Cooking Good Steaks

Cooking Steak how you like it. Everyone likes steak a little different, so no recipe will keep everyone always happy. Here are some good basics to learn so you can experiment and discover different ways to enjoy and try steak.

1. Prep5 minutes.

1. Cook10 minutes.

1. Resting time30 minutes.

1. Ready in: 45 minutes.

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INGREDIENTS
2 well-trimmed beef ribeye steaks, cut 1-inch thick (about 12 ounces each)
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 medium Portobello mushrooms, stems removed (about 1 3/4 pounds)
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt
Fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Combine thyme, garlic and pepper in small bowl; gently pound steak to tenderize, press evenly onto beef steaks. Set aside. Leave overnight or at least 3 hours before cooking

Heat up skillet up to 4-5 minutes before cooking

Place the steak into the skillet and cook until it’s easily moved. This takes between one and two minutes. Carefully flip the steak, placing it in a different section of the skillet. Cook for 30 seconds, and then begin moving the steak around, occasionally pressing slightly to ensure even contact with the skillet. Moving the steak around the pan helps it cook faster and more evenly.

Continue turning and flipping the steak until it’s cooked to your desired degree of doneness. Let the steak rest for 10 minutes before cutting in.

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About halfway through cooking steaks, add mushrooms and cook in juices just a short few minutes along with steaks till choice of doneness. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

When cooking steak to your desired doneness, a meat thermometer is your best friend. A thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat should read:

• Medium-rare:135º
• Medium: 140º
• Medium-well: 145º

Keep in mind that the steak will continue to cook a little bit after it’s been removed from the pan, so aim for a few degrees shy of your desired temperature.

Cooking

Heat the pan over a medium-high flame, and add a tablespoon of oil. Choose an oil with a high smoke point, such as grapeseed or olive oil. Place the steak into the oil-coated pan, ensuring the pieces of meat do not touch (if you are making more than one steak). When the meat hits the pan, you should hear a sizzling sound, which means the pan is hot and the perfect temperature to sear the steak.

For a one-inch steak, cook the steak for about five minutes, and turn it and sear the other side for about three minutes (for medium done).

Timing Variations

Steaks come in different varieties and different thickness. Both variables make a difference in cooking length and overall flavor. The average size of a steak is one inch, though there are thinner steaks, such as New York strips, or thicker steaks with bones, such as T-bones. Make adjustments to the cooking time based on the thickness of the steak. For example, when cooking a thinner steak (approximately one-half inch thick) on the stove, cook one side for three minutes. Then turn the steak and cook the other side for two minutes (for medium done). A thicker steak will take more time, approximately six to eight minutes on the first side and five on the second side. Add a few minutes if necessary, but you cannot reverse an over-cooked steak.

Place the spike point of the meat thermometer into the center or thickest part of the meat, being careful not to poke all the way through the steak. For rare steak (red in the center, with some pink) the internal temperature of the steak should be 140 degrees. For a medium steak (some pink in the middle, no red), the internal temperature should be 160 degrees. For a well done steak (no pink, all brown), the internal temperature should be 170 degrees.