Pan-Seared Steak
A surface-area problem dressed up as a cooking problem. Every meaningful debate about steak comes down to how you trade interior doneness against the depth of the crust.
The Working Recipe
Ingredients
- Ribeye or strip steak, 4 cm / 1.5 in thick1 steak (450–550 g)
- Kosher salt1% of steak weight (~5 g), at least 40 min ahead
- Neutral high-smoke-point oil1 tbsp
- Unsalted butter30 g (2 tbsp)
- Garlic, smashed2 cloves
- Fresh thyme or rosemary2 sprigs
- Cracked black pepper, flaky salt to finishto taste
Method
- 01
Salt the steak on all sides at least 40 minutes ahead — ideally 4–24 hours uncovered in the fridge for a drier surface.
- 02
30 minutes before cooking, take the steak out to temper. Pat completely dry with paper towels right before searing.
- 03
Heat a heavy cast-iron pan over high heat until smoking. Add the oil, then immediately the steak. Press it down for the first 5 seconds.
- 04
Sear undisturbed for 90 seconds, then flip. Continue flipping every 30–45 seconds for even browning, 4–6 minutes total for medium-rare (52 °C / 125 °F internal).
- 05
In the last 90 seconds, drop heat to medium, add butter, garlic, and herbs. Tilt the pan and baste continuously, spooning the foaming butter over the steak.
- 06
Transfer to a board, tent loosely with foil, and rest 8–10 minutes. Internal temp should climb 3–4 °C while resting.
- 07
Slice against the grain. Finish with flaky salt and cracked pepper. Spoon any pan butter over the slices.
Synthesized by Cookbook Conversations as a baseline working recipe — built on dry-brining and frequent flipping. Reverse-sear, sous-vide, and butter-only paths live in the arguments. The conversation in the margins below is where the dish actually lives.
The Canonical Template
- 01
The Temper
Bring the steak to room temperature. Pat the surface bone-dry — water on the surface is the single biggest enemy of a crust.
- 02
The Salt
Salt liberally on all sides. Salting hours ahead lets the surface dry further; salting just before pan-down skips the wait.
- 03
The Sear
Heat a heavy pan until it just begins to smoke. Lay the steak away from you and do not move it until a crust releases the meat from the pan.
- 04
The Baste
Once both sides have crust, drop in butter, garlic, and thyme. Tilt the pan and spoon hot fat over the steak continuously until the interior reaches its target temperature.
- 05
The Rest
Move the steak to a board and rest at least half the cook time. Slicing too early is the most common single error in home steak cookery.
No quantities. No times. The template is a skeleton — the conversation in the margins is the body.
The Arguments
Argument 01: Sear Method
Once-only flip or frequent flipping?
A single, undisturbed sear builds the deepest, most uniform crust. Moving the meat resets the Maillard clock.
— Bobby FlayFrequent flipping cooks the interior more evenly and crust development is statistically indistinguishable.
— J. Kenji López-AltArgument 02: Reverse Sear
Sear last, or sear first?
Low oven, then hard sear. You get edge-to-edge medium-rare with a crust no traditional sear can match.
— Nathan MyhrvoldHot pan, baste, rest. The classical method works on any cut and any equipment without a thermometer.
— Thomas KellerArgument 03: Resting
Long rest, short rest, or none?
Rest the steak for half as long as it cooked. The juices redistribute and slicing yields no puddle.
— Thomas KellerLong rests give you a cold steak. The puddle on the board is overstated; eat your steak warm.
— Nigel Slater