Going out for steak is a treat we all crave. There’s just a sense of excitement that comes when we find a quality steak that we don’t get with any other meal.
But wouldn’t it be great to cook the perfect steak at home?
After all, we can’t always go to a restaurant so it would be great to have the same restaurant-quality steak at home.
Here’s the best way to cook steak at home:
Finding a Quality Steak
The first step is to buy the right steak. No matter how well you cook, if you choose poor-quality meat you won’t get the best results.
You want to opt for USDA prime beef. This is one of the highest-quality beef products available. You will likely have to go to a large supermarket or meat market to find this. Make sure you stock up on this type of beef as it’s quite hard to find.
You should also try to find aged beef if you can. Aged beef is popular among steakhouses and adds to the flavor and tenderness of the steak.
Gathering the Ingredients
Once you’ve got the steak, you’ve got to then get the right ingredients to cook it in. To cook a great steak, make sure you have a slab of rich and creamy butter. As an alternative to butter, you can use olive oil or vegetable oil of your choice.
You also need seasoning for your steak. Your seasoning has to include sea salt, black pepper, and parsley.
You can find whatever additional spices or ingredients you want. However, as a beginner, you should focus on mastering cooking a steak first. Once you’ve gotten the hang of it should you experiment with other ingredients.
Cooking Materials
Make sure that you have the right cooking materials to prepare your steak. Often, because we cook our steaks without special material they don’t come out the way they are in restaurants.
For starters, make sure that you have a cast-iron pan. These are able to manage higher temperatures of heat as opposed to regular non-stick pans.
Make sure you also have a great spatula for your pan. This should help you stir the steak, flip it over, and serve it on a plate. You also want to make sure you have at least one great steak knife.
You have to use the steak knife to cut the steak. While cooking, you’ll have to test the tenderness of the steak by piercing it with the steak knife. Now let’s start cooking the steak!
Initial Preparation
You should first heat your oven to 450º F. Next, take the steak out from the fridge and leave it on the kitchen counter. Let it naturally warm over a few minutes.
Heat up your pan on medium heat. You can use either one tablespoon of butter or two tablespoons of olive oil. Heat this for about 5 minutes. Make sure to stir the butter or oil as it heats up. You want to make sure you keep your distance from the pan in case of any flaring.
After these 5 minutes, change the heat to low heat. Then, spread the salt and pepper around the top and bottom of the steak. Let these seasonings soak into the steak.
Cooking the Steak
Once the initial preparation is done, you can place the steak into the pan. The heat might still be intense, so you might want to use a pair of tongs to place the steak into the pan.
You can cook the steak for 3-4 minutes. Make sure that you flip the steak over until both sides are brown.
You have to then place the steak in the oven. It takes 5-7 minutes to cook the steak to medium-rare. For medium-well and above, give it 2-3 minutes more.
Pan Basting the Steak
Once your steak gets cooked as above, you can serve it immediately. However, if you want to enjoy the flavor even more you can consider pan basting the steak. This method has a few more steps and brings more flavor.
The first step is to dry the steak using a paper towel. Make sure you firmly press the steak so that all the juices get removed. You want to leave it lying on the kitchen counter for about 30 minutes after this.
While the steak is resting, heat up your pan on high heat. For this concoction, you have to use vegetable oil. Pour 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil until the pan begins to smoke. Then, you can place the steak in the pan.
Continue to flip the steak over until both sides are golden brown. Once this is done, keep the steak in the pan and lower the heat to medium heat.
Place 4 tablespoons of butter and the spices/seasoning of your choice. Baste the steak in this mixture while regularly flipping it over. Make sure the entire mixture is soaked into the steak before you finish heating the steak.
After about 10 minutes of cooking, you can leave the steak out to dry for 5 minutes. It’s then ready to serve!
Serving the Steak
So now you want to serve your steak to your hungry patrons! You want to consider the atmosphere to decide how to serve your steak.
For example, are you preparing steak to watch a sports match? If so, you want to cut steak slices that can get eaten by hand. This way, your guests can enjoy your steak without turning away from the TV screen. As a side note, you can see this source for great basketball picks.
For a burger, make sure to place the steak between bread after you place your toppings. This way, the hot steak can melt the cheese and add to the flavor of vegetables.
For a formal dinner, serve the steak as it is. For sides, you can choose mashed potatoes and an assortment of vegetables.
Bon Apetit
Now that you know how to make a quality steak, your home can become a great steakhouse! Make sure you always follow the steps in this guide to serve the perfect steak each time.
You can find more great cooking tips and recipes on our website.
