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I've tried now on three separate occasions to cook steak in a pan and I just cannot get the right results. All the recipes I've looked at say to get your seasoned cast-iron skillet very hot, leaving it on the highest setting on your stove for about 4-5 minutes. I don't put oil in the pan but rather on the steak, along with sea salt and crushed peppercorns. Now, ultimately I'd do 5 min per side for med rare if the cut is 1 in thick, but last night I tried that with a nice t-bone and could only get 5 min and then 3 on the other before the smoke got so bad I actually got worried that I was about start a damn fire. My stove does had a vent. The steak turned out pretty good. The temp was very nice but the char was kind of overboard. Could it be the type of oil I'm using (extra virgin olive) or could it be that I've not seasoned my pan right? I can't imagine my pos stove is just freakishly hot. Any tips?
Olive oil has a very low smoke point. That's why you should be careful using it in your oven. You could switch oils (use canola).
One question, are you cooking the steak entirely in the skillet? I sear it in the skillet and finish it in the oven. 500 degrees.
Thought that might play into it. I've gotta go to the store anyway so I should stock up on canola.
Entirely in the skillet. I've seen people transfer to the oven after the sear but have never tried. I Youtubed several vids of people cooking entirely in the pan and it NEVER smoked like it does when I try it. It always seems to just stay nice and consistent. I really do think the olive oil is a major culprit to my fail. I still have one t-bone left. May try again tonight. Pics if so
+1 on using an oil with a higher smoke point. Peanut oil is also very high and imparts no odd flavor.
If your skillet is flat bottomed put the oil in it rather than on your steak. That way you can use it as a temperature gauge. Use one level below max stove heat to keep pan from getting too hot too fast, especially since cast-iron retains heat so well.
When the oil is shimmering and you just barely start to see the first wisps of smoke throw in your room-temperature, seasoned and patted-dry steaks. Sear on med-high heat for 2-3 mins., depending on thickness.
Turn steaks, then place on middle/lower rack in pre-heated 500 degree oven. There will be plenty of heat left in the pan to sear the other side. At this point I usually turn the oven off and let the steaks coast into their final internal temperature.
If you have a grill pan with ridges you can also put a layer of salt to fill the ridges. This will absorb excess oil and prevent smoking.
+1 on using an oil with a higher smoke point. Peanut oil is also very high and imparts no odd flavor.
If your skillet is flat bottomed put the oil in it rather than on your steak. That way you can use it as a temperature gauge. Use one level below max stove heat to keep pan from getting too hot too fast, especially since cast-iron retains heat so well.
When the oil is shimmering and you just barely start to see the first wisps of smoke throw in your room-temperature, seasoned and patted-dry steaks. Sear on med-high heat for 2-3 mins., depending on thickness.
Turn steaks, then place on middle/lower rack in pre-heated 500 degree oven. There will be plenty of heat left in the pan to sear the other side. At this point I usually turn the oven off and let the steaks coast into their final internal temperature.
If you have a grill pan with ridges you can also put a layer of salt to fill the ridges. This will absorb excess oil and prevent smoking.
I'll try this. I totally forgot about peanut oil. It's gonna be turkey-frying time in a few days so why wait!
Chances are your pepper is burning not the oil. Also, there's really no reason to use oil when cooking a steak unless its a bland zero fat piece like tenderloin.
Next time you cook a steak, salt it really well then cook it. If you're looking for more flavor, make a sauce to go with it. For any high spiced steaks either cook on a grill or make sure you have a nice hood system.
P.S a good heat range on my stove is 6-7 I sometimes cook up to 3" thick steaks, smoking isn't an issue, however if my stove was on high, the outside would burn before the inside gets at all warm.
P.S.S if you need to add any type of fat to a steak, I prefer butter. once again tenderloin anyone?
Oil for the most part will burn/smoke when heated in an empty pan, when you have ingredients in the pan with the oil, it makes burning/smoking it a lot harder unless you cook all the moisture out of your ingredients but at that point you'd have very burnt food anyways.
P.S a good heat range on my stove is 6-7 I sometimes cook up to 3" thick steaks, smoking isn't an issue, however if my stove was on high, the outside would burn before the inside gets at all warm.
I've never been a fan of cooking a steak completely in the skillet. I get the best results finishing in the oven. Everybody is different when it comes to steaks. It's always nice to try other people's food.
Also, I was kidding about the oil. I've been cooking long enough to know all about setting off smoke detectors.
I've never been a fan of cooking a steak completely in the skillet. I get the best results finishing in the oven. Everybody is different when it comes to steaks. It's always nice to try other people's food.
Also, I was kidding about the oil. I've been cooking long enough to know all about setting off smoke detectors.
Best way to do a steak is to cook it in the oven at 180-200o until it reaches around 100-105 internal temp, then crank up the stove and sear it really fast on both sides, this will make the transition from sear to red nice and smooth where if you cook it 100% on the stove top, it will get that weird gray part between the sear and the red middle. If you sear it then finish it in the oven it ends up being in the middle, not as much of a gray middle but it will still be there. Problem is the very hot sear slowly works its way in making the part between the sear and middle being slightly over done, better then 100% cooking in a pan that's for sure.
Keep in mind I'm taking about making a nose pointing up perfect steak. all 3 ways will put out a good steak if its seasoned right, its just a matter of how well you know steaks.
Never heard of that. I always pan sear, then a couple minutes on each side in the oven at 500 degrees.
Then again, I prefer butter for cooking meat over oils. So everyone is different. But I've definitely never had any weird "gray" areas in my steaks.
Again, I'm talking about making the perfect steak, most people would never notice anyways. Just like most things in the food world, its very hard to find anything done great. Steaks at restaurants for me are I'd say 80% failure rate even when at steak houses, we're (my wife and me) almost always disappointed with them, However the next person will love it. Ruth Chris anyone? Not bad but for the price.... I'd take out outback for cheaper.
As I said before, all 3 ways will turn out a great steak if seasoned right the rest is about splitting hairs on taking it that extra step in the texture category.
I agree with you on butter, if you do need to cook in a shallow fry, I always add a bit of butter up to 50/50 ratio to help flavor the oil, IMO a must do for chicken or scallops. Adds that extra richness.
For hotdogs, I like to roll my dingies around a pan to sear them a bit, then add water about 1/4 way up the hotdogs, heat them in the water til it evaporates, at that point they should be just starting to split.
Meh, I don't cook a steak over anything except wood and charcoal unless I absolutely have to. I've never had a steak made better in a pan or oven than over coals.
The "perfect" steak never even sees a skillet.
But seeing as how perfect is subjective, there are likely disagreements there.
EDIT: BTW, Jeff, are you a chef? You sound like a chef I know who calls himself a molecular gastronomist. Good cook, kinda weird though.
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Last edited by Flick Montana; 11-22-2009 at 02:59 PM.
Meh, I don't cook a steak over anything except wood and charcoal unless I absolutely have to. I've never had a steak made better in a pan or oven than over coals.
The "perfect" steak never even sees a skillet.
But seeing as how perfect is subjective, there are likely disagreements there.
Pan VS a grill is a hard one, some of the best steaks I've had have been cooked in a pan, even at very high end steak houses, however there's something about picking up a wood flavor and getting that char. I'm 50/50 on it.
Main reason why pan searing does so well is the most flavorful part of a steak to most people is the searing on the steak. With a pan 100% of the top and bottom surface is seared where with the grill you just have grill marks.
I'm split down the middle on that one =) both if done right are perfect in their own way lol.
I do have to point out most people who get pan seared steaks end up getting them at home or someones home, and due to the person not knowing how to make a great steak it will just be so so, where grilling steaks IMO is a lot easier to not mess up. a lot more room for error plus more people are open to trying it.
I don't know if it is necessarily the flavor alone that makes me prefer wood and charcoal. It's the whole experience for me. I can't explain it. Maybe it's a subconscious thing, but everything I eat from a wood or coal fire is better.
If you get a nice flame in the grill, you can char a steak pretty good. For me personally, I would kill for a blackened ribeye with my cajun char any day.
I love this cooking forum. Everyone has different tastes, yet no one has to yell at each other. Screw you, political forum!
Question about pan-frying steaks. Mad smoke.
