Was there a frozen (?) product in the '70s called ‘Minute Steaks’? I googled, and it seems it’s a well-known concept; but I could swear there was a product called ‘Minute Steaks’ that dat bought in a supermarket (most likely, Safeway) in the mid-'70s.
My mom made “minute steaks” for us growing up in the Midwest in the '60s. They were just very thinly sliced steaks from the eat counter that cooked in a minute. I remember them being tough. I don’t think she did anything else to them.
A knock-off version of Steak-umm or no?
I have a vague memory of beef (of unknown but probably cheap cut) that was very thin, and looked like it had been tenderized to within an inch of its life, that was called a minute steak, but not as a brand name. This was many years ago. I never bought or ate one.
You can take any decent cut of steak, say top sirloin, slice it into thinner pieces, and pound it until it is about 1/4” thick, then cook it about one minute per side. Chef John recommends, in addition to salt and pepper, a thin coating of regular fine bread crumbs on each side, which (he says) makes it more tender and juicy.
I remember Minutes Steaks as a brand here in Chicagoland. It would have been late 70’s or early 80’s. They were a huge treat when we had them. No onions, always melted cheese; possibly Merkts cheddar – never cheezewiz.
Later, in the early 80’s we would get philly steaks from Market Day through school.
Minute steak still makes an occasional appearance in butcher shops and the freezer-fresh sections of supermarkets. Its not a specific cut of beef, just thin-sliced and fairly small (its minute, in fact) and plausibly cooks in just 60 seconds.
Probably best for when you want some cooked meat to add to say a steak sandwich, or a Thai beef salad but can’t be arsed with the 90 seconds of prep.
To reiterate: I’m not talking about ‘minute steaks’ that you make at home, or buy from the butcher’s counter. I’m asking about a packaged, frozen product.
I do remember the Steak-umm brand name. It’s possible that that’s what dad bought, and he called them ‘minute steaks’. OTOH…
Time frame is about right (maybe a little later). We were in SoCal.
My dad used to fry Minute Steaks (a brand name) for me when I was little. They were thin slices of beef that made good sandwiches. I don’t remember them being tough at all, so I imagine they were tenderized either chemically or mechanically. I do, however, remembering them having a certain aroma as they cooked, especially once they were salted. My mouth still waters whenever I remember how they smelled.
This was in Minneapolis back in the early '60s. When I was living in Toronto, the local supermarket stocked “minute steaks” from Armour, I believe. These were frozen burgers a lot like the ones served in my junior high cafeteria, and nothing like the Minute Steaks my dad fed me. They still had that salty aroma when fried, however, and weren’t bad. I used them to make Egg McMuffin-style breakfast sandwiches.
Minute steaks are just very thinly sliced steaks. I used to live off them in grad school (late 90’s) because they were cheap (toast a bagel, ketchup, throw on a slice of American cheese and a minute steak and dinner sorted for about $1.50). My GF (now spouse) put a stop to that when we started dating.