Steaks are wonderfully delicious, they are loaded with intense umami flavors which makes them the best piece of meat for that barbecue party you’re planning to have. However you choose to cook a steak is all up to you, but whether you choose to grill them, sear them in a pan, or bake them in an oven, steaks would always be a delicious treat to your tastebuds.
When cooking steak, it is not advisable to cook it immediately after taking it out of the fridge, you need to allow the meat to rest for at least 10 minutes or more. Resting the steak before you cook will allow it to get to room temperature, and this would help the steak cook evenly.
In this article, you would also get to learn some useful tips and guidelines to help you achieve the perfect steak every time
Steak Nutrition Facts
Tips to Cook The Best Steak Ever
Cooking steak is a very exciting experience, and achieving the perfect steak is crucial, so if you want to elevate your steak game, follow these tips and guidelines:
Resting the steak before cooking – Resting steak allows it to come to room temperature (72°) which is warmer than the temperature inside the refrigerator, resting steak ensures your meat isn’t burnt on the outside whilst cold on the inside, well some theories suggest that resting the steak before you cook it wouldn’t make much of an impact on how well the steak cooks, some experts also disagree with that and urges you to rest steak before cooking. Whether it helps the meat cook properly or not, it sure helps in browning and it is also not so safe to put ice-cold meat in hot oil. The time you should rest the steak before you cook it is at least 10 minutes.
Season the steak generously – to ensure you get the best flavors out of your steak, it is best to season it. However, when your steak goes into the pan, it loses some of those seasonings, so it is best to season heavily before you cook the steak. When prepping your steak, season both sides of the meat, also make sure you apply the seasoning to the edges of the meat, you can also season again just before it enters the pan.
Dry the steak – water is the enemy of a good sear, so to ensure your steak comes out looking and tasting good, you need to dry off excess moisture from the meat before and after seasoning because salt draws moisture to the surface of the meat. You can pat the steak dry with a paper towel, or you can go as far as adding cornstarch to salt when seasoning.
No color means no flavor – getting a good sear on your steak is crucial, so make sure you get a nice brown color on each side of your steak. Searing meat caramelizes the natural sugar in the steak, this will result in brown color on the outer part of the meat and an intense umami flavor.
Baste the steak – when cooking steak in a pan, you should always baste it. I like doing this with butter, but you can use another fat of your choice. Basting your steak will make it cook faster and evenly, plus you would get a much juicier steak.
Rest the steak after cooking – to amplify the flavors of your steak, and also make them ten times juicier, you should rest the steak for a couple of minutes before serving. Why you should rest your steak is because the steak continues to cook for a while even after the heat has been taken off.
Always cook with a thermometer – if you are not cooking meat with a thermometer, then I’m afraid you’re cooking meat the wrong way. For your steak to reach a “well-done” status, it needs to reach an internal temperature of 160°, so to ensure your steak comes out great you should use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the steak from time to time.
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Resting Time for Steak at Room Temperature
Note that some homes are much warmer than others, so it is good to check the temperature of your kitchen before leaving the steak out to rest.
| Room temperature | Resting time |
| 72°F and above | 2 hours |
| 90°F and above | 1 hour |
| Below 72° | Up to 4 hours |
Steak and potato nachos (2 servings)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Remove your steak from the refrigerator and set it to rest while you prepare your potatoes.
- Start by cutting 2 potatoes into thin slices, place them in a bowl and add 4 tablespoons of olive oil, and 2 teaspoons of paprika, also add some salt and black pepper and mix properly.
- Place the potatoes on a parchment paper on a baking pan, make sure you separate the potatoes and do not cluster them.
- Put the baking pan in the oven and bake at 450°F for 20 minutes and ret it rest afterward. While it rests, prepare your steak.
- Pat your steak dry with a paper towel, and season the steak with salt and black pepper.
- Add some olive oil to a hot pan and fry the steak until it is well colored on both sides.
- Remove the steak from the pan and allow to rest for 10 minutes
- Cut the steaks into small bite-size pieces
- Arrange the baked potatoes inside a dry pan in a round pattern, also add the diced steaks into the pan, finally generously sprinkle shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese into the pan
- Toss it in the oven, under the broiler setting in your oven, and broil for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Transfer to serving dishes and garnish with any garnishment of your choice.
- Enjoy your meal with a friend
This delicious potato and steak dish is pretty quick and easy to make, you can have it with friends, or during dinner time with the family, do try it out. If you would want to see other recipe ideas for steak, check out this video recipe.