Size of 8 Ounce (New York) Strip(ped) Loin Steak- After Cooking.

I must admit , when I first read the E-Mail asking this question, my first thought was that It had to be one of the most ridiculous I ever received.

But, to the unknowledgeable, say, someone on a diet, someone out on their own for the first time, a novice cook, even a professional, registered, CHEF; is it really? On second though I do not think so; there are so many-rarely considered- variables, contributing factors, all-must be considered.

The (New York) Strip(ped) loin steak is avery popular, easy-to-prepare cut, and the most popular steak in North America (with the highly mass-advertised and promoted) higher-fat Rib Eye coming in a close second and gaining fast; which I find rather strange, considering many people, especially in the United States of the Americas, do not know what rib-eye steak even is.

8-oz each, this is sort of a standard size for this cut, unless you're talking about a real steakhouse portion, which are usually twelve to sixteen ounces. Since an 8 ounce portion is, through necessity, a fairly thin piece of meat, it will cook pretty quickly; especially so, if it's from - once again, mass advertised, highly promoted in the United States of the Americas fad-grass-fed cattle (possibly because they, like Canada, and Australia, are losing the battle over copyrights of the names Kobe and Wagyu with the Japanese).Grass-fed beef is, supposedly, much lower in fat, (this will, of  course, depend greatly, on how the animals are “finished” and/or handled just prior to slaughter) so it cooks faster, and can dry out faster if over-cooked. However, any meat can be cooked, very successfully, from a frozen state and, with such a thin slice of meat-think of such steaks as a ½ lb. hamburger patties- this may even be well advised.

You will often hear it claimed that there are many different ways to cook a steak, which there are; but they are not the methods many self-professed CHEFS attempt, to describe the use of. You can bake a steak. You can broil it, grill it, and/or roast it (three different words describing really,the exact, same method). You could, pan-broil it (preferable). You can even pan-fry or deep fry it (least preferable methods). Some of the tastiest and undoubtedly tenderest, steak is braised.

Porterhouse: The first cut, taken from the full short loin, contains The largest portion of tenderloin and a stripped loin steak-before it becomes a stripped loin steak. The thin wedge of bone between the two sections of the steak imparts loads of flavour. The fact that it comes from the loin — where meat is extremely tender — makes it a little pricey

T-bone: T-bone steaks are much like porterhouse steak, except that they contain a smaller section of tenderloin fillet because they are usually slightly less expensive than a porterhouse, they are a fan-favourite, but the highly promoted

Ribeye comes from the rib fillet of a bovine, hence its name. Although, many of you, even after all the advertising and promotion, still have no real concept of It is; what many of you now, think when the word "steak" comes to mind:  some say, “It has beautiful marbling (thin layers of fat in between meat), giving it a silky texture and a robust taste.”

Stripped Steaks: come from the shortloin, a place where, unlike the ribs, most muscles are seldom used and therefore particularly tender.

“Sir-Lion”: Because now, common usage, sirloin can refer to either top sirloin — a tasty but expensive cut of meat — or the bottom sirloin, in which case it's just called a sirloin steak. This cut comes from the rear back of the animal, near where the T-bone and porterhouse are. Buy a thick steak — anywhere from 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches. Why are thick steaks better than thin steaks? With thin steaks, it's nearly impossible to get a perfectly brown, crispy outside and a pink, juicy interior. With thick steaks, getting that balance is a lot easier. It's always possible to share a 12 or 16 ounce steak with two or more people, and sharing one big steak between two people is always better than having one small steak per person.

To soak or not to soak — that is the question. Many steak aficionados frown on the idea of adding anything but salt and pepper to a great cut of meat. And for good reason: The meat itself is supposed to shine. But, what about before the meat is portioned into steaks; that are another –more pressing question.

In Conclusion: In the modern “global” market place, with all the “wet packed” non-aged meat, unlisted by-product additives huge variance in meat quality, and animal age—considering all the methods of preparation and the varying preferences as to “doneness”; there is absolutely no possible way of predetermining what the size of an 8 oz. stripped loin steak will be, after it is cooked.© Al (Alex, Alexander) D. Girvan. All rights reserved.