Well, it is pretty satisfying to cut into a steak that has been cooked just right in a restaurant. The rich, juicy flavour and its tenderness make the dish quite satisfying to savour. But somehow when you try to replicate it at home, it does not taste exactly the same. Maybe it turns out too dry, overcooked, or just simply lacks that special restaurant taste.
The good news is that you don't necessarily require a professional kitchen to get good steakhouse-quality results. With the right techniques, equipment, and attention to detail, you can manage to cook a restaurant-style steak right from your kitchen.
From selecting the right cut to perfecting the sear, these six essential tips guarantee to bring out the best of your steak game to handle that mouthwatering result every time.
Choose a good quality cut of steak.
The starting point to cooking a restaurant style steak in your kitchen begins with the selection of the right cut. In a steakhouse, they often have the best cuts including ribeye, filet mignon, or New York strip, because, by nature, they are tender and flavour-friendly. Though most cuts are different, more fatty cuts, such as ribeye, are typically more flavourful, juicy, and concentrated, while the leaner cut of filet mignon tends to be more tender.
When you buy a steak, you want to buy cuts with good marbling-white streaks of fat running through the meat. When that fat melts from cooking and infuses the steak, you feel that this dish comes from a luxurious restaurant.
Let the steak come to room temperature before cooking
One of the biggest mistakes home cooks make is to cook steak straight out of the fridge. Cold meat doesn't cook evenly, and it often turns out charred on the outside but raw on the inside. Avoid this by pulling the steak out of the fridge a half-hour before you are going to cook it, letting it come to room temperature.
Let the steak be out at room temperature before cooking. It cooks more evenly and will give a better consistent result inside the meat. An easy step, it makes all the difference in that perfect restaurant-like doneness.
Season Copiously with Salt and Pepper
Seasoning is the magic that makes a steak taste as it should from the finest high-end steakhouses. Don't be afraid to use that salt and pepper. The salt helps bring out the steak's natural flavours, and the pepper adds a punch of heat and complexity.
Season the steak evenly on both sides before cooking. Additional spice or rubs can be applied but salt and pepper are the bare minimum of a perfect steak. Some chefs recommend salting the steak at least 30 minutes prior to cooking where it will allow the salt penetration into the meat and does enhance flavour and texture.
Heat Your Pan or Grill to High Heat
The only thing that could make this cut of meat restaurant-quality is a nice sear. You have to get the pan or grill extremely hot before you ever put the steak on it. That high heat caramelizes the surface of the steak, carries out flavours onto that crust, while at the same time locking in the juices.
Regardless of whether you're using a cast-iron skillet, grill, or griddle, let it preheat for several minutes until it's scorching hot. Then apply a small amount of oil with a high smoke point, such as vegetable or canola oil, to prevent sticking. Once your steak touches that hot surface, do not disturb it too much; let it sit for a few minutes on either side so the crust may set to a nice golden colour.
Butter Basting Technique
One secret to obtaining the rich, steakhouse flavour at home is through butter basting. After searing the steak both sides, you add a few tablespoons of butter into the pan, along with aromatics such as garlic, thyme, or rosemary. Tilt the pan and use a spoon to continuously baste the steak with the melted butter.
This impregnates more flavour into the steak and keeps it juicy and succulent. Butter basting is a trick of the chefs that gives a layer of richness to the total depth of flavours in the steak.
Allow the Steak to Rest Before Slicing
Patience comes a long way when preparing steak. Once you have cooked your steak to the doneness point, allow it to rest for some minutes before slicing through it. Juices in the meat get time to balance out and make it softer and juicier.
If cut too early, the juices spill out of it, and you'll just be left with a piece of rather dry meat. Let it rest for about 5 to 10 minutes on a cutting board, loosely covered with foil. This simple step will make all the difference between getting that perfect, juicy restaurant-style steak or not.