Air fryer steak
The key to juicy, tender steak is to air fry straight from the fridge, rather than allowing the meat to come to room temperature. Perfect with salad and new potatoes.
Ingredients
- 2 beef sirloin or rump steaks (225g/8oz each), fridge cold
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
- salad or vegetables
- freshly boiled new potatoes or baked potatoes
Method
Place the air fryer crisper plate (grill pan/tray) inside your air fryer drawer (basket). Preheat at 200C for 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the steaks in a bowl and toss with the olive oil. Put onto a plate or board and sprinkle with ½–2 tsp black pepper and a little salt on each side. If you love a peppered steak, go for the full amount of pepper; for something milder, season more lightly.
As soon as the air fryer is hot, add the steaks, leaving a little room around the sides and between them for the hot air to circulate. Cook for 4 minutes, then turn the steaks using tongs or a couple of forks and cook for a further 4 minutes for medium-rare. For well-done steak, increase the cooking time by around 1 minute per side.
Transfer the steaks to two warmed plates. Carefully remove the crisper plate and pour any cooking juices over the steak (not all steaks will release juices or fat, so don’t worry if you don’t have any at the base of your drawer). Serve with salad or vegetables, and boiled new potatoes or baked potatoes.
Recipe Tips
This recipe is perfect for cooking standard steaks, around 2cm/¾in thick. If you’re cooking fillet steak, increase the cooking time a little. This method is not recommended for thin-cut steaks, unless you are happy to have a more thoroughly cooked result.
If your steak has a very thick layer of fat, trim some off before cooking, as it can take a little longer to cook and you don’t want your steak to be overdone before the fat is ready.
This recipe was tested using 4-litre/7-pint capacity air fryer. If yours is larger, you will need to adjust the timings given. You may need to cook the steak in batches if you are using a smaller capacity air fryer and timings will vary.