1. Marinate It

Not only do marinades add flavor to steak, but they also tenderize less expensive cuts of meat. If that weren’t enough, a recent study showed that steak marinated in either beer or wine can help reduce the nasty carcinogens that are caused by grilling meat by up to 90 percent.

A quick and easy marinade:
Put your steak in a gallon-size zip-top bag. Add a bottle of beer, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 3 smashed cloves of garlic, and a few grindings of fresh pepper. Zip the bag shut and give it a little shake to mix up the ingredients. Let the bag sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. To get the carcinogen-blocking benefits, be sure to let it marinate for at least 6 hours. Just before cooking, remove the steak from the marinade and pat it dry.

—Marissa Rothkopf Bates

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