How to cook the perfect steak

Tips and advice on cooking a steak

by Michel Roth

P R E PA R AT I O N

Allow 15 to 30 min at room temperature before cooking.
The meat will soften while avoiding too much temperature difference with the pan and it will also add moisture for searing.
If too cold, it is more difficult to say when it is cooked.
For a steak cooked rare, leave your meat near to a heat source for 10 minutes before searing, it will be warm inside.

THE BEST MATERIAL

Unbeatable when it comes to searing, grilling and browning, They are an essential ingredient of the Maillard reaction a browning reaction that reduces sugars on the surface, seals in flavors and keepsthe inside tender and juicy.

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C O O K I N G

Check your pan is hot enough before starting to cook:
when you are using fat, the oil should become liquid and the butter foamy.
It is preferable to start cooking with oil, since butter may brown and become unpalatable.
Once the oil is hot, sear the steak and brown both sides over high heat.
Turn down heat until cooked to your taste.
At the very end, a bit of butter will add flavour to the meat.
Rosemary or garlic are also great options.

Bluerare, rare, medium... how to master cooking for steak

The method taught to chefs to check how well-done a steak is, without a tool, is to use your hand
by joining your thumb and any other finger; then with your other hand, press the thenar eminence
(the fleshy area between the thumb and the base of the palm).

Touch the thumb and the index finger for the texture of a blue rare steak.
Touch the thumb and the middle finger for the texture of a rare steak.
Touch the thumb and the ring finger for the texture of a medium steak.
Touch the thumb and the little finger for the texture of a well-done steak.

leave the meat to rest

It is advised for meat to rest after cooking (for cuts of beef, veal or beef ribeyes, double cut ribeye,
tomahawks,…) making sure the blood inside is well-distributed, thus making a tender and juicy
meat; to help this distribution, it is best to turn the meat once or twice while resting.

Before serving, if the meat has cooled, reheat again quickly using a pan or the oven.

A sauce ?

Before making a sauce or a jus, you must remove the meat from the pan before deglazing or adding liquid.
Meats shall not be cooked in liquids as it will harden.
Once you have removed the meat, degrease the pan and deglaze (with alcohol for example),
add vegetable or chicken stock or a vegetable coulis, you can also add cream.
The meat can then be put back very briefly into the pan to be reheated, once the sauce is done.

when to season ?

When to add salt is a subject of much debate: we advise adding salt to a piece of beef just before
cooking and then adjusting the seasoning at the end of cooking.

This will relax the meat, but be careful not to salt it too early because there is a risk it will lose its juices.

Michel Roth’s favourite pepper

For a peppercorn steak, I use green peppercorn or roughly cracked Sarawak black peppercorn.

MORE ABOUT MICHEL ROTH

Michel Roth

BEST MASTER CHEF OF FRANCE, BOCUSE D'OR

Michel Roth is one of the most accomplished chefs in the world, having been awarded some of the most prestigious titles in French gastronomy: in 1985 he won the Pierre Taittinger International Culinary Prize, before receiving the Bocuse d’Or and Meilleur Ouvrier de France titles in 1991. Michel Roth represents the epitome of haute cuisine and excellence.
Originally from the Grand Est, a region of France which he holds particularly dear, Roth shares strong values with DE BUYER.