This Is the Best Way to Cook Steak at Home, According to Professional Chefs

Cooking steak at home can seem intimidating—you run the risk of overcooking, undercooking, or cooking something completely flavorless and chewy. But it doesn’t have to be a high-stakes, pressure-filled endeavor, especially if you know the right tips and tricks. Armed with knowledge, you can treat yourself at home instead of heading to the steakhouse (that’s a different kind of treat occasion)

We asked professional chefs to share their best advice for preparing, cooking, and serving steak. Read on for the essential know-how.

Thomas J. Story

How to Choose the Perfect Cut

Chef Michael Rosenthal of La Société Bar & Café in San Francisco suggests going with classic steakhouse cuts—they’re called that for a reason. “Ribeye, New York, filet, and porterhouses have the best mix of flavor, tenderness, and marbling for a great steak,” he says. “Other great cuts you can find are the so-called butcher’s steaks: culotte, picanha, skirt, hanger, and my personal favorite: flat iron. These steaks will typically carry a more robust flavor but can be tough if not cooked and sliced with attention.”

For a relatively affordable option, David Nayfeld, chef and co-owner of Che Fico in San Francisco, recommends bavette cut steaks, which can be relatively affordable compared to ribeye and New York strip steaks. “It also takes on marinade really well. You can grill, sauté, and cook this cut very quickly,” he adds.

Iain Bagwell

Don’t Forget to Prep

There are a couple prep methods to try. Rosenthal recommends drying your steak off and leaving it out at room temperature at least 10 to 15 minutes before cooking (and not past an hour) to temper your steak. Drying it off will take off excess moisture so you can get a better sear.

Chef Michael Mina of Bourbon Steak Las Vegas (opening at the Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas this fall) likes to place the steak in clarified butter at 119°F for about 20 minutes before grilling. “It’s a technique we use at every single one of our steak restaurants, and the best way to prep the steak,” he says.

And don’t forget to season. Drop the iodized salt and get kosher salt and some kind of coarse sea salt, Nayfeld says. And the same goes for pepper—swap the pre-ground stuff for freshly-ground stuff pepper. “I like to salt and season my steaks a few hours before I cook it—at the very least 30 minutes,” he says. “It can sit with seasoning at room temperature for up to 2 hours. I use salt, freshly cracked pepper, little bit of olive oil, crushed garlic, chopped rosemary, dash of Worcester sauce, and a few dashes of soy sauce. You rub it all over the meat.”

Thomas J. Story

How to Cook on a Grill

Now it’s time to fire up the grill. If you didn’t oil the meat, brush the grate with oil—Mina recommends using a grill brush to rub a kitchen towel dipped in oil across the grates, which can both clean and oil the grill. 

Make sure the grill is as hot as possible before putting your steak on it. “Once it is super hot, put the steaks on. Your instinct is to turn it down but if you can avoid flare ups, keep it as hot as possible,” says Nayfeld.

And the trick to getting a great grilled steak? Move it often, Rosenthal says. “You want to hit the meat with the hottest parts of the grill repeatedly,” he explains. “Instead of going for deep black cross hatches spread the love instead. You will get a more consistent crust. I like to have two different temperature zones as well. A really hot part (think 8/10), and one area a little less so (4/10). The hot part is for developing the crust, the other for allowing the meat inside to cook nicely to temperature.”

Erin Kunkel

How to Cook on a Stovetop

Don’t have a grill? You can still get perfectly cooked steak on your stovetop. Butter and a little bit of patience before flipping is key.

“Make sure your pan is hot! Lightly oil the pan, season the steak, and place the steak in the pan,” Mina says. “Let cook for about 3-4 minutes without moving. Once golden, flip and then let sear for about 3 minutes. Next, add about 3 tablespoons of butter, crushed garlic cloves, and fresh thyme sprigs and begin to baste the steak with a large spoon. At this point, the butter should be foaming. Do this for about one minute, then flip and repeat the basting for about another minute. Remove the steak and place onto the baking rack, lightly re-season and let rest.”

If you have thicker steaks, you may have to finish them in an 350°F oven for about 10 minutes, Nayfeld says.

Iain Bagwell

How to Achieve the Perfect Doneness

It can be tough to get the perfect level of doneness—just a few seconds can turn a steak from medium rare to well done. Mina says it’s all about time and temperature. “If cooking on a grill, have one side really hot and the other side low or no heat so you can slide it over as needed,” he adds.

Tempering is also important, Rosenthal says, because it will prevent the inside from staying raw while the outside is cooked. “To get a good handle of heat control, learn to recognize how your oil shimmers in the pan when hot enough. A very light, almost invisible, smoke should be rising from the oil when it is ready to cook,” he explains. “If you are afraid of overcooking, the key is actually to have your pan a little hotter than normal. It will allow your crust to form quicker meaning less chance of overcooking in the long run.”

Thomas J. Story

How to Serve Steak

Let it rest, but pay attention to the time. “The meat is actually still cooking while resting. You are waiting for it to stop before cutting into it. You must rest it on a rack for best results,” Rosenthal says. “On a cutting board the heat from the bottom of the steak has no release and it will end up steaming the bottom. Over resting is a possible pitfall as well. Wait too long and you have cold meat. Larger steaks such as tomahawks and cote de beouf will require at least 5 minutes (8-10 is ideal); steaks for one person should rest at least 2 minutes. Also do your best to rest in a warm area!”