Wrong. Plainly put, steak is best when cooked INDOORS! Steak’s best friends are a well-seasoned cast iron skillet and an even heat source that won’t flare as the fat renders. Restaurants often sear steaks, then take the pan directly to the oven to finish cooking (usually with several tablespoons of butter directly on top of the meat).
So even though there are lots of different cuts of steak, there are some general rules that will apply pretty well across the board:
1. Let steak come up to room temperature before cooking. Most steaks need to cook quickly, a cold center will stay cold unless cooked longer.
2. Season steak well with salt and a little pepper. Don’t go overboard on flavored seasoning or you won’t be able to taste the meat.
3. Leaner cuts should usually be cooked quickly at high heat. Fattier cuts with more marbling should be cooked a little slower to give the extra fat more time to render.
4. Learn to cook cheap, tough cuts well so they taste expensive. Buy more expensive cuts only when they’re on sale.
5. Thinner cuts risk overcooking if you move from stovetop to oven. Use the 2-step method if steaks are over 1” thick, or if you feel extremely comfortable using it. Otherwise, cook steaks for approximately the same amount of time on side 2 as side 1 using the stovetop.
6. Don’t cut steak to see if it’s done. Use the finger test. Poke your steak with your finger, and compare it to the firmness of your hand as you flex each finger. Check out the diagram here:
Now that we know the basics, let’s jump into the recipe.
Ingredients:
Steak
Salt & pepper OR steak seasoning
Directions:
1. Ensure cast iron skillet is clean and properly seasoned.
2. Place steaks on cutting board large enough to prevent overhang. Season to taste, salting liberally.
3. Let steaks sit out at room temperature 1-1 ½ hours before cooking. If pets are a problem, move steaks to microwave or cool oven.
4. Preheat oven to 400° and move top rack up to second highest position in oven. Set stove burner to 4 (out of 10) for marbled steaks, 5 for leaner steaks. Grease pan with a high smoke-point fat.
5. Blot outside of steaks with paper towel to remove excess salt and moisture before laying into pan. Give steaks room to breathe if cooking several or if steaks are large. Moisture could deter searing if steaks are crowded in pan.
6. Sear on the first side according to the chart below. When steaks release easily from the pan, flip and sear according to the chart below, or move to the oven and bake at 400° according to the chart below.
7. Use the finger test to check doneness. Remove steaks from pan and set on fresh cutting board (do not cross-contaminate with raw cutting board).
8. Allow steaks to rest at least five minutes before serving. Enjoy with a potato in one of its five million forms and any combination of green or other brightly colored vegetables.
That’s it. That’s how you cook a steak. It’s super-easy, delicious, and can often be an affordable meal if you shop around (although red meats do tend to be high in saturated fats, so maybe just once in a while).
For approximate times and temperatures on different cuts, check out this handy infographic I made! It’s very general, so a few adjustments may need to be made, but it’s a good place to start for your basic steak-cooking guidelines. On side 2, in case it wasn’t clear, the left column is stove-top, the right column is for the oven.
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