The Cut Of Steak That's One Of The Worst To Make At Home

With some helpful guidance, steak is a food that can flourish in home preparations. Of course, there are lots of important things to know about the cooking technique. If you know how to pan sear steak, reverse sear, or grill meats to perfection, you're already well along the way. However, it's also crucial to select the right steak cut to begin with, knowing which cuts to buy and which to avoid. But out of all the candidates for homemade preparation, the worst option is round steak.

Three steak options come from this primal area: top and bottom round, as well the eye. Derived from a part of the cow just above the hind legs, it's a region that's muscular and used often by the cow. As a result, the region is low on fat marbling and flavor, which are two central qualities to a delicious homemade steak. Throw it on high heat, and you'll get a tough and tasteless steak. Although it's possible to prepare this cut into a delicious meal with other techniques, give it a pass when shopping for a traditional steak night.

This trio of steaks appears on grocery store shelves for a completely different aim: slow-cooking. With low heat and patience, the interior tissues will break down, melting into a result that's more tender. So if you did purchase this range of cuts, turn to methods like a slow cooker, cast-iron braise, or even a sous vide. In fact, one of the tastiest ways to cook top round is into a Swiss steak. While it may not be a traditional medium rare experience, it's nonetheless a delicious dish drowned in a rich tomato sauce.

Round steaks are affordable, which also means home cooks turn to additional techniques to take out the toughness. Pounding the cut by hand is a common technique, as is buying industrially cubed cuts, which contain machine-made incisions. Such processes make it more palatable to enjoy such steak cuts seared; they're often turned into breaded cuts, or covered in gravy. So although there are ways to make use of round steaks, just take note that they'll require extra work.