How To Cook Steaks On The Stovetop (2024)

Here’s How To Cook Steaks On The Stovetop like a restaurant! They are tender and juicy with a delicious crust. Save money and make fabulous steaks at home.

I think my all time favorite food is steak (even more than chocolate!) so I had to figure out how to make steaks. We love steak cooked this way so much that when we go out to eat my daughter will often comment, “These (restaurant cooked) steaks are fine but not as good as yours!”

What we want is a juicy, tender steak with flavor and a crust on the outside. Cooking steaks on the stovetop gives us all of thes things!

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Where are the instructions for how to cook steaks on the stovetop? In this post, I will share step-by-step instructions with photos for how to cook steaks, as well as answering FAQs about the recipe and sharing a short video showing the recipe in motion. But you can go directly to the recipe by scrolling down to the bottom of the post.

What Kind Of Steak Should I Buy

Our favorite steak to fry in a pan is the New York Strip Steak also know as Strip Steak or Kansas City Strip Steak. A New York Strip Steak is tender but still has some chewy texture, and is boneless with a good amount of marbling (fat running throughout for flavor and moisture) without having large pockets of fat.

Look for a thick New York Strip that is flat and fairly even in size on both ends. It typically costs $12-15 per pound in our area.

Why Bring Steaks To Room Temperature

Before starting to cook the steaks, allow them to sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. This will lessen the difference in temperature between the hot pan and the steak and allow for juicier, more evenly cooked steaks.

Since the temperature of the steak starting out is higher it means that it will take less time to cook the steak to the internal temperature you desire and that means there is less time for the steak to look moisture during cooking.

This same method applies when cooking steaks on the grill.

How To Cook Steaks On The Stovetop

After allowing the steaks to come to room temperature, heat a heavy-duty skillet (or a cast iron) over high heat until the pan is very hot and starts to smoke.

While the skillet is heating, drizzle olive oil on the steaks on sprinkle them with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Once the pan is hot, use tongs to carefully add the steaks. Do not crowd the steaks in the pan. If you have a small skillet, you may have to cook them one at a time.

Gently press on the steaks with tongs (you don’t want to press hard and squeeze the juices out) to make sure the bottom is in full contact with the pan and that the steaks get the best crust.

Use the tongs to flip the steaks over every minute and again, gently press on the top so that the bottom comes in contact with the pan.

During one of the flips, you can also use the tongs to stand the steaks on end to cook the fat.

During the final two minutes of cooking the steaks, top them with garlic butter before flipping them over for the final minute of cooking. Add additional garlic butter to each steak.

The length of time for cooking steak depends on how thick the steaks are and how you want them cooked. You can use a thermometer to check the temperature. For medium rare, the temperature should be 130˚F, 140˚F for medium and 160˚F for well done.

We cook a thick New York Strip Steak for 7-9 minutes total to get medium cooked steaks. For rare, it would be 5-7 minutes and for well done, it would take 10-12 minutes.

Transfer the steaks to a platter or platers. Pour the pan drippings over the steaks for extra flavor. Then, allow the steaks to rest for five minutes before serving.

Wondering what to serve with those perfectly cooked steaks? Try one of the following recipes.

Oven Roasted Potatoes: These delicious Oven Roasted Potatoes are soft and tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. This easy side dish goes with so many meals and everyone loves them!

Corn On The Cob: Wondering how long to boil corn on the cob? We’ve got you covered with this classic boiled corn on the cob recipe. Serve hot with lots of butter and salt.

Bacon Cranberry Salad: This Bacon Cranberry Salad is a favorite family recipe. This salad is lettuce, cauliflower, bacon, and dried cranberries with a homemade mayonnaise and parmesan dressing.

Oven Roasted Vegetables: Caramelized Oven Roasted Vegetables are the best side dish and a great way to get the family to eat more veggies! We make them for every holiday dinner.