Skip Reheating Leftover Steak And Make This Cool, Tasty Salad Instead

While I’m sure none of you have ever experienced this thing called “leftover steak”, I’ve heard that it happens to some people, and that those people are greatly concerned with how they should be reheating it. Spoiler alert: You shouldn’t; you should make a salad instead.

Photo by J. Kenji López-Alt.

Let’s face it, reheated steak isn’t usually that good anyway. According to J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, this is because the cells of a steak are like “little water balloons, and cooking them weakens their walls so much that they’re ready to explode on impact”, and “that reheating a steak will almost inevitably lead to dry, disappointing results”.

Luckily, cold, already cooked steak is a perfect candidate for Lopez-Alt’s tataki-style salad, which requires nothing more than cucumbers, ponzu sauce, mustard, olive oil and (of course) cold steak. Just thinly slice your steak and cucumbers, whisk together your remaining ingredients to make a dressing, and drizzle that dressing over you dish. Sprinkle with scallions and serve immediately.

Scrapcook: Transform Leftover Steak With a Ponzu-Mustard Vinaigrette [Serious Eats]