On Fri, 12 May 2006, itsjoannotjoann wrote:

>
> notbob wrote:
>
> > I wouldn't consider these country fried steaks. Sounds more like a
> > swiss steak. But, those can be good, too.
> >
> > nb
>
>
> Nooo, not a swiss steak at all. I may be wrong, but I think swiss
> steak has tomatoes or tomato sauce in the gravy. Chicken fried is
> served *immediately* upon completion of cooking with a generous
> helping of gravy. The breading on chicken fried steak is always
> crunchy. Country fried is just as I described; cube steaks are cooked,
> gravy is made, then the cooked cubed steaks are placed back in the
> gravy to lightly simmer for an hour. This will tenderize the steaks
> even more. Try it, mighty good!
>
>

Yes, I agree. Chicken fried steak is breaded and fried crisp, like fried
chicken. The gravy is separate. It is "white gravy" or milk gravy and it
is laddled over the crispy steak. The other two, the meat is dredged in
flour and "browned" is a small amount of oil, removed from the skillet,
gravy is made from the pan drippings using flour to make a roux, water
(or tomato juice for swiss steak) is added to make a gravy, the meat is
added back to the skillet, the respective ingredients are added and it is
simmered for about an hour with a tight-fitting lid to keep in the
moisture. The gravy thickens and the meat plumps. Yum. With my country
fried steak, I add onions and bell peppers and, sometimes mushrooms to the
simmering pot.

Elaine, too




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