Steaks are cuts of meat, particularly beef which are commonly cooked through broiling, grilling or frying. There are several steak cuts that you can find in meat shops as well as restaurants.
Some of the more popular cuts are Porterhouse, T-Bone, Sirloin and Tenderloin; sometimes referred to as Fillet Mignon. Serving portions in restaurants usually start at 6 ounces and then goes all the way up to 14 ounces in increments of 2.
In some restaurants, they serve bigger-than-average portions which are 18 and 24 ounces.
How Big is a 4-Oz. Steak?
A 4-oz. steak is about 0.1134 kilograms or 113.4 grams. Its physical dimensions can be likened to a deck of cards. Comparing this to a deck of cards, you will have roughly about 2.5 inches x 3.5 inches of steak.
If you have a small palm, comparable to that of a woman’s palm, this is also about the size of a 4-ounce steak.
This steak size however is quite difficult to find in restaurants serving steaks, or what is normally called a steakhouse. If you are watching your weight and would like to have a smaller portion, it is best to share a 6-ounce steak with another or take the remaining half home.
Incidentally, for those watching their diets, most dietitians recommend getting a lean cut of steak with a serving size of 3 ounces.
For your reference, a lean 3-ounce steak has approximately one hundred and sixty-five calories, twenty-one grams of protein, nine grams of fat and zero carbohydrates.
Cooking Degrees
Depending on your preference, steaks can be cooked in several degrees. Raw steaks, which are of course uncooked, are typically used in dishes such as Carpaccio, which is a dish served as an appetizer where the meat is cut in thin slices; and steak tartare, a dish with finely chopped meat and marinated in wine, served chilled.
Rare is slightly cooked at 52 degrees Celsius where the center is still red but a bit warm; while Medium Rare is cooked at 60 degrees Celsius where the center is likewise still red but completely warm.
Medium Rare is the typical cooking degree in most steakhouses.
Medium is also cooked at 60 degrees Celsius but the middle portion is hot and slightly reddish-pink. Medium Well Done on the other hand, is cooked at 65 degrees Celsius and the steak is light pink.
Well Done meanwhile is cooked at 71 degrees Celsius, and the steak appears grayish-brown and may be a little charred. Overcooked is of course bitter to the taste buds and appears dark all over.