Best pan for cooking steak?

[Dawgluver]

Do you dilute it with water?

No. Straight vinegar, if it's really wretched, some baking soda. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, then simmer till the stains are gone.

 

[Cheryl J]

kitchengoddess, are you able to use your broiler function in your oven? I know it's kind of a pain for one small steak, but maybe you could double it and use the extra steak for a stir fry, or another dish. Just suggesting an option...

 

[no mayonnaise]

Just deglaze the pan, that's all you need to do. That's the first step toward a great sauce anyway. All that leftover stuff in the pan is gold, don't waste it!! Even if you just deglaze with a little water, reduce it to a syrupy consistency, and put a light glaze of the steak on the plate, it'll bring lots of flavor to the party.

 

[jabbur]

If you are just cooking for one person you may do well with a small cast iron pan. I have a 5" skillet that is great for cooking 2 or 3 eggs and would do well with a single steak. It's not very heavy. You might consider it.

 

[gadzooks]

10" heavy carbon steel pan, French style. Sears steaks, goes under the broiler, indestructible. Cleans up like a lady for omelets. World Cuisine, inexpensive.

 

[Hoot]

I ought not to post when overly tired. I suspect neither my reading nor writing comprehension was up to par. The OP asked about other pans...That is the root of the reference to the Chief's post. I apologize for being so cryptic.

 

[justplainbill]

I used to have a cast iron pan but it was hard to use because of my arthritis, very painful to lift and move around. I ended up giving it away.

Cast iron pans normally have shorter handles than Matfer or De Buyer carbon steel pans. Although lighter than cast iron, a quality carbon steel pan can still be fairly heavy but the longer handle helps make the weight more manageable.

 

[jennyema]

Cast iron pans normally have shorter handles than Matfer or De Buyer carbon steel pans. Although lighter than cast iron, a quality carbon steel pan can still be fairly heavy but the longer handle helps make the weight more manageable.

Longer handles are actually harder to manage if you have wrist problems.

The problem is, the lighter the pan the more likely you are to burn the oil or food.

I would suggest a smaller cast iron skillet or a cast iron griddle with short handles that you can pick up with both hands.

Cast iron is the very best for steak. I would not recommend nonstick.

 

[justplainbill]

Longer handles are actually harder to manage if you have wrist problems.

The problem is, the lighter the pan the more likely you are to burn the oil or food.

I would suggest a smaller cast iron skillet or a cast iron griddle with short handles that you can pick up with both hands.

Cast iron is the very best for steak. I would not recommend nonstick.

Depends on where you grab the handles and whether or not you use both hands.
If you choke up on the handle (using a mitten) you can rest rear of the handle on your forearm.

 

[msmofet]

I use my square cast iron stove top grill pan (and a press sometimes).

 

[kitchengoddess8]

Does anyone know of a small inexpensive cast iron skillet? I searched on the Bed Bath and Beyond site and only saw Le Creuset which is pretty pricey. Please post a link to the pan you're recommending.

 

[jennyema]

Le Creuset is ceramic-coated CI and not what you need for steak.

Lodge makes cheap, good quality CI skillets. You can buy them all over the place

lodge skillets - Walmart.com

 

[Hoot]

Here is a 6 1/2 cast iron skillet from Amazon
6 1/2 CI Skillet
You can also look at Walmart, your local hardware store, flea markets, thrift stores, and yard sales to find inexpensive cast iron cookware.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Should I have used a nonstick pan?

No, you should have sprayed the pan with cooking spray before heating it, then you should have heated it until the cooking spray appears to melt, then added the oil and continue heating it until the oil shimmers and starts to smoke before you add the steak. Then don't touch the steak until it loosens from the bottom of the pan by itself. Turn the steak over and repeat.

 

[kitchengoddess8]

Here is a 6 1/2 cast iron skillet from Amazon
6 1/2 CI Skillet
You can also look at Walmart, your local hardware store, flea markets, thrift stores, and yard sales to find inexpensive cast iron cookware.

I think this one will work well. Are these pans hard to clean?

 

[Hoot]

Not at all. I recommend seasoning it before use. Wash the skillet with hot soapy water. Rinse well and dry it on your stove. Apply a thin coating of cooking oil to entire pan. Bring your oven up to 350 or so and place the pan in the oven, upside down for an hour. Turn the oven off and let the pan stay in the oven until cool. Once seasoned, it should be very easy to clean.They are practically indestructible. Some folks will tell you to never use soap, just hot water and a plastic or bamboo brush type scrubber. I have found that a little soap is not going to damage the seasoning in a CI pan. I would, however, not leave it to soak in hot soapy water. It should be cleaned promptly and dried thoroughly (I put it back on the heat source to dry it.) Wipe it with a thin coat of cooking oil before storing it in a dry spot. The more you use it, the more nonstick the surface will become. I am certain there will be others that will have a different view from mine. Truth is, you can do little to truly harm a CI pan.
Good luck and I hope you enjoy using cast iron.

 

[Andy M.]

You can usually by Lodge CI pans pre-seasoned. I have and they work great. Each tme you cook in them with fat (bacon grease, oil, butter) it adds to the seasoning. If you can't find a pre-seasoned pan Hoot's directions will get you started.

Hoot's info on cleaning and storage is also right on.

 

[Bigjim68]

Does anyone know of a small inexpensive cast iron skillet? I searched on the Bed Bath and Beyond site and only saw Le Creuset which is pretty pricey. Please post a link to the pan you're recommending.

Yard, estate, and flea market sales. The old stuff is cheaper, smoother, and it never wears out. ebay has several Griz and Wag number 5's at present at less than $20.00. Older cast iron tends to be thinner than the new, an advantage for those with lifting problems.

I bought over the weekend a Griz #9 which appears to be in excellent condition for $30 shipped.(ebay) Specifically for steaks. You don't want to crowd them.

Estate and yard sales are often cheaper.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Yard, estate, and flea market sales. The old stuff is cheaper, smoother, and it never wears out. ebay has several Griz and Wag number 5's at present at less than $20.00. Older cast iron tends to be thinner than the new, an advantage for those with lifting problems.

I bought over the weekend a Griz #9 which appears to be in excellent condition for $30 shipped.(ebay) Specifically for steaks. You don't want to crowd them.

Estate and yard sales are often cheaper.

If you can find it on E-Bay, or in garage/yard sales, Grizwold is the king of cast iron, in my opinion. It has a smooth surface, and once seasoned (Hoot gives perfect instructions), eggs slide across the surface as with the best non-stick pans. But you can use you CI in the oven, on the grill, over very high heat, etc. If you do damage the seasoning, you just re-season to get the pan as good as new.

When I was a boy scout, we use to clean our CI pans in a stream, scouring with sand. Then we'd just dry them in the cooking fire, and rub with a bit of oil.

Now, I use a nylon scouring brush and hot water. I usually add Dawn Dishwashing soap so that any oil/grease is emulsified to avoid clogging up my kitchen drain pipes. As long as I don't scour with steel wool, or stainless steel scouring pads, the seasoning remains intact.

I have to try really hard to get food to stick to my CI pans.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[no mayonnaise]

I've always read to season CI with shortening vs. oil, though I can't remember the specifics as to why anymore.

+1 on the Griswold recommendation. A Griswold #8 or #9 is my next cooking purchase. Hoping to snag a good one from eBay for cheap.