Smart timer

How Long to Cook Steak?

Cut-aware, thickness-driven, carryover-calculated — with the butter baste built in.

1. Cut

Marbling drives how forgiving the cut is. Ribeye is the most forgiving; filet is the least.

2. Thickness

Thickness — not weight — drives cook time.

3. Doneness

The number on the thermometer is truth. Every doneness is 5–10 °F apart — small differences matter.

4. Pan

Steak wants heat retention — cast iron first, stainless second. Nonstick can’t handle the heat and doesn’t sear, so it’s not offered here.

Cook timer

7:00

Flip at halfway · butter baste in the last minute · rest 8 min

Ribeye · Medium
Medium-rare · Cast iron

Pull at

117°F47°C

−15 °F for carryover

Final target

132°F56°C

After rest · Medium-rare

Heat

Medium-high

Cast iron, preheated

Step 2 of 5

Step 1 of 5

Prep the steak

  • Pat the steak dry with paper towels — surface moisture kills the sear
  • Season generously with kosher salt — either right now (cooks immediately) or 40+ minutes ago (overnight in the fridge is ideal). The 1–40 min window gives a bad sear — moisture’s on the surface but hasn’t reabsorbed yet.
  • Rest the steak on the counter 30–45 min to come up to room temp
  • Prep aromatics: smashed whole garlic clove, thyme or rosemary sprig, pat of butter

Why: Dry surface, room-temp center, and properly-timed salt are what separate a restaurant-quality steak from a home-cooked one. The 40-min rule is the biggest edge — Kenji López-Alt's testing shows overnight dry-brined steaks lose 15% less moisture.

Step 2 of 5

Setup check

Step 3 of 5

Sear, flip, butter baste

  • Add ~1 tbsp of a high-smoke-point oil (avocado, refined olive, tallow). Don't use butter alone — it burns.
  • Lay the steak down away from you — don't drop. No movement, no poke, no peek.
  • At the halfway chime: flip once with tongs
  • Last minute: add butter + smashed garlic + thyme. Tilt the pan, spoon foaming butter over the top (arroser).

Finish ticking the boxes in Step 2 — we lock the timer until your setup is ready.

Why: The crust is the release mechanism — if it sticks when you try to flip, it's not ready. Butter goes in at the END because milk solids burn at sear temps. Adding it too early = bitter fond.

Step 4 of 5

Thermometer check

  • Stick the probe into the side of the steak, into the centre
  • Pull at 117°F47°C — we’re pulling 15 °F early so carryover can do its job during the rest
  • If it's low, we'll return the steak to the pan with butter for a 1-min finish

Why: The target for medium-rare is 132°F56°C after rest. Thick steaks carryover more than thin ones, so we pull medium steaks at 117°F47°C. The thermometer is the only way to hit this precisely — a 5 °F miss is the difference between rare and medium-rare.

Step 5 of 5

Rest 8 min, slice against the grain

  • Move the steak to a warm plate or cutting board
  • Tent loosely with foil — tight wrap traps steam and softens the crust
  • Internal rises 132°F56°C during the rest from carryover
  • Slice against the grain — look at the muscle fibers and cut perpendicular

Why: Cutting hot steak dumps all the juice onto the board. The rest is what lets proteins relax so the meat actually holds moisture when you cut it. Carryover raises the internal by 15 °F — that’s the math we’ve been planning for.

The complete guide to pan-seared steak

Steak is the hardest common cook. Every doneness is only 5–10 °F apart, the margin between brilliant and ruined is about 45 seconds, and each cut behaves differently. The good news: every component of “restaurant steak” is just a series of mechanical choices. Get them right and the $15 thermometer in your drawer does most of the work.

The 5-degree rule

The entire spectrum from rare to well-done is about 35 °F wide, divided into five bands roughly 5 °F apart. That’s how narrow the window is. Eyeballing doneness by color or “how it feels” is how people end up with medium when they wanted medium-rare. Use a thermometer.

  • Rare: 125°F52°C — bright red center, just warm through
  • Medium-rare: 132°F56°C — warm red center, the connoisseur’s choice
  • Medium: 145°F63°C — pink center, firm bite
  • Medium-well: 155°F68°C — faintly pink, mostly firm
  • Well-done: 160°F71°C+ — fully cooked through

These are final temperatures (after rest). You’ll pull the steak off the heat well below these numbers so carryover cooking during the rest brings it up to target.

Carryover cooking — why you pull early

When a steak comes off the heat, its outer layer is much hotter than the center. That heat continues to flow inward as the steak sits, raising the internal temperature by 10 °F for thin steaks, 15 °F for medium, and 20 °F for thick. So for a 1½-inch medium-rare steak with a final target of 132°F56°C, you pull it off at 112°F44°C. Pull at 132°F56°C and you’ll end up at medium.

The cut matters

  • Ribeye: cut from the rib primal, heaviest marbling of any mainstream cut. The intramuscular fat renders during the sear and bastes the meat from the inside. The most forgiving cut — tolerates any doneness from rare to medium-well (well-done wastes the marbling). Best bet if you’re nervous.
  • NY Strip (strip loin): moderate marbling, bold beefy flavor, firm texture. The workhorse — slightly leaner than ribeye, slightly more forgiving than filet. Great for any doneness up to medium-well.
  • Filet mignon (tenderloin): the leanest mainstream cut. Almost no marbling, famously tender, relatively mild flavor. Because it has no fat to protect it, never cook filet past medium-rare — past that it dries to leather. This is the cut that needs butter basting the most.
  • Sirloin (top): lean, firm, beefy, inexpensive. Great value but unforgiving — it wants to be cooked quickly over high heat and pulled no later than medium. Past that it’s chewy.

The 40-minute salt rule

This is the single biggest upgrade a home cook can learn. When you salt a steak, the salt pulls moisture to the surface (osmosis). Over about 40 minutes, that moisture dissolves salt into a concentrated brine and reabsorbs into the meat, seasoning it deeply and denaturing proteins so they hold onto water during cooking. If you cook in the 1–40 minute window, though, the moisture is still on the surface — your sear will steam instead of brown, and the crust will be pale and soggy. So: salt right before cooking (the surface has no time to weep) or at least 40 minutes ahead (overnight uncovered in the fridge is ideal). Never in between. Testing by Kenji López-Alt at Serious Eats shows overnight dry-brined steaks lose 15% less moisture during cooking.

Pan choice and oil

Steak wants a pan that holds its heat when cold meat hits it. Cast iron is the gold standard — it takes forever to heat but stays hot. Heavy stainless steel is an excellent second choice and makes the best pan sauces from the fond left behind. Never use nonstick for steak — the coating can’t handle sear temperatures, and the surface doesn’t brown the way bare metal does.

For oil, you need something that survives 450°F232°C+. Refined avocado oil (520°F271°C smoke point) is the workhorse. Refined olive oil, beef tallow, or a neutral vegetable oil all work. Extra-virgin olive oil smokes at about 375°F191°C and will burn bitter under steak.

Butter basting (arroser)

In the final minute of cooking, drop a couple of tablespoons of butter, a smashed whole garlic clove, and a thyme or rosemary sprig into the pan. As the butter foams, tilt the pan toward you so it pools at the lower edge, then use a large spoon to scoop the fragrant foam over the top of the steak repeatedly. This is arroser — the French word for “to baste.” It adds flavor, deepens the crust, and gives the top of the steak a second layer of heat through the foaming fat.

Two rules: butter goes in last (it burns at sear temps), and garlic is smashed whole, never minced. Minced garlic has too much surface area — it burns in 15–20 seconds and turns bitter. A smashed whole clove releases flavor gradually and comes out of the pan still recognizable.

Reverse sear — for thick steaks

For any steak 1½ inches4 cm+ thick, the pan-only approach is hard. The outside overcooks while the inside catches up, leaving the grey band that’s the classic failed-home-steak hallmark. The fix: reverse sear. Put the steak on a rack over a baking sheet in a low oven (250°F121°C) until the internal temperature hits about 110°F43°C. Then transfer to a screaming-hot pan and sear 45–60 seconds per side, finishing with a butter baste. The slow oven brings the interior to near-target temperature evenly, edge to edge, so the final sear doesn’t have to do any interior cooking — it just builds the crust. The result is the best-looking, most evenly cooked steak most people will ever eat at home. For thinner cuts, traditional pan-searing is faster and just as good.

Common mistakes

  • Starting cold. A steak straight from the fridge cooks unevenly — the outside overcooks before the inside thaws. Rest 30–45 min at room temperature first.
  • Pan not hot enough. Preheat until you see wisps of smoke — that’s the signal. A too-cool pan means the steak steams in its own juices instead of searing, and you end up with grey meat and no crust.
  • Moving the steak too soon. The crust is the release mechanism — if it sticks when you try to flip, it’s not ready. Give it 30 more seconds and it releases naturally.
  • Butter at the start. Milk solids burn at sear temperatures. Butter goes in during the final minute only.
  • Cooking filet or sirloin past their ceiling. Lean cuts don’t have marbling to protect them — they go dry and tough past their tolerance.
  • Skipping the rest. All the juice dumps onto the board. 5–10 minutes of loose-foil rest keeps it in the steak where it belongs.
  • Cutting with the grain. Look at the direction the muscle fibers run, then slice perpendicular to them. Short fibers = tender bites.

Storage and reheating

Cool within 1 hour and refrigerate sealed at or below 40°F (4°C)4°C (40°F) for up to 3 days. To reheat without destroying what you made: put the cold steak on a rack over a baking sheet in a 250°F121°C oven until the internal reaches about 110°F43°C (10–15 minutes). Then sear each side in a hot pan for 30 seconds. This reverse-sear reheat is shockingly good — often as good as the first time. Microwaving is a steak’s death — the proteins seize and push out remaining moisture.

FAQ

How long do you pan-sear a steak?

Depends on thickness and doneness. For medium-rare in a screaming-hot cast iron pan: 1-inch steak ~4 minutes total (2 per side); 1¼-inch ~7 minutes (3½ per side); 1½-inch+ ~9 minutes (4½ per side). Add 60–120 seconds for medium to well-done, subtract 45 seconds for rare. Always verify with a thermometer — the timer is an estimate.

What internal temperature is medium-rare?

132°F56°C final, after rest. To hit that, pull the steak off the heat 15–20 °F (8–11 °C) early (depending on thickness) to account for carryover cooking during the rest. For a 1½-inch steak targeting medium-rare, pull at 112°F44°C internal. The thermometer is non-negotiable.

Which cut of steak is best for pan-searing?

Ribeye is the most forgiving — the heavy marbling means fat bastes the meat as it cooks, and it tolerates any doneness from rare to medium-well without drying out. NY strip is a close second, more moderate marbling but great flavor. Filet mignon is tender but lean — only ever cook to medium-rare or the cut turns into dry leather. Sirloin is leaner still and should never go past medium.

Should I dry brine my steak?

Yes — it's the single biggest upgrade you can make. Salt the steak generously with kosher salt and either cook immediately (within the first minute or two) or wait at least 40 minutes. The 1–40 minute window is the dead zone: salt has drawn moisture to the surface but it hasn't reabsorbed yet, so the sear is pale. Overnight in the fridge uncovered is ideal — Kenji López-Alt's testing shows 15% less moisture loss during cooking.

How do I know when it's done without cutting?

Instant-read thermometer, probed into the side of the steak into the center (not the bone, not the surface). Nothing else is reliable — the poke test is unreliable, color doesn’t correlate, and 5 °F (3 °C) is the difference between rare and medium-rare. A $15 thermometer is the single best steak investment.

What oil should I use to sear a steak?

A high-smoke-point oil: refined avocado (520°F271°C), refined olive (465°F241°C), beef tallow (~485°F252°C), or a neutral vegetable oil. Never extra-virgin olive oil for searing — it smokes around 375°F191°C, well below sear temperature, and burns bitter. Butter also burns at sear temps because of its milk solids — it only goes in during the final minute of cooking, not at the start.

Why is the middle of my steak grey?

That’s the dreaded grey band — the zone between the crust and the center that overcooked while the interior was catching up. Two causes: heat too high for too long (cook on medium-high, not blast furnace), or a too-thick steak that you pan-seared when reverse sear was the right call. For steaks over 1½ inches4 cm, reverse sear (low 250°F121°C oven until internal hits 110°F43°C, then a short hot sear) eliminates the grey band because the interior comes to near-target temp slowly and evenly before the final sear.

Should I flip my steak more than once?

Classic advice says flip once; Kenji López-Alt's testing shows flipping every 30 seconds actually cooks more evenly with less grey band. Both approaches work. The timer here uses a single-flip approach because it's easier to execute at home — one flip means one decision point, and you're not constantly handling a hot pan. If you want to try the constant-flip method, you can; the total cook time stays the same.

How long should I rest a steak?

Thin (~1 inch2.5 cm): 5 minutes. Medium (~1¼ inches3 cm): 8 minutes. Thick (1½ inches4 cm+): 10 minutes. Tent loosely with foil — wrapping tight traps steam and softens the crust. During the rest, internal temperature rises 10–20 °F (6–11 °C) from carryover cooking, which is why you pull the steak early. Skipping the rest means juice on the board instead of in the steak.

What's reverse sear and when should I use it?

Reverse sear cooks the steak in a low 250°F121°C oven first — slowly, gently — until the interior reaches about 110°F43°C. Then a quick 45–60 second sear per side in a screaming-hot pan builds the crust. It’s the gold standard for thick steaks (1½ inches4 cm+) because the interior comes up to temperature evenly, giving you edge-to-edge doneness with no grey band. For thinner cuts (under 1¼ inches3 cm), traditional pan-searing is faster and just as good — the sear is long enough for the interior to finish cooking. This tool uses pan-sear for all thicknesses; if your steak is 1½ inches4 cm+ and you want the very best result, reverse sear is worth the extra 30 minutes.

Can I pan-sear a frozen steak?

Not well. The outside burns before the middle thaws, you end up with charred edges and a raw center. Thaw in the fridge overnight, or in a sealed bag submerged in cold water (changed every 30 minutes). For a truly emergency cook, reverse sear can handle a partially-thawed steak — the slow oven thaws it as it cooks — but a pan-sear wants a properly tempered steak.

How do I store and reheat a leftover steak?

Cool within 1 hour, refrigerate sealed at or below 40°F (4°C)4°C (40°F) for up to 3 days. To reheat without overcooking: put it in a 250°F121°C oven on a rack until the internal hits about 110°F43°C (10–15 min), then finish with a 30-second sear per side in a hot pan. This is essentially a reverse-sear reheat and it’s shockingly good. Microwaving destroys steak — the proteins seize up and squeeze out remaining juice.