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The art of perfecting beautifully cooked cuts of meat is not an easy job, and making small errors could seriously affect the quality and taste of a steak. To help you achieve the perfect steak, either on the barbecue or grill, this summer, one chef has pointed out some of the simplest yet biggest mistakes home cooks have been making.

Cher Andy Hearnden, better known as Andy Cooks on TikTok, recently shared the top three mistakes he's seen people make over the years when they come to tackle a steak. He explained that these simple food mistakes are "ruining" your steaks. One centred around the type of fat that's added to the pan or grill - and we should be avoiding oil at all costs.

In a recent video uploaded to his TikTok page, Andy explained that you should never cook your steaks with oil. Instead the chef recommended using tallow as the fat of choice.

Tallow is a type of animal fat, usually made from rendered beef or mutton fat derived from suet. Tallow is a solid, white fat that is made when suet is melted down to separate the fat from other tissues and impurities.

Not only is it used in cooking, but is also used to make the likes of candles. A benefit for using tallow to cook steaks is that it has a high smoke point, meaning it can be cooked at a high temperature before it begins to visibly smoke and break down.

The fat can also help add an extra layer of flavour to your steak, too. Andy explained: "Tallow is a fantastic natural fat, but more importantly, it adds far more delicious beefy flavour to your steak."

Andy also advised home cooks to not be afraid of over-seasoning steaks. A thick cut steak will need a liberal amount of salt, as most of it will stay in the pan.

He also suggested creating a dry brine for the steaks, which can be left marinating overnight. Lastly, you should always leave your steaks to rest after cooking.

He said: "Now I know you want your steaks hot, I get it, so do I."

To avoid the steak being cold when eaten, the chef advised to leave it to rest, then flash fry in a hot pan again for 20 to 30 seconds on each side just before you want to eat.