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So here you are, a typical urban or suburban couple on a typical evening. The conversation goes something like this:
"What do you want to eat?"
"I dunno. What's in the fridge? We have any leftovers?"
"I want some good food for a change. Let's go out!"
And so away you go, and with tax and tip you end up laying out $40 or $50 for a meal that, while it is satisfying, is nothing you couldn't create at home for less than half the price if you just did a little preparation on your own. The secrets to good food aren't having tons of cooking knowledge or restaurant experience, they are preparation and the willingness to experiment and learn.
Say you love steak, but you're sure that the only way you'll get that steakhouse taste is to go to Ruth's Chris and lay out $60 or $80 per person for dinner. Would you believe you can get a steak just as good at home? It's true!
The first thing is to get the best piece of beef you can find. Steakhouses in general use USDA Prime beef, the best quality available. You'll pay up to $20 a pound for it, but that will be your only real expense for the adventure.
Next, you'll want to age it, unless the place where you buy it already does so for you. A lot of high-end butcher shops dry-age their beef, but if you can't find one that does, you can do it yourself in your refrigerator. Just put the steak on a rack over a plate or pan, cover it with a porous lid of some sort and place it in the back of your refrigerator for a couple of days. You'll end up with great aged beef!
Don't over season the beef, either. A little cracked pepper and kosher or sea salt put on a few minutes before grilling is all you need. Let the steak come to room temperature, then cook either over a hot grill or in a cast-iron skillet heated to 500 degrees in your oven. A couple of minutes on each side and you've got good food, as good as any restaurant, in your own home! It's easy to make good food.