Making a Delicious and Beautiful Steak

It’s opening day for the MLB and your favorite team is about to lead off. The weather is perfect, the drinks are cold, and the snacks are waiting to be shared. The only part left to prepare is the main course. You could go for the traditional hotdog and hamburger, but tonight you decide to make a statement. You want a perfectly cooked steak. The problem is you have no clue how to cook one and you don’t have a grill…

Today we’re going to learn how to cook a beautiful steak at home, on a stovetop, with ingredients I promise you have.

Finding the Right Steak

First things first you’re going to need a slab of meat. If you’re new to the steak game, I would recommend a New York Strip. Steaks have different “cuts” which refer to the area of the cow the steak is from. Popular cuts are filet, ribeye, T-Bone, New York Strip, and Flank. I recommend the New York Strip because it has enough fat to flavor the meat but not too much where you’re going to be grossed out.

You’ll know it’s a strip steak by seeing a “strip” of fat on one side of the meat. See Image 1 below.

Steak Prep & Cooking Instructions

For this simple recipe you’ll only need the following items:

• fry pan

• salt

• pepper

• olive oil

Prepping the Meat:

Step 1: If your steak has been sitting in the refrigerator, take it out and place it on the counter for ~10 minutes. This is to bring the steak to a warmer temperature in order to cook evenly. If you skip this step, there’s a good chance you’ll overcook the outside before the middle is done.

Step 2: Start heating up your pan. Bring your fry pan to medium high or high heat so you can sear the steak. The purpose of searing a steak is to create a “crust” so the steak unlocks new flavors while cooking.

While your pan is heating up, coat the steak with a thin layer of olive oil on all sides. Season the steak with salt and pepper liberally and trust me when I say you’ll want more salt than you think. The oil will serve the purpose of sticking the seasoning to the steak while forming a non-stick barrier in the pan.

Cooking the Steak

Step 3: Test your pan’s heat. Wet your hand and flick a couple of water droplets on the pan. You’ll know it’s hot enough if the droplets are dancing around the pan instead of immediately evaporating. Once it’s hot enough, place the steak in the pan.

Step 4: After about 2 minutes, flip the steak over and begin to sear the other side. You should see a brown crust beginning to form. After another 2 minutes, flip the steak on its side to ensure the entire slab is seared to perfection.

Step 5: After searing, move the pan off the burner to a safe place so it won’t catch the house on fire. This is to cool the pan down while avoiding burnt meat. Once you put the pan in a safe place, turn the heat down below medium and return the pan to the burner. Cover the pan with a lid and continue to cook the steak at the lower temperature.

Step 6: Flip the steak every couple of minutes until you reach the desired “doneness”. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, you can use this trick. Press on the middle of the steak with a spatula, if it is the softness of your cheek, it is rare. If the steak is the softness of your chin, it is medium, and if it is the softness of your forehead, it is well done. Once you’ve reached the desired softness, remove the steak from the pan and put it on a plate.

Resting the Steak

Step 7 IMPORTANT: Once the steak is done cooking, you NEED to let it rest. This means placing the steak on a plate for 5-10 minutes after it’s been cooked. Do not cut the steak yet. The resting period allows the center of the steak to continue to cook, reabsorb the juices, and improve the overall eating experience. Don’t come this far just to eat the steak fresh off the pan.

Step 8: Enjoy!

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