an electric charcoal starter.
Trust not your eyes unless it is plate that Barb has posted.

As example "
http://www.ppmag.com/articles/10/Sec...hotography.php

Preparing food for photography is like making magic. There are tricks to it,
like making grill marks on steak with a red-hot rod that's been heated over
the stove, or turning shortening and flour into "ice cream" that won't melt
under the lights, or making a coffee or tea stand-in look dark and rich with
brown gravy color additive, or soaking mushrooms in bleach to make them
white, or my favorite, getting that beautiful brown glaze on the skin of
baked turkey by basting it with brown gravy coloring mixed with liquid soap,
then cooking the bird just long enough for the skin to look perfect. You
would definitely not want to eat these foods.

There are also a few tricks to make your photos look real. For example,
combining certain chemicals to make smoke, or creating bubbles around the
rim in a "freshly poured" cup of coffee with floating plastic bubbles or a
dash of dishwashing soap, lightly beaten with a small whisk. And it's always
handy to have at least half a dozen plastic ice cubes available for "cold"
drinks.

Cooked vegetables are lightly steamed to bring out the color, then cooled
and immersed in ice water, carefully arranged on a plate, then coated with
cooking oil to make them look hot and appetizing. Hot drinks are rarely hot
and cold drinks are never cold. Condensation on the glass holding a "cold"
drink is carefully applied with a brush dipped in glycerin.

As you can see, little of the food you photograph will be what it looks like
in the final image. All of this magic and all of these tricks are designed
to give the photographer time to capture an image that represents the ideal
vision of the food.

Dimitri