Martha Stewart can do just about anything—and that's not limited to pan-searing a perfect steak. But this method can prove difficult if you don't have her level of cooking expertise: How do you know when the pan is hot enough? Does the temperature of your meat before cooking it matter? When do you season it? Thankfully, Stewart has the answers—and she’s sharing them with the class.
In a recent Instagram post, which has nearly 12,000 likes now, the lifestyle queen takes you through exactly how to cook a memorable, steakhouse-worthy meal.
“The key to making restaurant-quality steak is to sear the meat first, and then roast it,” she wrote in the description of the post. In the video, she starts by saying it is a “very simple lesson.”
First, choose meat from the middle loin. About an hour before you plan to cook your steak, take it out of the refrigerator and dry it off with a paper towel. According to Stewart, the meat should reach about room temperature.
“The reason that you dry the meat is because we do not want to steam the meat, we want to sear it—so any moisture will tend to collect underneath the meat and cause steam,” she explained.
Heat your cast iron pan over high heat. To make sure it’s hot enough, flick a bit of water on the pan. It should sizzle, but not smoke. Stewart said she prefers a cast iron over any other kind because they’re designed to distribute heat evenly. You don't have to worry about one part of your steak getting burnt while another is raw—it’ll be cooked the same all the way through.
Once the pan is ready, Stewart adds in about a tablespoon of butter for each steak. This is the moment to season the meat with salt and pepper. You might have the urge to do so ahead of time, but seasoning it too early will “cause the juices to leach, and you don’t want that," she said. "You don’t want any oozing juices.”
After a few minutes, Stewart shows off a perfectly-browned steak. After checking out the color, she turns them. After she's satisfied with that side, she lets them rest for a few minutes and gets started on the sauce.
The best part about pan-searing a steak: You can use the pan drippings right in your sauce, creating a dish that’s automatically cohesive and extra flavorful. She adds a quarter of a cup of vermouth into the pan and cooks that down until the liquid is reduced, which takes about 40 seconds. After that, she adds a quarter cup of heavy cream and one teaspoon of Dijon mustard, stirring with a wooden spoon until it thickens up.
Stewart said in the caption that after she sears the steak, she pops it in the oven to finish cooking.
“The stovetop cooking gives the steak a nicely-golden brown exterior, and the dry heat of the oven helps it to cook evenly,” she wrote.
If you've felt too intimated to cook up this gourmet meal for yourself at home, you can now go for it knowing you have Martha Stewart's advice on your side.