Married men who do more housework get less sex

[Glassunion]

104. Thank you.

You are correct, that steak was cooked indoors. I have an advantage over most home cooks as my grandfather was a food chemist and my father a chef in several NYC restaurants. So by the age of 8, I was performing a decent "mise en place" for my father with a 10" chef's knife and was working the stove by the age of 10.

My way of the perfect sear was born from many a messed up steak (I used to have a very fat dog). I go by feel. I literally poke the steak with a finger to determine doneness. This same method works for many meats such as scallops, pork chops (I leave them a tad medium to medium well), salmon, duck breast, etc...

Here are the best tips I think I can give... These steps are just for beef, assuming the piece of meat is an inch and a half thick...

1. Get the steak to room temp. I usually sit the steak out on the counter for about an hour or so. A cold steak does not cook as evenly nor does it retain juiciness.

2. Season it once it is at room temp. Here is what I do to season: Kosher Salt... I salt both sides of the steak then let it sit for about 3 minutes. The salt will open up the surface of the steak to let in a bit of flavor. I then rub in fresh ground pepper and coarse garlic and then take fresh ground coffee (finely ground) and rub it on both sides of the steak.

3. Get a pan (either stainless or cast iron, I use stainless) over the highest heat setting. I have a gas range and will put that sucker on 11. Also turn your hood fan on high before you start, as there will be smoke.

4. Once the pan is hot, about 60 seconds over the heat. Put in an oil that can handle high heat. I would use either sunflower, peanut, canola or sesame. Put in just enough oil to place the steak in, don't put in too much (you don't want to fry it, you want to caramelize it). If the oil instantly smokes, you are using an oil that cannot handle the heat and should dump it and try another. Sunflower and peanut I have found can handle the highest of heats.

5. Slowly place the steak in the pan. Don't drop it as you will splatter oil if you do. Once you have the steak in the pan leave it alone. Do not move it, or press on it or anything. For the next 4 minutes, that steak does not exist in your universe. I will at this point put a platter screen over the pan to prevent flame ups and splattering.

6. After 4 minutes, flip it over and let it cook for two minutes.

7. Here is where feel comes in handy. After two minutes, I start poking it with a finger (clean your hands).

If the steak does not rebound from being pressed, it is under cooked.
If it slowly rebounds it is rare.
If it rebounds it is medium rare (this is what you see pictured from my earlier post).
If it is slightly firm and rebounds it is medium.
If it is firm it is medium well.
If it is hard it is well done.

8. Once it is at the firmness you want, remove it from the heat and cover it on a cutting board. I use a bowl to cover it. Then let it rest for about 5 minutes. Resting is quite important as this will allow the meat to retain its moisture.

9. Enjoy it.

For every additional 1/2 inch of meat I would add an additional 30 seconds per side.