I NEEDED to learn to cook a restaurant-style steak at home to make it through the pandemic. Using technology, I made the best of a difficult situation by using virtual travel.
I went virtually to Omaha, a place I think of as the steak capital of the world. Visit Omaha offered an on-line cooking demonstration with three Omaha restaurant chefs.
Here’s what I learned from my virtual meeting with the three Omaha chefs on how to make the perfect restaurant-style steak at home. They certainly know their steak.
• Season the steak up to 12 hours before cooking to infuse maximum flavor. • Temper the meat by letting it stand at room temperature for almost two hours at room temperature.
• Start with a very dry steak to help with the caramelization process. • Pat it dry with paper towel to remove all the excess moisture.
• Season with a liberal amount of kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. • Season from above to season the entire surface.
• Use canola oil, vegetable, or peanut oil to sear the steak on the hottest surface possible to create that crust and caramelization on the steak, approximately two and a half minutes per side.
• Don’t be afraid to get the pan hot as that’s what creates the crust. • Once the steak has the nice exterior crust, let it rest for five to seven minutes.