After you have your cut of choice, you only need a few ingredients to cook steak. While you can always add steak sauces, rubs, and wet or dry brine, this is your guide for a basic steak. (And if you’re ready to take things up a notch, you can always use a cast-iron skillet to make a pan-seared steak at home.)
How to Cook Steak
Take the steak out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking to bring it to room temperature. It will brown better and cook faster and more evenly. Plus, a rare steak won’t end up cold in the center. Figuring out how long to cook steak depends on your cooking temperature, desired level of doneness, and the thickness of the cut. A good rule of thumb: Cook steak for a minimum of five minutes (flipping halfway through) for a rare steak; add cook time to each side for larger steaks or steaks that are more fully cooked through. The safest method is to use an instant-read thermometer, so you don’t have to rely entirely on cook time.
