Pan frying steak?

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Noob2cookin

Assistant Cook
Joined
Oct 25, 2011
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Hello, this weekend I'm going to make my very first attempt at cooking a steak. I don't have a grill so I'll be pan frying it using a non-stick pan. Is there a particular cut I should look for since I'll be pan frying? Also, I like my steak medium rare, so what's the best cooking method? I thought about trying a marinade or something but I guess it's best to stick to the very basics first, take baby steps.
 
Hi noob.

I'd recommend a ribeye or strip steak. They both have great flavor and are tender. Also good would be a filet mignon (tenderloin steak). The most tender cut but has less beef flavor.

The key to cooking steak in a pan is to get it super hot. A little oil in the pan, enough to coat the bottom. Salt and pepper the steak and lay it in the hot pan when the oil is hot.

It will get a nice dark brown crust in 3-4 minutes, then turn and repeat. Depending on thickness, it could be done after 8 minutes.
 
Building on what Andy said, do you have any stainless steel or cast iron pans? Non stick in not the best for cooking steak. You want to get the pan as hot as possible to get a great crust and non-stick are not usually pans you want to get screaming hot. You can make it work if that is your only option, but if you have other options then look at those.

Make sure you have plenty of ventilation because you are going to get a lot of smoke. You might even want to take the batteries out of the smoke detector while cooking the steak.

As for marinading or something, I would highly highly recommend a dry brine. It is super easy and gives amazing results. To dry brine your steak all you do is liberally salt both sides then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and put back in the fridge for a day or so. What happens is the salt draws some of the moisture out of the steak initially, but then it mixes with the salt and reabsorbs so you end up with a steak that is seasoned from the inside out instead of just on the outside.
 
I also highly recommend a pan other than nonstick. Cast iron is best.

Salt it, sear it on one side in a very hot pan and then finish in a 450 degree oven.

Dont do that with a nonstick pan.
 
Welcome to DC! You could also try broiling the steak in the oven if your oven came with a broiler pan. Turn on the broiler, let it heat, and then put the broiler pan with the steak (you can dry rub the steak or not).The oven rack should be at the top and leave the oven door open about 1 inch (this is one thing my mother could always do until recently--broil a perfect med-rare steak). Depending on how thick the meat is, it will take about 4 minutes each side. If too rare, you can also put it back and cook a little longer--if overcooked, well, not much to do there except eat it. Her thing was to put a little dab of butter on the top when she plated it. When I was young, she always warmed the plates too, but that might have been habit because we ate venison steak almost as often as we ate beef steak (which steak = Friday nights on my mom's 7-meal rotation plan).

I'm partial to tenderloin...but the cuts mentioned above are all good. Good luck!
 
Thanks everyone, the only pan I have is nonstick unfortunately. I'm moving in a couple of weeks and I don't want to buy anything else while I'm in my current home. I'll cross my fingers and hope for the best lol. I'll post a picture of it if it isn't a complete disaster.
 
Make sure you have plenty of ventilation because you are going to get a lot of smoke. You might even want to take the batteries out of the smoke detector while cooking the steak.


Thanks for mentioning this "little" fact. I pretty much gave up trying to pan fry steak due to the smoke factor. I thought I was doing something wrong! Now I'll give it another try. :chef:
 
You can pick up a small cast iron skillet, pre-seasoned, at your local hardware store for less than you'd pay for a decent steak, which will make cooking one pretty much idiot proof. Preheat oven to 425F, brown the steak on each side and then finish it in the oven to the degree of doneness you prefer; 130F to 135F for medium rare and 140Fto 145F for medium on an instant read thermometer. Cast iron is also relatively easy to care for.

Top sirloin steak is low fat, yet very flavourful. Hanger steaks are also very good. I usually have top sirloin, filet mignon and rib eye steaks in the freezer at all times and I thaw and cook each as the desire hits me.
 
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Since you are moving in a couple of weeks and don't want to buy anything new before that I think the best thing do to would just be to wait until you move and then get a cast iron pan. You will undoubtley have much better results that way.
 
I've been pan frying steaks for about 30 years and haven't had any problems with any smoke.
Your non stick skillet will be just fine, heat it up on about medium-high heat, season the steak, put a little Olive Oil on the steak, then put it in the skillet; it will come out great.
 
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welcome to dc, al pine.

lol, i grew up right next to you. the town of alpine, nj. :)

without the use of a good, high temp pan, i'd have to agree with cws here. if you have a gas stove/oven, you should have a broiler on the bottom. salt and pepper the steak, get the broiler good and hot and put it on the broiler pan at the top slot closest to the flame. broil for about 5 minutes each side for a half inch steak, a little longer for thicker steaks.

hth. :chef:
 
hmm, i wonder if they went to our school system, northern valley regional? most of the families in alpine sent their kids to private schooling, if you know what i mean. big $$$ on the palisades.
but i do recall a koch family. this would have been late 70's, early 80's.
 
I guess I would have to agree with the others here. Teflon doesn't do well with high heat, you end up with pieces of teflon in your steak, which isn't good for the pan or for you.

Wait till you move, then get a cast iron or stainless steel pan. Garage sales, antique and resale shops, and kind friends or relatives might help.
 
actually, dawg, overheating teflon is worse for you than ingesting bits of it.
you'll get teflon glu if you breathe in the vapors once it hits around 550 degrees or so. but ingesting bits from a pan just go through you like, well, like teflon. :cool:

don't ask me how i know.
 
hmm, i wonder if they went to our school system, northern valley regional? most of the families in alpine sent their kids to private schooling, if you know what i mean. big $$$ on the palisades.
but i do recall a koch family. this would have been late 70's, early 80's.

Yes. Aroind that time. Lots of kids. Maybe Catholic school. Their family built the World Trade Center and lots of other buildings. Koch Erecting.

One of the kids is a good friend of mine from law school.
 
buckytom said:
actually, dawg, overheating teflon is worse for you than ingesting bits of it.
you'll get teflon glu if you breathe in the vapors once it hits around 550 degrees or so. but ingesting bits from a pan just go through you like, well, like teflon. :cool:

don't ask me how i know.

You are right, BT. The vapors also kill parakeets and other housebirds.

Would render the non stick useless too.

I prefer pepper on my steak!
 
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I guess I would have to agree with the others here. Teflon doesn't do well with high heat, you end up with pieces of teflon in your steak, which isn't good for the pan or for you.

Wait till you move, then get a cast iron or stainless steel pan. Garage sales, antique and resale shops, and kind friends or relatives might help.

I don't like using SS for high heat--I prefer CI (or one of my LeCreuset skillets) is the skillet of choice.
 
Yes. Aroind that time. Lots of kids. Maybe Catholic school. Their family built the World Trade Center and lots of other buildings. Koch Erecting.

One of the kids is a good friend of mine from law school.

i'm going to have to dig out my old h.s. yearbooks. the name does ring a bell, but i'm sure it's a fairly common name as well.
 

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