Grilling steaks for Father’s Day? Check out these tips from Wolfgang’s Steak House.

Wolfgang’s is owned by a father and son who started with one location in Manhattan, dry-aging their own beef. Now they have four Manhattan restaurants and a total of 12 worldwide, from Beverly Hills to Hawaii to Korea and Japan.

Executive chef Amiro Cruz wants you to help you home-cook your steaks like the professionals do. Here are his tips to cook a perfect steak:

1. Buy USDA prime cuts. Yes, USDA prime is the most expensive beef and the very best you can buy. You get what you pay for: a truly superior taste and texture. Here are the different grades of beef.

2. Buy for rib eye steaks. Rib eye is the connoisseur’s favorite cut, considered the most flavorful.

3. Use only kosher salt and freshly-ground pepper for seasoning. When you have such a high-quality piece of meat, you don’t need marinades and herbs: You want to taste the essence of that steak. You don’t need to add any oil or other fat. The grill will be hot enough so the meat won’t stick.

4. Don’t worry about the temperature of the raw steak. You may have been told to bring the meat to room temperature before grilling, but it doesn’t matter. Chef Cruz takes his steaks straight from the fridge, at 41°F (which is what the FDA recommends).

5. Get the grill blazing hot. Once the grill is hot, clean it with a kitchen towel dipped in oil, making sure to handle the towel with a pair of tongs so you don’t burn yourself. Then, throw on meat. Steakhouse chefs prefer to char the steak. Some people don’t like a ton of char, and you might be nervous about burning the meat; but charring gives steak the right flavor. Once the first side is appropriately charred (after about four minutes for medium rare), flip it to the other side and repeat.

6. Use a meat thermometer. Simply touching the meat to see if it’s done is the technique professional chefs use. But if you grill steak only occasionally, a meat thermometer is a foolproof way to know exactly how done your steak is. Rare is 130°F, medium rare is 135°F, medium is 140°F and so on, with five-degree increases. Don’t have a meat thermometer? Run to the nearest hardware store or kitchen goods department, or order one online.

7. Rest the meat. Once it’s done cooking, don’t dig in right away. Let the meat rest for 5-10 minutes so the juices inside can distribute. If you cut it right away, they will drain out and you’ll lose the juiciness.

8. Cut against the grain. If you’re slicing a steak to serve more than one person, be sure to cut against the grain. While cutting against the grain is more important for tougher cuts like London broil, even with a top steak it makes for a softer chew. Just look for the lines that run through the meat and cut perpendicular to them.
 
Don’t forget to put some fresh vegetables on the grill. Even people who don’t like to eat raw bell peppers, onions, etc. enjoy them grilled.

Here are the best vegetables to grill.
 
HOW MANY DIFFERENT CUTS OF STEAK HAVE YOU HAD?

Check out the photos in our Beef Glossary.

If Dad loves doughnuts, get up an hour earlier and bake a batch for his breakfast.

Yes, bake them—no frying required with these cake-like doughnuts from King Arthur Flour.

To bake doughnuts you’ll need a doughnut pan to hold their shape. If you don’t want to invest in one (they’re $16.95 at King Arthur Flour), see if you can borrow one.

You can serve them plain, with a sugar coating or with a chocolate glaze.

What could be better? We added crisp, chopped bacon to top the doughnuts from King Arthur Flour.

RECIPE: BAKED DOUGHNUTS, CAKE-STYLE

Prep time is 20 to 30 minutes; bake time is 15 minutes; icing time is 5 minutes, then a few minutes to let the icing set.

Ingredients For 12 Doughnuts

 
For The Optional Sugar Coating

 
For The Optional Chocolate Icing

Top: It’s easy to bake doughnuts (photo courtesy King Arthur Flour). Center: We added chopped bacon as a garnish (photo courtesy d’Artagnan | Facebook). Bottom: Don’t want chocolate? These apple cider doughnuts pre-date chocolate in history (photo Karo Syrup).

 
Plus

 
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*If your palate knows great chocolate, a good bar (Chocolate, Dove, Green & Black’s, Godiva, Guittard, Lindt, Perugina, Scharffen Berger, etc.) is better than chips—unless you use Guittard chocolate chips, our favorite.

Top: For a lemon glaze, add a teaspoon of lemon juice and grated peel to the icing (photo courtesy GoBoldWithButter.com). Bottom: Another sweet-and-salty doughnut, topped with pretzels (photo courtesy ACozyKitchen.com).

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the wells of two standard doughnut pans. If you don’t have two pans, just bake the batter in two batches.

2. WHISK together the cocoa, flour, sugar, baking powder, espresso powder, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

3. WHISK together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and vinegar in a large measuring cup or medium-sized mixing bowl. You may notice some curdling of the milk, which is normal.

4. ADD the wet ingredients, along with the melted butter or vegetable oil, to the dry ingredients, stirring to blend. There’s no need to beat the batter; just make sure everything is well-combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan(s), filling them between 3/4 and full.

5. BAKE the doughnuts for 12 to 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Remove the doughnuts from the oven; after 30 seconds, loosen their edges, turn the pan upside down over a rack, and gently let the doughnuts fall onto the rack.

5a. For sugar-coated doughnuts, immediately shake the doughnuts in 1 tablespoon granulated sugar; add 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder to the sugar for an additional touch of chocolate.

6. COOL the doughnuts completely before icing. Combine the chocolate chips and milk or half-and-half in a microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup. Heat until the half-and-alf is steaming and starting to bubble. Remove from the microwave, and stir until the chips have melted and the icing is smooth.

7. DIP the top of each doughnut in the icing; or spread icing over the top. Garnish as desired.
 
A BIT OF DOUGHNUT HISTORY

Although dough was fried in oil as far back as ancient Rome, food historians generally credit the invention of deep-fried yeast doughnuts to Northern Europeans in Medieval times. The word “doughnut” refers to the small, round, nutlike shape of the original doughnuts—the hole came later. “Donut” is an American phonetic rendering from the 20th century.

Doughnuts were introduced to America in the 17th century by Dutch immigrants, who called them oliekoecken, oil cakes (i.e., fried cakes). In the New World, the doughnut makers replaced their frying oil with lard, which was plentiful and produced a tender and greaseless crust.

Other immigrants brought their own doughnut variations: The Pennsylvania Dutch and the Moravians brought fastnachts to Lancaster, Pennsylavnia and Winston-Salem, North Carolina, respectively; the French brought beignets to New Orleans.

The word “dough-nut” first appeared in English in the 17th century. The word evolved from dough-nut to doughnut to donut. The airy, yeast-leavened dough-nuts (like Krispy today’s Kremes), were joined by cake doughnuts, leavened with baking powder or baking soda (like Dunkin Donuts).

By 1845, recipes for “dough-nuts” appeared in American cookbooks. Chemical leavening (baking powder) was substituted for yeast to produce a more cakelike, less breadlike texture; and inexpensive tin doughnut cutters with holes came onto the market.

Why a hole? For efficiency, the cooked doughnuts were staked on wooden rods.
 
The Dawn Of National Doughnut Day

Spell it doughnut or donut, the holiday was created in 1938 by the Salvation Army, to honor the women who served donuts to servicemen in World War I (at that time, it was called the Great War).

American Kobe Beef hot dogs (photos courtesy Snake River Farms).

If Dad is a hot dog fan, consider treating him to what may be the world’s best hot dogs for Father’s Day: American-style Kobe beef hot dogs from Snake River Farms (also called Wagyu—the difference). The package label calls them “haute dogs.”

These gourmet dogs elevate the familiar to a new, delicious level. Snake River Farms American Wagyu hot dogs are crafted from 100% American Wagyu beef combined with a signature blend of spices, then slowly smoked over hard wood.

Even the casings are special: These are skin-on dogs with an authentic firm bite that’s the hallmark of a truly authentic hot dog (and will surprise you if you’ve only had skinless dogs).

You get what you pay for. One pound of franks, five pieces, is $16, or $13 for packages of four or more, at SnakeRiverFarms.com.

 
BIG DECISIONS

How do you serve the world’s best hot dog?
 
First, pick a great bun.

 
Next, select the condiments.

 
If you’re looking for something more elected, check out yesterday’s tip on gourmet hot dog toppings.
 
IF THIS DOESN’T WORK FOR YOU ON FATHER’S DAY, NATIONAL HOT DOG DAY IS ON JULY 25TH.
 
THE HISTORY OF HOT DOGS.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KOBE & WAGYU.
 
ABOUT SNAKE RIVER FARMS

Snake River Farms meats are served three-star Michelin-rated restaurants. Products include American Wagyu beef, fresh Kurobuta pork, ham (a NIBBLE favorite).

The family-owned business began more than a decade ago with a small herd of Wagyu cattle from the Kobe region of Japan. The Wagyu bulls were crossed with premium American Black Angus to form a proprietary herd that has developed into one of the finest groups of Wagyu/Angus cross cattle in the U.S.

From its Wagyu beef and Berkshire pork, Snake River Farms also makes gourmet hamburgers, sausages, frankfurters and hardwood-smoked bacon. All items are prepared with only the finest ingredients, and deliver an exquisite eating experience. We love them!

What a nifty idea for birthdays! It’s from Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat, the sisters who authored Bite Me. This recipe is from their second book, Bite Me Too. Their latest book, Lick Your Plate, has recently hit the shelves.

Combine vodka, chocolate liqueur, cream and white cake mix, and top it with whipped cream and sprinkles. That’s a celebration!

And you don’t have to wait for the birthdays of friends and relatives. You can find hundreds of famous people any any given month. In June alone, there are:

 
Here’s the full list.

Ingredients Per Shot

 
Preparation

1. MIX the first four ingredients in a shaker with ice; strain into a shot glass. Garnish with whipped cream and top with sprinkles.
 
Variation

If there are children in attendance, give them chocolate milk or a shake, garnished with the whipped cream and sprinkles.
 

DISCOVER MORE AT BITEMEMORE.COM.
  

Audra’s magnificent naked cake: chocolate and peanut butter. We’re about to eat the computer screen. Photo courtesy TheBakerChick.com.

Oh, how we love you Audra, The Baker Chick. Your emails with such beautiful photos of your recipes make the day better. Even if we don’t have time to make them, just looking at them is sheer satisfaction.

In time for Father’s Day, Audra created one of our favorite cakes*: a rich chocolate naked layer cake with a peanut butter filling and a brush of frosting. Thank you, thank you!

A naked cake is related to a stack cake. Both are layer cakes and are so newly trendy that the terms are used interchangeably. A stack cake has zero outside frosting; a naked cake can have a light swath of frosting on the outside with some naked cake showing through, like this one.

And now…to the kitchen!
 
 
RECIPE: NAKED CHOCOLATE-PEANUT BUTTER LAYER CAKE (NAKED CAKE)

Ingredients For 10-12 Servings
 
For The Cake

 
For The Frosting

 
For The Ganache

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350F. Grease and flour two cake pans, lining with a circle of parchment paper. You can use 6-, 8- or 9- inch pans; of using 6-inch pans, make at least 3 layers.

2. WHISK together in a large bowl the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the water, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and eggs, and continue to stir until the batter is smooth.

3. DIVIDE the batter among the pans and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Set aside to cool.

4. MAKE the ganache: Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a simmer on the stovetop and pour it over the chopped chocolate. Whisk until smooth. Allow to cool and thicken before using (you can pop it into the fridge or freezer).

5. MAKE the frosting: Whip the cream to stiff peaks. Cream together the butter and peanut butter until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar until well combined. Fold in the whipped cream until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.

6. ASSEMBLE: Using a serrated knife, level each cake layer, slicing off the “dome” to make the layers even. Place the bottom later on a piece of parchment paper, on a cake turntable (you can use a pedestal cake stand, but invest in an inexpensive turntable). Spread a layer of ganache over the first layer of cake, sticking it into the fridge or freezer as needed between each frosting layer, to firm it up.

7. CONTINUE with a layer of frosting, then another layer of cake, more ganache, more frosting, etc. Add some frosting to the outside of the cake, smoothing with a spatula. Top with chopped peanut butter cups.

 
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*She adapted the base cake recipe from a Martha Stewart cake.