STEAK is often seen as a luxury but you can enjoy one at home for a reasonable price.
TV chef Aldo Zilli tried out some sirloins from eight different supermarkets.
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While his cooking was of course perfect, Aldo rated the cuts out of five on taste and quality . . .
Aldi Ashfields 21 Day Matured Sirloin Steak 195g, £3.49 (£17.90 per kg)
★★★★☆
I CAN’T get over the price of these sirloin steaks, although they’re not quite as big as the standard 8oz .
The taste is just as good as the price though.
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The sirloins were very tender.
However, there isn’t much fat on the steak to give it that flavour.
Morrisons Market St British Sirloin Steak 227g, £4.99 (£21.98 per kg)
★★★☆☆
A VERY tough and chewy steak. It took a while for me to eat it.
It had a more fat down the side on it than the other steaks I tried.
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It shame as it wasn’t the cheapest either.
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But I couldn’t fault the cooking.
Tesco Sirloin Steak 227g, £4.60 (£20.26 per kg)
★★★☆☆
WHILE the price of this 8oz sirloin is competitive, I unfortunately wasn’t impressed when I found some gristle inside mine.
Some of the meat was tasty, but there were other parts that weren’t amazing.
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M&S 21 Day Matured Sirloin Steak 227g, £5 (£22.03 per kg)
★★★★☆
THERE wasn’t much fat, which isn’t necessarily a good thing.
However the upside of this meant I got a lot of meat, which was pretty tasty.
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I could also really taste the rosemary and thyme I had it cooked in.
Waitrose Aberdeen Angus Beef Sirloin Steak 150g, £4.95 or 2 for £8 (£33 or £26.67 per kg)
★★☆☆☆
BEFORE I even started cooking, I knew this was a rip-off.
Half of the steak was fat, and it’s really thin.
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It’s more like a meat scallop or Steak Diane than a sirloin.
The taste wasn’t much better, as it was very chewy.
Lidl Birchwood Sirloin Steak Grass Fed 283g, £5.99 (£20.46 per kg)
★★★☆☆
A REALLY generous cut, offering 283g rather than the usual 227g.
But there was too much fat.
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It was also very tough and chewy, more so than a lot of the other steaks.
Having said that, I still enjoyed it and found it tasty.
Asda Succulent Prime Beef Sirloin Steak 227g, £4.60 (£20.26 per kg)
★★★★★
THIS sirloin has nailed it on both value and taste.
It’s got exactly the right amount of fat, the thickness is very good and it is full of flavour – and not just because I cooked it.
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My winner, for sure.
Sainsbury’s 30 Days Matured Sirloin, Taste the Difference 225g, £5.25 (£23.13 per kg)
★★★★☆
IT was so tender you didn’t even need a steak knife to cut it.
However, I do wonder if the more affordable range is just as good and if you can really Taste the Difference between the two sirloins.
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Aldo’s tips for perfection
I HAVE a simple go-to for whenever I cook steaks – although it’s not the quick meal everyone thinks.
The night before, I recommend marinating your steak in rosemary, thyme, sea salt and olive oil, covering it and putting it in the fridge.
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Then, an hour before you want to cook it, take it out of the fridge to let it get to room temperature.
When you go to grill it, make sure your nonstick pan is extremely hot, or the steak will broil.
For this reason as well, you want a minimum amount of oil in the pan, and you want to get rid of as much oil as possible on the steak before you put it in.
I like my steaks medium rare to rare.
For this, you just need to grill the steak for three or four minutes on each side.
Then, turn down the heat to medium and baste with the herbs and butter.
Rest it for at least half an hour, ideally 45 minutes, to make sure it’s nice and tender when you dig in.
The longer you rest it, the more tender it becomes.
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