How to Cook Steak in a Frying Pan
from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can EditThis method ensures the juiciest, tastiest, well-done steaks and chops, despite the howls of derision that will probably arise from the lips of "expert" chefs!
Ingredients
- Steaks or chops about 1-2" thick
- Salt, pepper, herbs.
- Cooking oil such as canola, peanut or a light olive oil
- Butter
Steps
- Rinse steaks with cold water, pat dry. Liberally sprinkle salt (preferably sea or kosher salt) and pepper over one side and rub in well, using either your fingertips or the back of a spoon. Turn meat over and repeat on the other side.
- Pour some cooking oil into a frying pan and heat up to medium/medium high heat. When the oil is just about smoking (hot), put meat into pan, being careful not to crowd the steak so as to develop a flavorful crust (if you crowd the steak it will steam, not sear). You should hear a sizable sizzle.
- After a few minutes, check the underside of the steak to see how the sear is developing. You are looking for a deep, brown/mahogany crust. Adjust the heat as necessary to avoid charring or overcooking the meat - you do not want to heat it too long or it will become dry.
- When well seared, flip the meat and wait a few more minutes, depending on the thickness of your cut and how long the sear took to develop. Remove the pan from the heat, add a good chunk of butter and (optionally) some sprigs of thyme and rosemary. Another great way to add flavor is to make a brush out of the twiggy herbs and use it to slowly 'paint' the meat a few times with the butter and the pan juices. Often we see professional chefs 'basting' the flipped meat by spooning the hot oils onto it over and over. This can help develop a deeper top crust, but be careful not to splash the hot oils.
- Remove from the heat when just under-done and WAIT 5-10 MINUTES. The residual heat of the steak will cook it to medium-rare perfection. Put aluminum foil over the meat to prevent heat loss, but always let the meat rest so the juices have a chance to settle in the steak. Consume.
- You notice there are brown bits left in the pan (you used a stainless steel pan right?). You can make a sauce out of them by deglazing the pan with wine or stock and adding flavorings such as butter, herbs, shallot or garlic. This is known as a pan sauce.
Warnings
- This technique produces an extremely well-done steak when the meat is less than one inch thick. Even changing the time of the second section to three minutes on each side may overcook your meat. For steaks that are about 1 inch thick, try reducing the time of the second section to two minutes on each side if you want a rare to medium rare steak.
- Many steak eaters do not prefer their steak well-done. If you are cooking for someone else, please check with them for their doneness preference before cooking your meat in this fashion. There are other ways to pan-fry a steak, leave it flavorful, and medium-rare to medium-well done.
Things You'll Need
- A fork and a knife.
- A healthy appetite can be added for extra enjoyment.
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