Why You Shouldn't Cook Steak Straight From The Fridge
Steaks are simultaneously the simplest concept for a meal and the most luxurious, decadent example of high cuisine. In reality, a steak is just a hunk of meat. But if you explore the cuts, processes, and procedures that your steak needs to end up beautiful and perfectly charred on your plate, you'll realize that the effort towards perfection is worth every step.
That is why something so simple as the temperature of your steak could change everything. According to The Kitchn, just throwing a steak straight out of the fridge, or god-forbid right out of the freezer, onto your ripping-hot frying pan is a good way to end up with unevenly cooked steak. The more uniform the temperature throughout the meat, the more evenly it will cook; if the temperature is not uniform, the outside of your steak will be all done by the time the inside is just beginning to thaw.
What to do instead
Rather than just going straight from fridge to pan, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver suggests leaving the meat out, covered of course, at room temperature. Leave the meat to rest and warm up a bit for an hour or more before cooking. This allows the meat to get literally and figuratively warmed up before being introduced to the intense heat of your burner and pan. The closer the steak is to room temperature, the more evenly it will cook, as the burner and pan won't have to make quite as much of an effort to cook your steak. You can use this time to marinate your steak if you so choose.
According to Business Insider, Bobby Flay also recommends leaving your steak out for at least a little bit to get it back up from the low temperatures of your fridge. It may be a bit less convenient than simply slapping the meat on, but if you want a nicer steak you have to let it warm up a bit before the main act. Don't forget to let it rest too!