Serve beef rib meat at least medium-rare, if not ribeye di black angus, to cook the fat running through it. Up to 8 hrs before cooking, pat the steaks dry with kitchen paper and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil over a high flame in a heavy-based frying pan that will comfortably fit both steaks.

When the oil is shimmering, turn the heat down to medium-high and add the butter. Once it’s sizzling, carefully lay the steaks in the pan, tucking the garlic and herbs in at the sides. Stand over the steaks with a pair of tongs, searing and turning them every 30 seconds to 1 min so they get a nice brown crust. As a rough guide, each steak will take 4 mins in total for rare, 5-6 mins in total for medium and 8-10 mins for well done. Sirloin or rump steak would also work well. This is a key step in achieving a beautiful crust. Up to 8 hours before cooking, pat the steaks dry with kitchen paper, before seasoning with salt and pepper.

Keep in the fridge until about half an hour before cooking. Don’t skimp on the salt and pepper as this contributes to the flavour, plus the seasoning will stick to the surface, helping to create a crust. Season both sides of the steak liberally before frying. Heatthe pan for 5 minutes before adding the steak. Any cooler will mean the steak steams instead of sears, so you won’t achieve that deep brown crust. Don’t move or prod the steaks. It may feel counterintuitive but it’s important to leave the steaks alone to let them caramelise properly.

30 seconds to a minute is all that’s needed. If you move them around too much, they’ll stew in their own juices and turn grey instead of caramelising. This will allow the muscles to relax and release the juices, so the end result is more succulent. Loosely cover the steak with foil while resting it, to prevent it drying out. The foil also keeps it warm. You can serve steak whole or slice it.

Avoid slicing too thinly, however, or it will cool too quickly and become dry and chewy. Slice thickly at an angle and against the grain using a sharp knife for the best presentation. How long does it take to cook steak in a frying pan? As a rough guide, 4 mins in total for rare, 5-6 mins in total for medium and 8-10 mins for well done.

When cooking, we recommend searing and turning every 30 seconds to a minute with a pair of tongs, to achieve the brown crust. For this method to work, it’s essential that the starting temperature of the pan is very hot. What should the internal temperature of the cooked steak be? If you have a digital cooking thermometer, the temperatures you’re looking for in the middle of the steak are 50C for rare, 60C for medium or 70C for well done. Which pan is best for cooking steak? We recommend using a medium-large, heavy-based frying pan as this will help distribute the heat evenly.

If you overcrowd the pan, the temperature will drop too quickly and the steaks will steam and stew rather than sear and brown. Can I use a griddle pan? Yes, a griddle pan generally works well, but not for the recipe on this page due to the butter and garlic. If using a griddle pan, it’s better to just oil and season the steak. Cooking and basting the meat with butter is a good idea because it deepens the colour of the crust and the flavour.