How to cook a steak
Cooking a steak is a skill, but it isn't difficult once you know a few simple tricks. There are many approaches to getting the right combination of juicy interior and flavourful crust, this is just one method. For a full discussion of how to cook a steak, including different cuts, methods and approaches read our guide to cooking the perfect steak.
Ingredients
For the steak
- 2 rib-eye steaks, well-marbled (the size and thickness can vary according to taste)
- splash groundnut oil, or similar flavourless oil
- 100ml/3½fl oz red wine, for deglazing
- sprig fresh thyme, leaves picked (optional)
- large knob of butter
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- chips, to serve (optional)
Method
About 45 minutes before you want to serve the steaks, unwrap from the packaging and place on a plate. Season both sides of the steaks with salt. Allow to come up to room temperature for up to an hour. Alternatively, you can salt the steaks in the morning and leave them uncovered in the fridge all day. If you skip the advance salting, do still season the steaks immediately before cooking.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan, preferably cast-iron, over a high heat until it is hot but not quite smoking.
When the pan is hot, add the steaks and fry for 1 minute on each side, then turn regularly until the crust is dark golden-brown on both sides and the inside is cooked to your liking. As a rough guide, a 2cm/¾in thick steak will take 3 minutes in total for rare, 4–5 minutes in total for medium and 7–8 minutes for well done.
When the steak is cooked to your liking, remove it from the pan onto a warm plate and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Do not skip the resting, as this will allow the steak to relax and it will be more tender and juicy when served.
Add the wine to the hot pan, and scrape all the sticky bits from the pan up into the wine to create a bit of a sauce. Add in any resting juices from the plate as well. Finish the sauce with the thyme leaves and a bit of butter.
Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Serve the steak, with chips if you like, and the sauce poured over.
Recipe Tips
Select a steak that is well-aged. A dry-aged steak is more flavourful but more expensive. A rib-eye steak should have a nice amount of fat marbled through the meat.
A digital probe thermometer is a great tool for being sure all the meat you cook is just right, especially if you cook a big piece of steak for sharing, or a thick steak. Internal temperatures are a more reliable test for how well done or rare the steak is.
The middle of the steak should be around 50C for rare, 55C for medium-rare, 60C for medium and 70C for well done.