Steak Recipes | Taste of Home (2024)

FAQs

What is the most flavorful way to cook a steak? ›

Grilling works well for most steak cuts, adding lots of flavor and allowing an even cook when you know how to grill steak properly.

The steaks should be evenly coated with the salt and pepper. When the pan is extremely hot, add the steaks and sear evenly on all sides (top, bottom, and sides) for about 2 minutes per side. (Be sure the cooking area is well ventilated.) You'll probably need about 3 turns to sear the sides and about 10 minutes total.

For cooking the steak, we also need a high smoke point oil (such as sunflower oil), plenty of salt and freshly ground black pepper, a little butter, and if you want to to add some extra flavour, a few cloves of garlic and some fresh thyme or rosemary sprigs.

There are many spices available for seasoning a steak, with salt and pepper topping the list. However, other spices, like thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, and minced onion, are also good options to enhance your steak's flavor. Or, use a one-and-done approach with Chicago Steak Seasoning.

In fact, whether they are seared on a grill or in a pan, finishing steaks in the oven is the standard in fine restaurants everywhere, and for good reason. Using both the stove and the oven creates the characteristic mouth-watering sear and tenderness of restaurant-prepared steaks.

Food scientist McGee is convinced that frequent flipping is what keeps the best steaks moist: “Frequent turns mean that neither side has the time either to absorb or to release large amounts of heat. The meat cooks faster, and its outer layers end up less overdone.”

They use a lot of butter

That's the result of adding a big dollop of butter to the pan right before the steak is served. Steakhouses use all sorts of techniques to make sure their steaks are juicy and flavorful, but many steakhouses aren't afraid to use a whole lot of butter.

When seasoning a steak, you can't go wrong with the classic freshly cracked black pepper and kosher salt. Finishing salts such as flaky sea salt and can be applied at the end as a final touch. Add some chopped herbs such as thyme, rosemary or sage to your salt to make a flavored salt for your steak.

How do chefs cook steak so fast? ›

Originally Answered: How do restaurants cook steak so fast? It only takes 4–5 minutes to get a perfect medium-rare steak in a very hot broiler or grill. It then sits in the warmer for 4–5 minutes while the rest of the food gets ready. So 10 minutes after the order goes in, the plate is served.

A good restaurant starts with good steak, which is made tender by a combination of very high fat content to start with, and long aging to allow the proteins to break down throughout (rather than the surface mush you get from enzymes and marinades). The very best results come from dry aging, for as long as a month.

Best cooking fat for steak

Flavourless oils like sunflower, vegetable or groundnut work best, and once the steak is searing you can add butter to the pan for flavour.

The timing. As a rule of thumb (for a steak 22mm thick) – cook 2 minutes each side for rare, 3-4 mins each side for medium-rare and 4-6 mins each side for medium. For well done, cook for 2-4 minutes each side, then turn the heat down and cook for another 4-6 minutes.

Choose a good cut of meat: Look for a steak that has good marbling, which is the fat that runs through the meat. This will help keep the steak moist and flavorful. Season the steak: Rub the steak with salt and pepper, or any other seasonings you prefer, before cooking. You can also marinate the steak for added flavor.

During cooking, aim to cook your steak medium-rare to medium – any more and you'll be left with a tough piece of meat. Turning it every minute or so will make sure you get a really even cook. After cooking, leave it to rest and rub with a little extra virgin olive oil or butter for an incredible, juicy steak.

Every armchair beef connoisseur has their own preferred, super-secret, “I swear by this” cooking method. Round these parts, we're partial to broiling steak for that perfect mix of seared outside and perfectly pink center. Broiling a steak locks in those flavorful juices with a quick, high heat sear.