How to cook the perfect steak at home, according to a chef

Find it difficult to replicate that sumptuous melt-in-your-mouth flavour at home? This is the perfect guide on how to cook the tastiest most succulent steak.

Rejoice, carnivorous creatures! Is steak your go-to option in a restaurant but you just can’t replicate that sumptuous melt-in-your-mouth flavour at home? This is the perfect guide on how to cook the tastiest, most succulent steak you’ve ever had in your very own kitchen.

Befriend your local butcher

A good local butcher is a world of knowledge on which meat to buy, when to buy it, how to cook it and what it goes best with. Turn on the charm and he’ll start you on the road to steak perfection.

Choose your steak wisely

The ideal colour of a steak should be that lovely ruby red with a creamy chunk of fat around the rim and it should be matured for at least two weeks so don’t be afraid to ask. The maturation period is important to develop the meat’s flavour and tenderness.

We asked Chef Kevin Dundon of Supervalu for his advice. He advised us that each cut of steak offers a distinctive flavour and texture so choose wisely. “A fillet steak is ideal if you want tenderness, while the T-bone is for the true meat-lovers amongst us. However, the most loved steak cut is the rib eye for its beautiful marbling and burst of flavour. Cook it on the bone for extra juiciness.”

Preparation and cooking

Now that you’ve settled on a lovely piece of steak, it’s time to prep your meat. Remove your steak from the fridge twenty minutes before you expect to cook it. If it goes on the pan cold it will toughen the meat and result in an irregularly cooked steak. Evenly brush your steak with oil so it cooks uniformly.

Put your pan on a high heat with no oil and wait until it just begins to smoke. Turn down to a medium flame, season your steak with salt and pepper and place on the dry pan. It’s important not to season too soon or the salt will draw the moisture out of the meat.

Cook your steak for three minutes on each side (four minutes if you prefer it medium or six for well done). Remove from the heat and allow it to rest for at least five minutes before serving so the meat can reabsorb its juices.

If you’re more of a visual person and just can’t do the reading and the cooking part simultaneously then check out Martha Stewart’s video on serving the perfect steak. Insider stock trading or not, the woman is a boss in the kitchen.

Your boyfriend may never want to take you out for dinner again. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

With Thanks to Kevin Dundon and Supervalu

This article was originally published in 2021.