Pan-Seared Steak

Ingredients

• Frying pan (a cast-iron skillet is recommended if available)
• Aluminum foil (optional)
• Paper towels (optional)
• Tablespoon
• Steak; see [How to choose different cuts of steak](https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/72352426)
• Olive oil (extra virgin recommended)
• Butter
• Salt (coarse sea salt recommended)
• Black pepper (coarse, freshly ground recommended)
• Garlic
• Herbs (optional; rosemary or thyme recommended—use fresh sprigs rather than ground powder whenever possible)
• Ready-made steak sauce (optional)
• Side dishes (optional, to taste; asparagus, button mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and baby potatoes are recommended—pick 1-2 of them)

Steps

Preparation

1. Take the steak out of the freezer to thaw.
2. If the steak is frozen, move it to the refrigerator the night before, and leave it at room temperature for half an hour before cooking.
3. Do not thaw the steak in water or by heating.
4. Wash the cherry tomatoes, baby potatoes and mushrooms, halve them and set aside.
5. Peel the garlic, keep 5-8 larger cloves, flatten them with the back of a knife and set aside.
6. Pre-treating the steak
7. For ribeye (see [How to choose different cuts of steak](https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/72352426)), insert kitchen scissors vertically into the connective tissue at the center of the ribeye and snip 1-2 times. This is because the ribeye's "eye" (this connective tissue) contracts sharply at high heat, deforming the steak so it can't cook evenly.
8. For sirloin, if you don't like the fat along the edge, slowly trim it off with a knife.
9. Then wrap the steak in paper towels and blot off all the surface moisture, until it leaves no obvious wet mark when lifted from the cutting board.

Cooking

10. Note: this process is for 2-3 cm thick steaks cooked medium to medium-well. If you prefer a different doneness, increase or decrease the first searing time by 20-30%.
11. Turn the stove to high heat (see the appendix on heat levels), add olive oil to the pan and heat the pan for 15-30 seconds.
12. Season the steak. Sprinkle sea salt and black pepper evenly over all surfaces and rub them in by hand so the grains embed into the meat as much as possible. Note that the steak must go into the pan immediately after seasoning; seasoning in advance is not recommended. Salt on the surface draws moisture out of the beef, which hampers cooking and loses flavor.
13. Heat the pan until the oil is 60-80% hot (see the tips on judging oil temperature), then slowly lay the steak in the pan, from near to far.
14. If you're using potatoes as a side, put them in a bowl and microwave for 10 minutes, or boil them for 3-5 minutes.
15. Sear one side for 1.5 minutes (this time is for steaks about 2-3 cm thick. If yours is thinner, shorten it to 1 minute; if thicker, increase it to 2-2.5 minutes).
16. Flip and sear for another 1.5 minutes.
17. For sirloin and filet, stand the steak on its edge with chopsticks or a spatula and sear the sides for about 30 seconds.
18. Switch to medium heat, then quickly add butter, garlic and thyme in that order. Use the spatula to push the butter around the pan until fully melted. Press the garlic under the steak for extra flavor.
19. Tilt the pan on the stove so all the oil runs to one side.
20. Place the herbs and garlic on the steak and use the tablespoon to scoop up the oil and baste the steak continuously. Do this for 30 seconds, then flip the steak and repeat for another 30 seconds.
21. You can judge the heat by watching the oil as it hits the steak. If it bubbles and doesn't turn dark brown, the temperature is right.
22. If the steak wasn't dried properly, was thawed in a non-recommended way, or was salted in advance, a lot of water will appear in the pan at this point, so the steak ends up "boiled" and loses flavor.
23. If lots of oil bubbles appear and the oil turns dark brown, the oil is too hot; take the pan off the stove, wait a moment, then continue basting.
24. Transfer the steak to the cutting board, wrap it in foil and wait 5-10 minutes. This step (called resting) uses the steak's own heat to keep cooking it and lock in the juices.
25. Put the sides (potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms) in the pan and fry over medium heat for 5 minutes.
26. Take out the steak and cut it into 1.5 cm wide strips; now you can see how done it is.
27. Take out the sides, plate them, and drizzle with the remaining pan oil or steak sauce (optional).