There are numerous ways to cook steak on the stove top, but the best steaks always contain the same essential ingredients. Remove the steak from the packaging and pat it dry before cooking it on the stovetop. You can also cool it by placing it on a plate. Flip it over once it has reached room temperature and cook until it comes to your desired degree of doneness. Please put it in a cast-iron skillet and season it evenly with salt. Heat the skillet to high heat, then flip the steak once or twice to ensure even cooking.
To make the steaks more flavorful, opt for thicker cuts of meat. A USDA prime-grade steak needs little more than salt and pepper, but a bit of something will do the trick most of the time. Add a few sprigs of fresh thyme while cooking your steaks to maximize their flavor. You can also add your favorite spices and herbs to enhance the taste of the steak.
What is Steak?
A steak, also known as “beef steak,” is a cut of meat sliced across muscle fibers and may include a bone. It’s usually grilled, but it’s also well pan-fried. Steak can also be minced and formed into patties, as in steak and kidney pie, cooked in sauce, and hamburgers.
Steak is a common way to serve cured meats like gammon. Steaks are frequently cut from various animals, including bison, camel, goat, horse, kangaroo, sheep, ostrich, pigs, reindeer, turkey, deer, zebu, and fish, particularly salmon and large fish like swordfish, shark, and marlin. These cuts are chops in some meats, such as pork, lamb and mutton, chevon, and veal.
Steak Nutrition Facts
| Nutrient | Amount per Serving | % Daily Value* |
| Calories | 250 | 13% |
| Total Fat | 20 g | 31% |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g | 41% |
| Trans Fat | 0.9 g | |
| Cholesterol | 62 mg | 21% |
| Sodium | 54 mg | 2% |
| Total Carbohydrate | 0 g | 0% |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g | 0% |
| Total Sugars | 0 g | |
| Includes Added Sugars | 0 g | 0% |
| Protein | 18 g | |
| Vitamin D | 0.6 mcg | 3% |
| Calcium | 10 mg | 1% |
| Iron | 2.1 mg | 12% |
| Potassium | 292 mg | 6% |
Note: *Percent daily values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet. However, it’s important to remember that serving sizes can vary and that these values may not apply to all cuts of steak or preparations.
How to Cook Steak on the Stovetop?
Make the juiciest steak you’ve ever tasted without a grill! That’s right, learn how to cook steak on the stove and in the oven so it’s tender, flavorful, and as delicious as it is at a steakhouse. We’re having steak tonight, so pass the baked potatoes and salad!
Ingredients:
- Steak: Use top sirloin, but any excellent cut of meat will work as long as it’s meant for grilling. Here are a few good options for your butcher’s case: NY Strip, T-bone, Filet Mignon, Porterhouse, and Flat Iron.
- Butter: Adds flavor!
- Salt & Pepper: Adds flavor, flavor, flavor! Also, the salt brings out that delicious meaty flavor steak has.
Directions:
- Place an oven-friendly pan over medium-high heat. Use cast iron because it’s a great, all-purpose cooking vessel. Also, preheat the oven to 350.
- While your pan is preheating, blot the steaks with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
- Melt some butter in your hot skillet and place your steaks in, cooking for 3-4 minutes on that first side without touching it or moving it around. We want to create a brown crust and solid sear, so we’re just going to leave it alone.
- After 3-4 minutes, flip your steaks over. Top each steak with a pat of butter and transfer them into your hot oven for 5 minutes, keeping them in the same skillet.
- Let these babies rest. After baking, transfer them to a plate and cover them with foil. After 5 minutes, take the foil off and slice thinly, and for everything pure and holy, cut against the grain.
Essential Points for Perfectly Cooked Steak on the Stove:
To cook the best steak on the stovetop, determine the steak’s temperature first. Check the internal temperature of the steak with a meat thermometer. Digital thermometers have a wide temperature range and can be used for deep frying.
Another tip for a crispier crust is to add butter and Worcestershire sauce while cooking. This technique also aids in the distribution of the meat’s juices, resulting in a more tender and moist steak. If the steak fits in your skillet, you can cook it on your stovetop.
Here are a few more points to ensure success:
- Use any cut of steak: Some of my favorite cuts to cook are ribeye, strip, and porterhouse, but any amount will do.
- Pat the meat dry and the season before cooking: Before you put the steak in the skillet, pat it dry to remove any excess surface moisture, which helps achieve a nice crust, and season it fairly liberally with salt. If you want to infuse your steak with extra flavor, you can strengthen the meat and let it rest in the fridge until you’re ready to cook. You can also marinate the steak to your liking if you want to season it with more than just salt.
- Turn on your exhaust hood!: Because you want to get your skillet extremely hot, there will be smoke when the steak hits the pan (if there isn’t, your skillet isn’t hot enough), so turn on your exhaust hood and open a window to avoid setting off your smoke alarm. It’s going to get smokey! There’s no getting around it.
- Baste your steak: Baste the steak with butter and herbs for that extra special restaurant touch.
- Don’t forget to let it rest: Once your steak is cooked to perfection, let it rest for a few minutes so the juices don’t run all over the plate from cutting into it too soon.
How to Choose the Best Steak?
When the carcass has been well-aged under controlled conditions, beef steaks are more tender and delicious. Three weeks, or 21 days, is the standard minimum, but newer techniques have extended this to over 30 days.
Extending the aging time of meat by aging it in caves made of Himalayan salt blocks, which appear to control unwanted bacterial action. Look foraging information on labels and expect to pay more for products that last longer.
The best beef will have a distinct dark red color, indicating that it has been properly aged. Beef that is pale and pinkish is usually underaged and thus tough and flavorless; this is especially true for steak cuts. Steak fat should be firm and creamy-white instead of yellow.
Where to Buy Steak?
Many types of fresh and frozen steaks are available all year in various retail outlets and from specialist online meat retailers. Fresh steak should only be kept in the refrigerator for a few days.
They can be purchased frozen or frozen at home, in which case they are used within a month or so and defrost slowly, ideally overnight,t in the refrigerator. Vacuum-packing extends the life of fresh meat for months and frozen steaks for up to a year.
Can you Also Cook Steak in a Frying Pan?
If you want a delicious steak but can’t access a grill, don’t worry! In a frying pan, you can quickly cook your steak. For best results, use a steak cut at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick and heat it for 3-6 minutes on both sides.
Baste your steak with butter and spices for added flavor before serving it with mashed potatoes, broccoli, and a side salad. Not to mention the red wine!
These cuts of meat are frequently used for pan-frying in restaurants. Rib-eye steak, t-bone steak, sirloin, fillet steaks, rump steak, and hanger steak are the best cuts for pan-frying. Grilling these cuts of meat is also delicious, but it takes more time.
Conclusion
You’ll need a heavy-bottomed pan with high heat to cook a steak on the stovetop. The surface temperature of heavy-bottomed metal pans is high, which helps the steak sear evenly. Also, the best steak is at least one degree above the desired final cooking temperature for stovetop cooking.
Because the meat continues to cook after it is removed from the heat, using a thermometer to check the temperature is highly recommended. Flip the steak after being browned on one side and repeat the process. It should only take a minute or two to flip the steak. After that, season to taste with two tablespoons of pepper and salt.
After four minutes, flip it again to ensure even browning. You can add the butter after the steak has been browned. The steak will be ready to cook in the skillet. Depending on the thickness of the meat, this process can be repeated several times.
