Food - Drink
Alton Brown's 30-Second Rule For The Perfect Crust On Steak
By LAUREN ROTHMAN
Correctly cooking steak at home is a rather straightforward matter, but if you're just starting out with steak cookery, you might encounter a few pitfalls, like not being able to get that perfect crust. However, you're in luck because Alton Brown demystifies getting a beautiful brown sear on a piece of steak with a simple solution: Follow the 30-second rule.
When searing steak in a pan, you've got to resist the urge to move it around too much, lest you jolt its developing crust loose before it's truly browned and set, via Insider. In a video clip from "Good Eats," Brown preheats his cast iron skillet in the oven, moves it to the stovetop, and puts his salted, peppered, and canola-oiled steak onto it — and leaves it alone.
After placing the steak in the pan, Brown waits 30 seconds, and then flips the steak with his tongs, remarking, "Now, see — that brown crust. That's what we're after." After an additional 30-second sear on the second side, Brown transfers his now perfectly crusted steak to the oven to finish cooking through.