Meet Velvet Steak: The Easiest, Most Tender Beef You'll Ever Try (2024)

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If you live in the United States, most likely, you have been to a Chinese-American restaurant and probably have had one of the big three: beef and broccoli, General Tso’s chicken, or orange chicken. All of which start with the same key cooking method: velveting.

When I was a museum educator at the Museum of Food & Drink in New York City and I led countless tours in the Chinese-American foodways exhibit we always talked about this method of cooking. You may have never heard of the term, but have probably eaten its results, especially in chicken dishes. Find out why this cooking method is so popular and how it can be used on beef for the most tender steak ever.

What is Velveting?

Velveting is a cooking method where usually tough cuts of meat are marinated in a cornstarch or baking soda mixture or slurry. This tenderizes the meat without altering its taste while also helping the meat to retain moisture so it doesn't dry out while cooking, especially in something like a stir-fry.

Why You Should Velvet Steak

Velveting is most commonly done with chicken, but it can be done with almost any meat, including beef and pork. In fact, one our most popular recipes at Allrecipes is Chef John's Velvet Steak with Korean Chili Butter.

Because the velveting process is great for tenderizing tough cuts of meat, it works really well on beef cuts like sirloin and flank steak. The cornstarch (or baking soda) and oil mixture used to marinate the meat helps the meat retain moisture while cooking for a more tender, juicy steak.

How Do You Velvet Steak?

The cornstarch method is the most common way to velvet and the one used in this steak recipe:

1. Start by whisking cornstarch, water, and oil. You can also add other ingredients for flavor such as soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, seasonings, and egg whites.
2. Once you have your slurry mixture, mix in the meat. Let the meat marinate in the mixture, refrigerated, for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours.
3. Rinse off the cornstarch from the meat with cold water (hot water can cook the meat). Pat the meat dry with a paper towel and it's now ready for cooking. Alternatively, you can simply shake off excess marinade and cook it without rinsing (which will give the meat a nice brown crust).