Originally published at: Another chef's take on the perfect steak - Boing Boing
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Related: those who enjoy their steak to be cooked to the consistency of leather and slathered in ketchup will soon have an exciting new dining option in Anaheim:
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This video is exactly how I do it. Only difference is I use a cast iron pan with grill marks. Also after seasoning with just kosher salt, pepper and a little Lowery’s, I let the meat come to almost room temp before cooking. I usually skip the aromatics. 4-5 mins on each side and it’s a perfect medium rare. BAM!
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Table salt is too salty
Well, use less of it, then.
(Colour me slightly unconvinced that different types of salt are really that different in taste once they’ve been added to food and cooked.)
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Salting immediately before cooking draws moisture out of the steak and prevents a good sear. Seasoning after the first flip is the way to go.
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I don’t remember where I learned it, but salting my steaks and then setting them on a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet in the fridge uncovered the night before I want to cook them is my go to method for preperation. You can then cook them with your preferred method of heat.
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That’s how JKL of the reverse sear (and many other good ways to cook) says to prepare your steak. A dry outside means a quicker sear at least.
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I think it’s more people misjudging volumes. Half a teaspoon of table salt is a LOT more than half a teaspoon of Maldon flakes, for instance. Or even pinch for pinch.
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Well, clearly there is a need for a campaign to mandate all published recipes to describe ALL quantities in weight, not volume.
(Sort of /s but …“N grams of salt” lets you choose any type of salt (with any size flake) and get the same result.)
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Yeah, but people guesstimate weights all the time. Except for my GF, who follows recipes To. The. Letter. and has been known to get my old drug scales out to weight small amounts of things 
Me, I guesstimate. Even with cakes. Muahahahaaaaa😈
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For those who can’t tell the difference in quantity, e.g. of salt, between half a dozen giant salt flakes fitting in a teaspoon and goodness knows how many tiny crystals of table salt fitted in the same space, and can’t figure out that the amount of salt/saltiness might just be different, weights are obviously better. But those who estimate weight are responsible for any issues. Presumably, they have experience and know what they are doing. Otherwise just effing weigh it!
Me? I’m with you (mostly). Salt aside (I always use less - blood pressure) I cook by method and taste, not some recipe writer’s strict prescriptions (even though most have thoroughly tested their recipes so they ought to be trusted - but still say things like “one onion” or “two medium-sized courgettes” FFS!)
Which is partly why I balked at this guy’s “table salt is too salty” nonsense. The quantity of salt is a question of taste. Despite the hordes about to descend to tell me about how different salts can taste so different, salt is salt.
But baking? Cooking is an art, baking is a science! 
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I’ve always liked Fran’s videos, and this is no exception. That’s a really good looking steak.
My method is similar, but uses less butter- Instead, I deglaze the pan with a little red wine.
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I’ve cooked steaks this way. The other day, I finally planned ahead enough to do a reverse sear. Holy shit, I’m never cooking a steak any other way, assuming I plan ahead. It was so good, I thought I was going to pass out.
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I definitely have to adjust amounts when switching back from pink salt to regular iodized. Even by weight. It’s not necessarily that one is saltier (could be, not sure). But unrefined salts have a more complex flavor, so you end up needing less to get the other-than-saltiness effects on the food that you want, and then regular table salt leaves you with a saltier dish.
I agree that reverse sear is amazing, but if you have the steak and haven’t planned ahead, the cold non-stick pan method is far better than it should be.
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I don’t get steak that often because it’s expensive but occasionally my wife brings home a NY strip or tbone or porterhouse.
I just turn the gas grill on high, cook both sides for a couple minutes, and then some A1. No seasoning at all just body heat restored on the inside.
A chef at a fancy hotel I worked at showed me black and blue steak years ago.
I’ve tried a lot of the various methods but rare on the grill makes me happy.
Plus, on the grill there’s no clean up after I eat too much and need a nap.
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Try seasoning it and ditching the A1. I think you’ll find it better.
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Maybe, but I love A1 sauce and the steak is just a delivery method.
My dad always said the fish was just something for the tartar sauce to ride on to his mouth.
My wife is the same way with tartar sauce, she won’t eat fish without it.
I can eat a good steak without sauce but at home I love me some A1. No ketchup on steak though.
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