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What Are the Best Tips for Using Leftover Steak?
Leftover steak can be used for many delicious meals such as sandwiches, stir fries, salads and soups. If you have a piece of leftover raw steak, you may want to marinade it with seasonings, a little oil as well as soy sauce, honey and orange juice before you grill or saute it. Steak is usually best when cut diagonally across the grain into fairly thin slices. This method typically gives any type of beef its most tender presentation.
For soups, you may want to further cut the cooked steak slices into bite-sized cubes. A little black pepper, beef broth and vegetables such as peas or green beans can make a soup made with leftover steak tasty and delicious. Warmed bread rolls as well as a crisp salad and a cold glass of milk can complete the beef soup meal.
Leftover cooked steak can turn a green salad into a lunch or dinner main course. Leftover cooked corn kernels and raw, thin green pepper slices may be added to a leftover steak salad. An Italian or vinaigrette dressing can be the best choice, but any other type could be used instead. Since this is a cold meal, a steak salad can be especially good for a hot day since the stove doesn't have to be used and it's fast to prepare.
Stir fries made with a blend of different vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, onions and celery plus leftover steak can be delicious. The beef should always be thinly sliced. Pepper and garlic make great flavorings for steak stir fries as does soy sauce. Steak-based stir fries tend to taste even more delicious when a thick, gravy-like sauce is made by stirring in a thickener such as cornstarch or flour into the soy sauce.
Cooked slices of steak are great in either hot or cold sandwiches. For a tasty, creamy hot steak sandwich, split open and toast a submarine bread roll. Heat some canned, condensed mushroom soup over low heat with only a little milk to make a thick sauce. Season with pepper and add cooked slices of leftover steak. Spoon into the submarine roll to serve. A little grated cheese of any type may be added to the hot sandwich before serving.
When making cold steak sandwiches, it's a good idea to vary the bread. Using a roll or a tortilla can make the leftover steak sandwich more interesting. Garlic bread with leftover steak on top is a popular sandwich, but it tends to taste best served warm rather than cold.
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![Leftover steak can be used in salads and soups.]()
By: Jag_czLeftover steak can be used in salads and soups. -
![Some cooks add thinly sliced steak to Vietnamese pho and other Asian soups.]()
By: sugar0607Some cooks add thinly sliced steak to Vietnamese pho and other Asian soups. -
![Leftover steak can make a delicious cheese steak sandwich.]()
By: mackoflowerLeftover steak can make a delicious cheese steak sandwich. -
![Leftover steak can be used to top fresh salad greens and other vegetables.]()
By: Kablonk MicroLeftover steak can be used to top fresh salad greens and other vegetables. -
![A steak stir-fry can be served with brown rice in order to increase its nutritional content.]()
By: Stepan PopovA steak stir-fry can be served with brown rice in order to increase its nutritional content. -
![Leftover steak could be added to a salad to create a hearty meal.]()
By: Gennadiy PoznyakovLeftover steak could be added to a salad to create a hearty meal. -
![A variety of salad dressings may be added to a steak salad.]()
By: design56A variety of salad dressings may be added to a steak salad.
Discussion Comments
@Chmander - Now that you mention it, I had never even thought of that before. Giving leftovers to the homeless would be a great idea! However, I think there are two factors that need to be taken into consideration.
First, there are those who pretend to be poor, as a way to get free money and food off of others. It's often hard to tell the difference between who is telling the truth and who's not. Second of all, isn't it possible for the homeless (or anyone for that matter) to become susceptible to diseases? After all, they are eating food scraps that had saliva on them, right?
Speaking of leftovers, I've always wondered why when some people go to restaurants, they decide to throw their food away instead of getting a box to save it for later. On another note, when the customers don’t want their food, why can’t the leftovers be given to the homeless? Are people really that selfish? No offense, but as Americans, I feel that sometimes we’re way too greedy.
We've become so pampered, that we rarely take anyone else into consideration. I know this is going to sound cliche, and even though you’ve heard it hundreds of times, think of all the starving children in other parts of the world. They would love to have what we have.
@Viranty - I agree with you that many dishes can be made from leftovers, and that things shouldn't go to waste, unless they have to. This obviously doesn't apply to everyone, but I feel that sometimes we can become a little too spoiled, and not very thankful for what we have.
Also, as far as leftovers are concerned, I love using leftover chili. Not only does it taste better on the second and third night, but you can make the oh-so-tasty chili dogs, and you can even put the chili on top of your grilled cheese. It tastes great, and it shows that there's a lot of variety in how you can use your leftovers.
Not only do I enjoy how this article discusses the ways in which leftover steak can be used, but even more so, I like how it puts emphasis on how we shouldn't waste food. In other words, you can make more than just a meal from the "scraps" that people would normally throw away. On another note, I had actually never thought about making cold steak sandwiches before. The next time I have some leftover beef in the fridge, I'll definitely take that into consideration. This was a great read!
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