If you’re new to the world of cooking steak, chances are you’ve felt overwhelmed at some point because of the process. Maybe you’ve spent a pretty penny on a nice cut of steak at the store, only to bring it home and accidentally overcook it. Or maybe you’ve gone through all the right steps but still don’t get those bold flavors you’re used to at a steakhouse.
Even though you’re probably an amazing at-home chef, there may be one or two pivotal mistakes you’re making when you cook your steak without even realizing it.
Here are five mistakes chefs say that people commonly make when they’re cooking steak. And if you need help deciding which cut of steak you should buy, check out The Best & Worst Cuts of Steak.
Cooking steak straight from the fridge
What many people may not realize is that you need to give your steak some time to get to room temperature before you cook it.
“If you pull it out of the fridge and cook it right away, it’s going to be harder to get a perfect medium rare,” says Chuck Sillari, a chef at Mortadella Head.
If you’re cooking your steak after pulling it straight our of the fridge, you could be setting yourself up for an uphill battle while standing over a hot stove.
“The heat from the pan takes longer to penetrate the meat and therefore takes longer to cook, resulting in an undercooked interior and an overdone exterior,” says Deborah Rainford, a Cordon Bleu graduate with 10 years of experience in Michelin-star kitchens throughout Europe. Instead, Rainford suggests “letting your steak come to room temperature for up to an hour before cooking to combat this.”
