How to pan fry a 8 oz. new York strip steak?

[NikolaeVarius]

When I heat my cast iron skillet to high heat it goes above the smoke point and smokes me out of the kitchen. Do you really need high heat to sear a steak? Or is heating the skillet just below the smoke point fine?

You definitely want a pan as hot as possible.

You want to put the steak on the pan basically the moment the oil starts to smoke, if the steak isn't "ready" reduce the heat so that the oil doesn't reach smoke point.

Sadly, when you make a steak properly, a ton of smoke is usually unavoidable.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Just get this, the info gives you some more about the grading of beef, this bad boy is a 5, the highest possible.

http://www.costco.com/Japanese-Wagyu-Boneless-Ribeye-Roast-A-5-Grade.product.100082950.html

 

[blackdogdeek]

Here's how I pan sear my strip/ribeye:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmC9SmCBUj4

As for your other question, WaTaGuMp answered it. I'll add that it's not common to find Prime available in your regular grocery store; they typically go to good restaurants. And, what I look for is not just the grade but also the marbling which is the amount of fat that is interwoven throughout the meat. More fat = more marbling = more yummy.

And, for searing, I use light olive oil (NOT extra virgin) because it has a really high smoke point (465F).

 

[DrPizza]

Just wanted a simple easy way to pan fry a steak.

The steak is about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches thick.

I think I might take it out the fridge about 40 minutes before I cook it. Rub it with steak seasoning and peanut oil then put it in a hard bottom pan (non stick) for about 4 minutes on each side. Flipping only once or twice.

The frying pan will initially be left on the stove top for 5 minutes at HIGH heat before the steak is placed in it.

I never done this before and don't want to over complicate matters here.

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inch thick NY strip that only weighs 8 ounces?
<confused>

 

[Remobz]

Depends on your budget. Prime is the highest, then choice. I get choice filets from Costco. Then you get into higher end beef like Angus and Wagyu, not sure if those have things like prime etc.

I am asking because I use to just grab whatever if the price was good. But sometimes you just want to treat yourself to the best.

I will look for prime now.

I imagine something like USDA Prime Black Angus Boneless NY Strip Steaks might be a real good quality steak. Not cheap though.

 

[Remobz]

Here's how I pan sear my strip/ribeye:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmC9SmCBUj4

As for your other question, WaTaGuMp answered it. I'll add that it's not common to find Prime available in your regular grocery store; they typically go to good restaurants. And, what I look for is not just the grade but also the marbling which is the amount of fat that is interwoven throughout the meat. More fat = more marbling = more yummy.

And, for searing, I use light olive oil (NOT extra virgin) because it has a really high smoke point (465F).

Would peanut oil be better? I notice many youtube videos showing peanut oil being used to fry the steaks.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inch thick NY strip that only weighs 8 ounces?
<confused>

I'm thinking he eyeballed the thickness. Even a butcher shop I used did the same thing when I asked for 1-1/2" steaks. When I got them home they seemed thin and were, slightly under an inch. They know me by now so they don't do that anymore.

Most people don't really understand how to cook a thick steak. I have mine cut between 2 and 2 and a half inches. The older gent who was the owner and long time cutter approved. The new staff cringed, but he got them to understand what was going on.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

I am asking because I use to just grab whatever if the price was good. But sometimes you just want to treat yourself to the best.

I will look for prime now.

I imagine something like USDA Prime Black Angus Boneless NY Strip Steaks might be a real good quality steak. Not cheap though.

If I remember correctly, Costco filets, prime are $17.99 a lb.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

If I remember correctly, Costco filets, prime are $17.99 a lb.

That's about right. Choice is around $11-12.

 

[CoPhotoGuy]

Stupid. Have you ever made a steak before? Is a steak somehow a water balloon that lets out all its moisture the second that you pierce it? Does a steak hold all of its moisture in a single 1x1 mm square of meat that suddenly all disappears when you make a hole? Considering you're cooking meat on a 500+ degree surface, how much moisture do you think is lost due to the fact that water boils at 212 versus poking it with a tiny stick?

Also, how is a touch test accurate? Does your finger suddenly know if its touching a particularly meaty area of the meat versus a fattier area? Because they will feel completely different. How about different thicknesses? A thick steak will feel completely different than a thing steak due to compression differences.

Stop cooking based on what you "feel" and cook based on objective fact. Your assertions that 1) the poke test is a good way to judge meat doneness and b) that poking a steak causes significant moisture loss has been disproven time and time again in modern cooking.

How is a subjective test better than a objective test. A steak will ALWAYS be medium rare at 130 degrees and ALWAYS be medium at 140. There is no wiggle room.

So if it's so stupid, why does it always work?

 

[CoPhotoGuy]

Sick of people who think they have any idea of what they're talking about when it comes to cooking meat and propose dumb methods of cooking.

IMO sous vide is always the best way to do steak. Takes a bit more effort, but once again, perfect every single time.

lol because you're OBVIOUSLY an expert. hahaha

 

[CoPhotoGuy]

When I heat my cast iron skillet to high heat it goes above the smoke point and smokes me out of the kitchen. Do you really need high heat to sear a steak? Or is heating the skillet just below the smoke point fine?

You need an oil with a higher smoke point like grape seed.

 

[nk215]

I enjoy cooking so I bought the "Modernist Cuisine: the Art and science of Cooking" and used it semi regularly. Most expensive cook book ($500) but that's the last one I'll never need/want.

As for steak. I usually do it two different ways (1) pan to oven technique or (2) sousvide. I use a large cast iron pan for the finish. Many time, I don't even flip the steak over, I just torch the top.

If anyone seriously enjoy great food and is willing to invest in cooking equipment, I strongly recommend looking into the modernist cuisine book (they have a cheaper one "modernist cuisine at home"). You'll be famous for the foods you bring to parties or your parties at home.

 

[JM Aggie08]

On Master Chef Jr this evening, they were cooking filets, guess what, they showed one girl checking them with a thermometer. I don't use them myself, but might try one down the road.

They're also like 12, you son of a bitch.

 

[CoPhotoGuy]

I enjoy cooking so I bought the "Modernist Cuisine: the Art and science of Cooking" and used it semi regularly. Most expensive cook book ($500) but that's the last one I'll never need/want.

As for steak. I usually do it two different ways (1) pan to oven technique or (2) sousvide. I use a large cast iron pan for the finish. Many time, I don't even flip the steak over, I just torch the top.

If anyone seriously enjoy great food and is willing to invest in cooking equipment, I strongly recommend looking into the modernist cuisine book (they have a cheaper one "modernist cuisine at home"). You'll be famous for the foods you bring to parties or your parties at home.

That's nice. I just make things up and people love it. I have a few cookbooks, but I find myself just using things as more of a reference and then making things up as I go.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Would peanut oil be better? I notice many youtube videos showing peanut oil being used to fry the steaks.

Peanut oil is good because it has a high smoke point. However, it doesn't mean it won't smoke. Every single oil in the world will smoke if you put it on top of a burner on high and keep it there. The point of a high smoke oil is so that you can get your steak as hot as possible as fast as possible by having a hot as possible pan. However, no matter what, there will be tons of oil smoke produced when making a pan seared steak.

So if it's so stupid, why does it always work?

It doesn't. That's the point. This argument reminds of that test they did on bartenders who all claimed they were amazing at eyeing volumes of liquids poured. Then when they were tested in a lab setting, they were no better than the average person at figuring out how much they poured.

 

[slayer202]

For nice average sized steak (ignoring the OP's actual question), I've been abandoning the alton brown method and going 100% stovetop. The oven method limits your control and would never get me a nice enough crust. Go high heat as usual and flip as many times as you'd like, making sure you don't start burning the steak. Slightly off max-heat might even work better, but once you start getting a nice char you'll be at medium-rare. And you can check doneness at any time, much easier than the oven method

 

[CoPhotoGuy]

It doesn't. That's the point. This argument reminds of that test they did on bartenders who all claimed they were amazing at eyeing volumes of liquids poured. Then when they were tested, they were no better than the average person at figuring out how much they poured.

It DOES. I do it ALL.....THE......TIME!

So, stop saying it doesn't work. Maybe it's just too complicated for you to figure out.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

They're also like 12, you son of a bitch.

And can probably cook better anything than you.

 

[smackababy]

Depends on your budget. Prime is the highest, then choice. I get choice filets from Costco. Then you get into higher end beef like Angus and Wagyu, not sure if those have things like prime etc.

The problem with grade is they grade the entire carcass, not the individual cut. It is entirely likely a choice individual steak will be better marbled than a prime steak.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

It DOES. I do it ALL.....THE......TIME!

So, stop saying it doesn't work. Maybe it's just too complicated for you to figure out.

It can work but for the OP who's never cooked a steak in his life and wants to not fuck it up instead of a trial run, he should get one. Also a needle prick isn't gonna kill all of the juices coming out.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

It DOES. I do it ALL.....THE......TIME!

So, stop saying it doesn't work. Maybe it's just too complicated for you to figure out.

Much like the bartender experiment, just because you THINK it works, doesn't mean it ACTUALLY works.

Same shit as thinking that poking a steak with a thermometer affects moisture content
Same shit as thinking that searing a steak is locking in juices.

It's all subjective bullcrap that falls apart as soon as any variance is introduced. If all you ever did was cook a single type of meat of a single grade on the same burner every day, then sure, the palm method might work.

But at the very moment any variance is introduced at all, different cuts, different grades, the palm method falls apart. The only way to get an objective measure of a steaks doneness is to use a thermometer.

And once again, why are you giving a newbie such a subjective method?

 

[blackdogdeek]

However, no matter what, there will be tons of oil smoke produced when making a pan seared steak.

Can't this be minimized by blotting the steak to make sure there is no water on its surface?

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Can't this be minimized by blotting the steak to make sure there is no water on its surface?

You want the steak dry, but not because of smoke.

What is needed is a pan at or somewhat above the smokepoint of the fat being used to form a crust on the outside of the steak. This is an energy intensive process and for it to happen effectively the meat itself should contact the hot surface. If you leave the outside covered with water that forms an insulating barrier which does nothing for that tasty surface. You might get some extra steam, but smoke is due to other factors.

 

[nk215]

That's nice. I just make things up and people love it. I have a few cookbooks, but I find myself just using things as more of a reference and then making things up as I go.

I used to do what you did. However the modernist way open my mind to a very different way to approach cooking. For example, I never heard or know how to use xanthan gum to stabilize the cheese in Mac and Cheese. I couldn't imagine making red wine glaze (for steak) they way the book does (3 lbs of ground beef, 3 lbs of bones, tons of veggies, a full 750ml wine bottle yields ~1 cup of the glaze). The flavor is so intense and is very different than anything I've tried at restaurants. Even the mushroom egg omelet comes out exotic (http://modernistcuisine.com/recipes/striped-mushroom-omelet-2/)

At the end, I don't make thing up as I go as much anymore. I do substitutions, condense steps but stay very much on track.

Getting started was very expensive mostly because I want restaurant quality equipment rather than home stuffs (chamber vacuum vs food saver for example). Well worth it. Luckly me I have a large kitchen to store all the stuffs.