FAQ Friday Edition: Steak on the Stove
Suzanne Pollak
There are truly no such thing as ridiculous questions, least of all at the Academy. But we admit we were a little surprised when, in a recent Essential Dinners: Skillet class, more than one student seemed shocked at the notion of cooking steak on anything but a grill.
We could only reply: YES!!! You can cook steak on the stove. And yes, your skillets can go in the oven. (In fact, they were designed with such purpose in mind.) You haven't lived until you've made yourself a luxuriously simple steak dinner for one. Cooking steaks sans grill is as easy as one-two-three.
First and foremost, let raw steak sit at room temperature for up to an hour. Word to the wise...do not ever cook a cold steak, ever. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Next, set a non-stick skillet over high heat. When skillet is sizzling, place steak in pan and sear on first side for 2-4 minutes (depending on thickness), until surface is browned and starting to caramelize. Using tongs, turn, for another 2-4 minutes. Use your judgement here, and possibly the tip of a knife, to know when steak is still a little underdone.
A thick steak, at 2 or more inches, might need more heat -- this is where the oven-roasting comes in. Place the skillet (with steak in it) into oven for another few minutes, depending on how thick the steak is.
When steak is underdone to your liking, remove steak from pan, and place on a warm plate in a warm place. No drafts! The meat needs to rest. The juices from the center make their way back to the surface and give the steak its juicy tenderness. The internal temperature is still rising, meaning the steak is continuing to cook. FYI, there is nothing wrong with room temperature meat! Anyway, the final step is to make a sauce, which will be piping hot...
Take a glass of the wine you are indulging in while cooking, and pour into the steak's hot skillet. Simmer for a minute or two. Add a few garlic cloves, chopped, a tablespoon or so of tomato paste and a shake of fennel seeds and red pepper flakes. Simmer away, until mixture becomes a little syrupy. Turn off heat, turn steaks in the hot sauce, and then slice, because sliced steak is ALWAYS better. If Peter's Luger Steakhouse slices their steaks, then we do too.
Voila! Dinner is ready for family or company, in the time it takes to drink a glass of wine. Call this Multi-tasking Academy Style.
Happy Friday!
XO, the Dean