Best/easiest type of steak to cook at home (for beginner )

[pinkxray]

I am in the mood for a nice steak dinner tonight. Steak, mashed potatoes and corn. Mmmmm.

Too bad I don't really cook red meat home. I don't really love cooking and almost never cook steak at home since DD and DH don't really eat much red meat. Steak is usually reserved for restaurant meals or maybe summer when we grill.

I am looking for a the best type of steak I can cook in a pan at home that isn't too hard to make. It is too cold outside to use the grill and I happened to see some cooking show where they pan seared a steak with oil and butter.

I'm going to head out to the store when I pick DD up from school so I need some suggestions.

I noticed it our store flyer that boneless sirloin is on sale but not sure that will work? I usually get strip steak or filet at restaurants if that helps.

I'd love any tips your have for cooking it too.

Thanks!

 

[Tinkermommy]

At home we tend to stick with Rib Eyes or NY strips. I would not cook a filet at home as I think it needs to be cooked at a very high temp to get it right.

I also like to cook mine in a cast iron skillet. I think it does the best job on searing steaks/meat.

 

[wvjules]

I only grill steaks at home. I refuse to pan fry. We grill filet and sirloin.

 

[RitaE]

If you are going for completely indulgent, IMHO you want something with a good amount of fat on it. Prime Rib is our favorite.

I really don't like pan fried. We either use the grill or broil in the oven.

 

[clh2]

I only grill steaks at home. I refuse to pan fry. We grill filet and sirloin.

YEP - grilling is the only way to go! We will only grill steaks. Let's face it - I won't even do burgers on the stove.

We do a variety of New York Strips, sirloins, T-bones, filet's etc. Depends what is on sale at the store with the butcher shop.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Best/easiest type of steak to cook at home (for beginner )

I am looking for a the best type of steak I can cook in a pan at home that isn't too hard to make.

Well the first thing to look for is a steak of choice grade from your market rather than select. There are also several cuts of steak you can buy, each of varying tenderness and flavor and possibly prices. I'll give you suggestions that work best with pan frying.

1. Rib Eye. This is not the best cut, but it is a good one and probably the easiest for the not so experienced to do. It is tender and flavorful, so much so that it is the favorite cut of many folks even over the Filet. I must admit it is one of my favorites too. The draw back is its fat content is rather high.
2. Strip. Sometimes called a New York Steak, , a Club Steak, or a Kansas City Strip. Kansas city is bone in. New York or Club is bone out. This is a good cut and fairly easy to do. Though not as tender as some cuts, it is flavorful and a very good cut and on the lean side.
3. Filet Mignon. The creme de la creme of all steaks. This one is both lean and the most tender. However, it does lack just a bit in the flavor department relative to some of the others. Usually when you see chefs painstakingly fawning over the steak, spooning butter or some other treatment over it, this is the one they're cooking. Often in the market, these will be pre wrapped with bacon and a stick put through them for cooking.
4. Porterhouse or T-bone. Part Tenderloin and part short loin, in essence a strip on one side and a filet on the other. The only thing about frying these is the bone can be cumbersome.
Edit. Note also the tenderloin side cooks faster than does the short loin side.
5. Top Sirloin This is probably the worst cut I would suggest for frying up a steak. It's not bad cut by any means and is relatively inexpensive. when you can find it on sale. It is flavorful, but a bit tougher than the rest of the cuts above. Not my first choice if I'm made of money. But I'm not. So when these are $6 and the rest are $12 a pound and more, I'm reaching for that Top Sirloin without hesitation as it is still an enjoyable steak. Make sure it is top Sirloin and not just Sirloin.

Note for those of you outside the U.S. Your names for various cuts may or may not be different.

Two things to be sure of when frying a steak.
1. Make sure your pan is hot before putting your steak in. Don't scorch the oil or butter you put in mind you. Just get it nice and hot. You'll come out with a much better steak and will have far far less sticking.
2. Make sure you let your steak relax a bit before cutting it. This allows it to cool off a tad and results in a juicier steak rather than having all the liquid run all over the plate.

 

[EMAW_KSU]

Well the first thing to look for is a steak of choice grade from your market rather than select. There are also several cuts of steak you can buy, each of varying tenderness and flavor. I'll give you suggestions that work best with pan frying.

1. Rib Eye. This is not the best cut, but it is a good one and probably the easiest for the not so experienced to do. It is tender and flavorful, so much so that it is the favorite cut of many folks even over the Filet. It's one of my favorites. The draw back is its fat content is rather high.
2. Strip. Sometimes called a New York, a Club Steak, or a Kansas City Strip. Kansas city is bone in. New York or Club is bone out. This is a good cut and fairly easy to do. Though not as tender as some cuts, it is flavorful and a very good cut and on the lean side.
3. Filet Mignon. The creme de la creme of all steaks. This one is both lean and the most tender. However, it does lack just a bit in the flavor department relative to some of the others. Usually when you see chefs painstakingly fawning over the steak, spooning butter or some other treatment over it, this is the one they're cooking. Often in the market, these will be pre wrapped with bacon and a stick put through them for cooking.
4. Porterhouse or T-bone. Part Tenderloin and part short loin, in essence a strip on one side and a filet on the other. The only thing about frying these is the bone can be cumbersome.
5. Top Sirloin This is probably the worst cut I would suggest for frying up a steak. It's not bad cut by any means and is relatively inexpensive. when you can find it on sale. It is flavorful, but a bit tougher than the rest of the cuts above. If you like your steak well done, I suggest a better cut. If you like em rare or medium rare, then it is fine. Make sure it is top Sirloin and not just Sirloin.

Two things to be sure of when frying a steak.
1. Make sure your pan is hot before putting your steak in.
2. Make sure you let your steak relax a bit before cutting it. This allows it to cool off a tad and results in a juicier steak rather than having all the liquid run all over the plate.

Excellent post except i think the filet is the most over rated steak there is. No flavor.

A cast iron skillet and finish in the oven ribeye is my favorite if it can not be on a grill.

Alton Brown Recipe

 

[LilyWDW]

Bone in Ribeye. Hot pan. Lots of butter.

I would rather do it this way then on the grill even. Comes out melt in your mouth good.

 

[Christine]

It's never too cold to grill (if you have a gas grill). I grill all year long--even if it's like 10 degrees out!

I don't care for pan-seared steaks. I've never had one that I liked that much but this is definitely a personal preference thing.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I am in the mood for a nice steak dinner tonight. Steak, mashed potatoes and corn. Mmmmm.

Too bad I don't really cook red meat home. I don't really love cooking and almost never cook steak at home since DD and DH don't really eat much red meat. Steak is usually reserved for restaurant meals or maybe summer when we grill.

I am looking for a the best type of steak I can cook in a pan at home that isn't too hard to make. It is too cold outside to use the grill and I happened to see some cooking show where they pan seared a steak with oil and butter.

I'm going to head out to the store when I pick DD up from school so I need some suggestions.

I noticed it our store flyer that boneless sirloin is on sale but not sure that will work? I usually get strip steak or filet at restaurants if that helps.

I'd love any tips your have for cooking it too.

Thanks!

You can cook any steak in a pan. Now it will not have the same flavor as grilled, just so you know.

If I was going to make it today on the stove, I would sautee a little onion and garlic in a pan and then cook the steak in that.

Sirloin is fine, it does have less fat and it will not come close to the flavor you are used to though. We eat sirloin all the time because it has less fat and is usually cheaper.

If you want to come close to what you are used to stick with a strip or rib eye.

Now I have never used it but I know there is something out there called "liquid smoke" to infuse a "smoky flavor".

And OP, we grill year round. We have a propane grill. If you have charcoal, I can understand not getting out there to grill however I MISS the taste of charcoal grilling. DH cannot have it because of heartburn and well it is not good for you. (Off to cry now.)

 

[elgerber]

It's never too cold to grill (if you have a gas grill). I grill all year long--even if it's like 10 degrees out!
.

See my tag the only exception being this year, when we had so much snow on the deck we couldn't get the door open to get to the grill.

 

[luvsJack]

I use a cast iron skillet, a tb or so of oil and a lot of butter. Heat the skillet, add the oil and butter (it lets the butter get hotter without burning but you get the butter taste).

Sear both sides of the rib-eye or strip, basting with butter while they cook. Transfer the skillet to a hot 450 degree oven and let the steak cook until done as desired.

While cooking in the oven, I baste with butter/garlic mixture (roasted garlic added to softened butter. It gives some garlic flavor but none of the bitterness that garlic can get from being cooked in the skillet.

Dh and ds like a seasoning put on the steak before cooking (Montreal steak seasoning or something like that). DD and i just like salt and pepper and then the garlic butter.

 

[chirurgeon]

We do filets because they are smaller. We sear each side for about a minute and finish them in a hot oven. Comes out perfect every time.