You've Got to Try Meghan Markle's Hack for Cooking the Best-Tasting Steak Ever

Author image: Candace Davison, PureWow executive editor

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Published May 25, 2023

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Before launching her organization Archewell, before becoming a royal, before Suits—Meghan Markle, 41, was a foodie. Well, duh, you might be thinking. She ran a lifestyle site named after her favorite type of wine (The Tig, short for Tignanello), her roast chicken was the talk of her engagement and back in 2018, she wrote the foreword to Together: Our Community Cookbook.

First, congrats on being so well-versed in the Markle-verse. Second, her passion delves much deeper than those headline-grabbing moments. Fellow people-who-brainstorm-dinner-while-eating-lunch, she's one of us. Seriously.

Through her kitchen experimenting, she's developed a foolproof way to take steak to the next level. And no, it doesn't involve A1, or even a reverse sear. Even the most cooking-averse can conquer this hack.

Meghan Markle cooks as part of the 'Together' cookbook launch

WPA Pool/Getty Images

During a 2016 interview with her for Delish, she told me that before she serves steak at home, she always adds one finishing touch: a squirt of lemon juice. "Nobody tastes the lemon, but it really brings out the steak's flavor," she said.

It's something I was recently reminded of and became curious: I'd heard of putting lemon on raw steak to tenderize it, as part of a marinade, but after it’s cooked? Does it really make steak taste better? As it turns out, there’s a reason why citrus works so well here.

Just like lemon juice can brighten the flavor of fish, it can enhance a steak. The acidity of the juice cuts through the meat's fat, complementing the salty, charred exterior of a filet hot off the grill. It also literally makes your mouth water, Slate found, making each bite of that dish seem all the more irresistible.

Meghan Markle Mom Doria Prince Harry CAT

Getty Images

So, if your steak’s a little too well done? Add lemon. You bought a cheaper cut and you need to jazz it up? Add lemon. You want to swipe on some RevitaLash, throw your hair into an artfully undone chignon and pretend you’re the Duchess of Sussex as you dig into a filet mignon? Well, you get the idea.

If you’re feeling really fancy, upgrade from the simple spritz of citrus and try topping your steak with our lemon-herb sauce instead. Pair it with a platter of French fries and a glass of red wine—her two "vices," as she referred to them during our interview—and you've got a meal fit for a royal.

Candace Davison is PureWow’s vice president of editorial, overseeing food, home and major franchises, like the PureWow100 review series and the Happy Kid Awards. She’s covered all things lifestyle in her 10+ years of digital media experience, though she has a weakness for baking (she has *opinions* on stand mixers), DIY-ing and gadgets, all of which she shares on PureWow and her social media accounts. Davison has published multiple cookbooks, and her work has appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine, House Beautiful, Good Housekeeping, Cosmo, Esquire and Delish, among other publications.

PureWow is the best friend you never had when it comes to finding the best, most useful lifestyle products online. Founded in 2010, our company’s editors and writers have spent more than a decade shopping online, digging through sales and putting our home goods, beauty finds, wellness picks and more through the wringer—all to help you determine which ones are actually worth your hard-earned cash. From our PureWow100 series, which sees each and every item we test being ranked on a 100-point scale of awesomeness, to the painstakingly curated lists our fashion, beauty, cooking, home and family editors create as vertical experts, you can trust that our recommendations include some of the greatest items you’ll find on the internet. Whether you're looking for travel-size hair dryers you can take on-the-go or women’s walking shoes that won’t hurt your feet, we’ve got you covered.

Candace Davison

VP of editorial content

Oversees home, food and commerce articles
Author of two cookbooks and has contributed recipes to three others
Named one of 2023's Outstanding Young Alumni at the University of South Florida, where she studied mass communications and business

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