When you cook steak

gaack. We always put steaks on the grill frozen, and cook them on a high flame for about 5 min.

You don't need any oil to cook your steak. Just put it in a blazing hot pan. Make sure you open the windows.

Once you have seared it on both sides, put it in the oven to finish cooking.

just sear it for 30 seconds per side and then serve it is my recomendation

My 20 year old son, who has always hated red meat, was recently diagnosed as being dangerous anemic. The problem is he hates steak that has any pink in the middle at all. I personally think his idea of steak is shoe leather.

Since I work at Williams-Sonoma part-time and spend a great deal of day telling people not to heat their All-Clad or Calphalon pans above medium and since many cooking authorities decry searing, I have some suggestions.

If you must cook a steak through because you prepare food for someone like my son, it's a good idea to get a braising cut and braise (cook in a small amount of liquid) to keep it edible.

Grilling actually requires no oil and a rub can be used for flavor.

A steak can be marinated in wine (along with crushed black pepper and garlic) before broiling or grilling.

Blade steaks are best quickly browned, removed from the pan which is deglazed with wine (here, I prefer white wine). The steaks are then returned to the pan and can be cooked to the degree preferred.

Unless a steak is marinated in a traditional marinade (consisting basically of an oil and an acid), the oil really doesn't permeate the meat.

POM, good info. Interesting.

Plainold,

You are talking about non-stick pans, right? I don't know how you can get that great crust without searing.

one needs a daily intake of nitrosamines from seared flesh.

The secret to the juiciness of a steak is in the quick cook. I flavor and then stick it in the oven under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Remove, flip, and put back in for a few minutes (or one minute if it's for Bear)

Where others have mentioned searing or cooking on high flame, they are also correct, in my experience, because they are also quick cooking the outside and trapping the juices inside.

I wouldn't imagine any oil would be absorbed given the texture of steak. Clinging to the outside or being crusted to the steak as it clings to the fat seems possible.

BTW, the juice being trapped isn't just the blood. The fat content or marbling also contributes.

You can also improve the juiciness by letting it rest for 5 - 10 minutes after cooking to let the juices reabsorb back into the tissue. If you slice it right away the juices will all run out. It will stay hot if you put a tent of foil over it while it rests.

plainoldme - Sorry if we're making you a little uncomfortable here.