We all love a juicy steak from time to time. New York Chef Arturo McLeod of Benjamin Steakhouse, has spent more than 30 years in the meat preparation business. The former 20-year veteran of Peter Luger’s tells ESSENCE.com how to order and cook a healthy steak. The Brooklyn native gives tips on choosing the right sides when dining out and how to determine the best meat at a butcher.
ESSENCE.com: How did you become a chef? CHEF ARTURO: I started cooking at home and I used to work at a place called Down State Medical Center in high school but learned how to cook a steak at the famed Peter Luger Steak House. I always loved being a cook.
ESSENCE.com: What do you enjoy the most about cooking? ARTURO: I love seeing the expression on people’s face after they are done eating. It is very fulfilling knowing that they enjoyed my food.
ESSENCE.com: We know your specialty is steak, why a focus on steak? ARTURO: It’s just a simple process to be honest, you know people enjoy steak. So why not stay with something that people enjoy?
ESSENCE.com: How should we order healthy meat at a steakhouse? ARTURO: There are a lot of different things that you can do, but we can start with the filet mignon, which is a very lean steak so it means healthy. If you want fish, we have salmon, which is a very light fish or tuna. The tuna is a great choice because it has no fat. Also, you can request no butter on the steak.
ESSENCE.com: What are the best healthy sides to order or even cook at home? ARTURO: You could order steamed broccoli or grilled asparagus. Another choice is steamed spinach. The grilling and steaming are the lean ways when ordering at a steak house. These are just as easy to make at home.
ESSENCE.com: So we have our sides for ordering out and cooking at home, what are some things that we should look for at a butcher? ARTURO: You want a nice red color meat when looking at a butcher. You don’t want it to be dark, you want it to be fresh. When you look at the meat you don’t want it looking dark. Make sure it has white lines in the meat, the lines are the marble in the meat that makes it nice and juicy.
ESSENCE.com: What is the best way to cook a healthy steak? ARTURO: The best way is to put it on a grill or in the oven. I know most people enjoy medium- well steak, but the healthiest way to cook your steak is well-done.
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