Where the lines represent the combinations of pan temp and time that will give us our desired result for either process. So, in a cooler pan it will take longer for the meat to reach 125. As the pan temp increases, the amount of time needed to hit 125 falls. Above the curve the meat is overdone, below underdone. The “crust curve” also has a downwards slope (it happens faster at a higher heat), but it has a steeper slope and narrower range. In a cooler pan, this process just won’t happen at all, in a very hot one (say a cast iron pre-heated to 10/10 heat on a large electric burner) it would just blacken. You want to cook at the intersection. 

 

Because the crust curve falls faster, for most steaks this will be a high heat/low time combo. This is why we cook steaks this way—you can reach medium rare at any heat; we’re choosing the heat that also gives you a perfect crust. 

 

For my stove (a quite high-powered electric), for a steak cut around 1 inch thick, a cast iron preheated on my largest heat source at 6 out of 10 is my perfectly balanced temperature. But this will be different for different pans, different steaks, and different stoves. You’re generally looking for around twice as hot as what you would sauté onions on. 

 

This is why cast-iron pans are generally favoured for this: once you find the right pan temperature, you need to keep it consistent for the entire cook. But a regular thin pan will cool over the cook because of heat transfer to the meat. You’ll get a good crust on one side, but not the other. 

 

Perhaps counter-intuitively, you’ll need a hotter pan for smaller steaks as the middle will cook faster. Thinner steaks are harder to cook to temp. I recommend practicing with steaks at least an inch thick. Ribeye is a good beginner cut—it’s sold everywhere and is reasonably forgiving; because of the high fat content you can take it to medium and not destroy it. 

 

If you’re new to this, practice with everything the same – same steak, same pan, same stove. That way you only have one variable to finetune: temperature. If your steak doesn’t develop enough of a curst (or is overdone internally by the time it does), your pan temp was too low. Conversely, if you burn the steak or it’s overdone by the time the curst is done, it was too high. 

 

Too low a temperature (too cold a pan) is by far the most common mistake, especially for cooks not used to this way of cooking (but even in restaurants—most venues fail to develop a good crust). The temp you need is just a lot hotter than what is usually used. If you’re practicing with everything the same, once you’ve found your temp, just remember that, then watch for your markers (see below). 

 

A final point is that too develop a good crust the meat must be dry as it goes in the pan. Opinions differ on if you should oil the steak or oil the pan (I don’t think it matters that much), but everyone agrees that if the surface of the meat has liquid on it this will hinder your cook. 

 

Once you know your temp (for a set stove, pan, and steak) that takes most of the guesswork out. Pull it once the crust has developed. You can use tongs to check if the underside has fully browned—don’t constantly faff around with the meat once it’s in the pan, but you can have a quick check. I think it’s a myth that you can never touch the meat at all except to flip it once. 

 

That’s the core of what you need to know. Here’s a few more notes on going through the process:
 

1. It’s generally held that you should take the steak out the fridge a before cooking to allow it to come up to room temperature. This is probably more of a cooking superstition – people who’ve A/B tested it don’t find it makes a difference, and I usually don’t bother with it 
   
   (But it doesn’t hurt either, so you can if you want to! I guess it might make a difference at the very margin as to how long it takes to come up to internal temp, so be consistent one way or the other as you learn)
    

2. Pre-heat the pan to your ideal temp. This is not going to work if your pan is cold as the meat goes in. Again, you need the same temperature throughout.  
    

3. Season one side of the steak just before you put it in the pan (put this side down), season the other just before you flip. Flaky salt and black pepper are sufficient—you don’t need anything else and spice rubs risk burning at the heat we’re cooking at. If you leave the meat standing in seasoning it will draw the water out of the steak and hinder developing a crust. As above, it can’t be wet. (If you want the seasoning to penetrate, salt the meat and leave it overnight. This is called a dry brine, for normal purposes I don’t think you need that step)
    

4. The crust should be a deep brown, but not black, and cover the majority of the surface of the of the steak. It should also fuse the seasonings to the surface of the meat. 
    

5. You do not need to sear off every part of the steaks surface – IE the edges of the steak, both sides is fine. The purpose of the sear is not to ‘seal in the juices’, as is sometimes stated. It’s simply to add more flavour. The meat searing is a different chemical reaction (the malliard reaction) that creates a different taste and texture. You want to get a good uniform sear to get more of this flavour (a deep, rich, umami type taste), but you don’t need to faff around trying to sear the edges.
    

6. If using a cast iron, the steak may stick to the surface. This is fine, it will release as the crust forms. For this reason, don’t try and move it around, just put it in and wait (you also shouldn’t need to adjust the temperature).
    

7. For a medium rare on a thick (at least one inch) steak watch the colour of the edges- you’ll see the cook working its way up with the meat turning from red to grey. Once they grey is halfway up the side you should be able to see a brown crust forming at the bottom (even without flipping the steak), at which point season the upwards facing side and flip. 
   
   Leave for the same amount of time it took the first side to cook (perhaps 4 minutes or so for this cut, but you’re not timing this, you’re going by visuals). During this time, you should see the exact same thing – the ‘cook’ rising up the edge of the meat until it reaches the hallway point and meets the cook from the other side. At this moment, when the outer edges of the steak are just fully cooked the centre will be medium-rare (provided you’ve been cooking on a high heat).
    

8. As an axillary measure of ‘doneness’ once you’ve flipped, feel the steak with some tongs. To start it should be quite soft, towards the end of the cook you’ll feel it firm up. I find this happens quite quickly. Shortly after this happens the steak will be medium rare, feel it firm, give it literally one minute and take it off. You may also see the steak release a small amount of pink liquid as it hits medium rare, but this is an unreliable indicator, don’t wait for it. 
    

9. All three of these markers – cook side 2 for as long as side 1, watching the sides, and feeling the firmness – should converge (so, when you’re a minute from having cooked the 2nd side as long as the first you’ll feel it firm, and in another minute the cook on the edges will meet). 
    

10. With all that said, don’t worry too much about these markers. All of this is downstream of finding the right pan temperature. If that is right, all these markers will align, as the two cooking processes/ chemical reactions (crust forming and middle coming up to medium rare) will finish at the same time. If it isn’t, they won’t. You’re not cooking by markers, you’re cooking by temp with the marker’s letting you know you’ve got it right. 
     

11. Note that there’s no skill to cooking the meat – you’re not utilizing any techniques once it’s in the pan. You just put it in the pan, then leave it alone. You can baste in the pan at the end, but this is to add flavour, it’s not at all required to get the fundamentals of the cook. (And when you’re learning the skill, I would recommend against basting, it cools the pan and honestly doesn’t do that much)
     

12. There’s a number of other markers people propose for knowing when the steak is done that are actively unhelpful. For instance, it’s sometimes said that feeling the steaks firmness and comparing to the firmness of various parts of your hand will let you know the doneness. It won’t. Different steaks have different degrees of firmness, and different people’s hands likewise are different. If you’re using the feel of the steak as a marker, you’re comparing it against itself (it getting more firm means its cooking), not against something external.
     

13. Once you’ve removed your steak from the pan you MUST let it rest – ie put it on a cutting board for 10 minutes and leave it alone. If you cut into the meat too early a lot of the liquid will run out and the meat will become dry. After having the wrong pan temp, this is the most common error – even in professional cooking competitions this is a very common trip at the finish line. Fortunately, it’s easy to avoid- just let it be. (And the resting time is useful to finalise other elements of your dish, such as a pan sauce).
     

14. The steak will cool a little as it rests, for a thick cut that’s fine, it’ll still be warm as you serve. There’re a few tricks you can use to increase its temperature a bit. A restaurant classic is to microwave the serving plates for a minute so they’re warm, and they warm the steak as its placed on them. Also, the pan sauce should be piping hot. This will increase the temp as its poured over.
     

15. You can serve steak how you like. One way it to just put it whole onto people’s plates (you must give them a steak knife if you do this). I personally prefer to prep a little and serve on a cutting board. I’ll take the meat off the bone/ remove and large fat chunks as necessary, then slice the meat into 1cm slices, finish with a little flaky salt, and serve family style.
     

16. In my opinion (others disagree) you should avoid covering the steak in sauce before you serve. The crust you’ve just worked so hard to create isn’t just taste; it’s also texture, and you destroy this by submerging it in liquid. You also lose the aesthetic of perfectly medium-rare steak slices.  Serve your sauce on the side in a gravy boat – a big one to share, or individual mini ones – or even just in a bowl. 

 

And that’s it. Practice and it’ll start to come naturally. And if you practice without the “theory” you will eventually start landing on that sweet spot thought trial and error, but I think you’ll get their faster with a clearer idea of what you’re going for. 

 

For really thick steaks (say, plus 2 inches), you’ll probably want to finish them in the oven. For this, get a nice crust, then just put a meat thermometer in the deepest part and allow the inside to come up to temp in the oven. You can also do this the other way round—bring it to internal temp in the oven, then do a quick and fast sear on the outside, a ‘reverse sear’. I also have my thoughts on these, but I’ll save them for another time. 

 

For me personally though, I think an inch to an inch and a half is about the right thickness of a steak. It gives you the right combination of crust and medium rare meat. But that’s just my view. Super thick steaks are kind of in vogue right now. 

 

Is it worth the investment to lean this skill? Maybe not. Depends on how often you want steak, or how much you care if it’s cooked well. I think it’s a fun craft to learn, albeit one no one needs to know.

 

If you are going to learn, hopefully the above can get you there a bit faster, and save you some time, money, and frustration along the way.