If you’ve ever seen steak being cooked on T,V you were probably wondering how to get that beautiful sear. Now that it's winter, our steak cooking options are fairly limited to the stove and oven, but this isn’t a bad thing. If you know how to sear and cook a steak like a pro, you probably wouldn’t cook it any other way! Read on to learn more about the searing process, the science behind it and how to cook your steak to get the perfect cook each time.
Searing means to cook something on a very hot surface very quickly. The process that turns meat brown is called the Maillard reaction. This reaction occurs when you heat sugars and amino acids together at temperatures between 300 and 500 degrees F when it comes to meat.
In the past, it was thought that searing would seal in the meat juices while cooking, however, this was proven to be false. What searing does is caramelize the proteins and sugars in meat. This browning doesn’t just make it look appetizing, it amplifies the steaks amazing flavor! Another benefit of searing is that it causes a difference in texture between the outside and inside of the steak, making it that much more delicious to our taste buds and brains.
While searing might seem complicated, it's actually quite simple. All you’ll need is:
Step 1: Take your steak out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you plan to cook it.
Step 2: Once your steak reaches room temperature, pat it down on all sides with a paper towel. You want to make sure your steak is nice and dry.
Step 3: Season your steak with a generous amount of salt and pepper.
Step 4: heat your pan over a high flame for 5 minutes, making sure it gets nice and hot. Then add your oil.
Step 5: When the oil starts to smoke, add your steak to the pan. Do not move the steak!
Step 6: Let the steak cook for 2-3 minutes, unmoved, until a crust is formed.
Step 7: Use tongs to flip the steak over. Now you can add butter and any other seasoning you want such as garlic and rosemary, for example.
Step 8: while the steak forms its crust on the other side, spoon your butter over it.
Step 9: place the pan in the oven and let your steak cook till it reaches the doneness you like.
Step 10: when your steak is done cooking, transfer it to a cutting board and let it rest for ten minutes.
Bon Appetit!
