Name: Pan-Seared Steaks
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 4 boneless 8-ounce rib-eye steaks or top loin steaks, 1 to 1 1/4 inches thick, thoroughly dried with paper towels; Salt and ground black pepper

Time

20 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 boneless 8-ounce rib-eye steaks or top loin steaks, 1 to 1 ¼ inches thick, thoroughly dried with paper towels

Salt and ground black pepper

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

4 boneless 8-ounce rib-eye steaks or top loin steaks, 1 to 1 ¼ inches thick, thoroughly dried with paper towels

Salt and ground black pepper

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

4 boneless 8-ounce rib-eye steaks or top loin steaks, 1 to 1 ¼ inches thick, thoroughly dried with paper towels

Salt and ground black pepper

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

For a pan-seared steak recipe with a full-bodied, complex steak sauce, we cooked the steaks in a high-quality, heavy pan, reducing the heat to prevent burning and moving the steaks only once. By adding a few extra ingredients to the traditional trio of wine or brandy, stock, and butter, we transformed canned stock into a luxurious, refined sauce for our meat.

Before You Begin

To cook two steaks instead of four, use a 10-inch skillet and halve the sauce ingredient quantities. Pan sauces cook quickly, so prepare the ingredients before you begin cooking the steaks. Use a heavy skillet with a nonreactive cooking surface.

Instructions

Heat heavy-bottomed, 12-inch skillet over high heat until very hot, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, season both sides of steaks with salt and pepper.

Lay steaks in pan, leaving 1/4-inch of space between each; reduce heat to medium-high, and cook without moving until well browned, about 4 minutes. Using tongs, flip steaks; cook 4 minutes more for rare, 5 minutes more for medium-rare, and 6 minutes more for medium. Transfer steaks to large plate and tent with foil to keep warm while preparing one of the related sauce recipes.