13 False Facts About Cooking Steak In The Oven

If you are a carnivore, few meals are as satisfying as a perfectly cooked steak. While there are a number of ways to prepare a juicy steak, one method that is frequently overlooked is the oven. It can seem like cooking a steak in the oven would be a huge mistake , but nothing could be farther from the truth.

Depending on the type and how it is prepared, it can produce a juicy, savory piece of meat. As a professional chef, I have cooked my fair share of steaks and am no stranger to employing a number of different methods for this task. From butter-basting to pan-searing to grilling, I will use any approach to cooking meat if it yields a mouthwatering bite, even tossing it in the oven.



Let's take a look at the many false facts people might believe about cooking steak in the oven and dispel these myths with some useful and revelatory truths about the best ways to do so. 1. False: Any type of steak can be cooked in the oven While you may want to jump on that meat bundle at the store, this might not be the best option if you plan to cook your steak in the oven.

Not all cuts are alike, and some are far more well-suited to being cooked in this manner than others. The best options are cuts with a good amount of fat, specifically intramuscular fat or marbling. This type of fat is evenly distributed throughout the muscle fibers, like white veining that can be seen across the steak.

Intramuscular fat can help retain moisture in a steak as it cooks, while imparting an almost buttery flavor. A majority of the steaks that fit this profile hail from parts of the cow that receive little exercise over the lifespan of the animal. These include ribeyes, filet mignon, T-bones, porterhouses, and the iconic New York Strip.

Additionally, if you can obtain it, opt for USDA Choice meat over Select. Choice meat will always have more marbling than Select. Cuts to avoid when cooking steak in the oven include round steaks and sirloin tips.

Skirt steaks, flank steaks, and hanger steaks may be cooked in the oven, but they require great care to prevent them from becoming overcooked. 2. False: The thickness of the cut of steak doesn't matter While it may seem like the thickness of a steak doesn't matter when purchasing meat, nothing could be farther from the truth.

If you think you should just be able to adjust the cooking time to accommodate a thinner cut of beef, you're wrong. Unfortunately, this often results in overcooked, tough meat, especially when prepared in the oven, where it is more challenging to monitor doneness. The steak thickness professional chefs swear by at the butcher is at least 11⁄2 inches thick.

This allows for the exterior of the meat to get well-seared while the interior remains a medium-rare doneness. Additionally, it is important to buy steaks that are cut to a uniform thickness. Unevenly cut steaks will cook at different speeds, which will result in an exterior that is overdone and dry and an interior that may not be thoroughly cooked.

For best results, it can pay to go straight to the butcher counter at your favorite store and ask them to hand cut the steaks for you. You can specify exactly what you want, how thick you want it, and request that any excess fat be removed. If the steak still seems uneven, try tying it with butcher twine to balance it out and ensure consistent doneness.

3. False: The steak must be marinated It may seem tempting to marinate any cut of beef to help prevent it from drying out and to infuse it with flavor, but, contrary to popular belief, there are some steaks that should be marinated and others that absolutely shouldn't . In fact, doing so to certain cuts would be a culinary sin of epic proportions.

As a general rule, the best steaks to marinate are those that lack that abundant intramuscular fat or marbling or that have a less intense beefy flavor. When it comes to cuts you might cook in the oven, these would be your skirt steaks, hanger steaks, and flank steaks. Any other cut should be left alone.

Even with cuts that are well-suited to marinating, you want to take particular care when cooking these in the oven. Excess moisture left behind on the surface of the meat from the marinade can impede the commencement of the Maillard reaction, which will result in a lackluster crust that doesn't have a nice caramelized flavor. Additionally, it is important not to over marinate these cuts, otherwise they can become mushy.

4. False: It is not necessary to bring a steak to room temperature One topic that has the internet divided is whether or not you should bring a steak to room temperature before cooking it in the oven. While there are a number of claims that this step is crucial, in my professional opinion, this is an unnecessary step that not only wastes time, but may actually be dangerous.

The basic theory behind why this step is necessary is that a steak that is cooked straight from the cold refrigerator will take longer to cook, will do so unevenly, and will not develop a proper sear. In actuality, removing a steak from the refrigerator and letting it sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes won't change the internal temperature of the meat by more than a couple of degrees, which isn't enough to make a discernible difference. What's more, as is noted by the USDA , temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees F is what is known as the "Danger Zone," meaning where pathogens are most likely to grow.

Though the rule of thumb is to never allow food to sit at room temperature for longer than 2 hours, bacteria can double in quantity in just 20 minutes, making that break at room temperature a potential food borne illness waiting to happen. 5. False: Timing isn't important when it comes to salting a steak Timing is everything in the world of cooking, but when it comes to salting a steak, it can make or break the meal.

Indeed, when you salt your steak is as important as its doneness and resting the meat after it is cooked to the overall quality of the finished dish. This is doubly important with oven-cooked steak, where there is more room for error. Some of the most flavorful and juiciest steaks have been dry-brined, meaning pre-salted and allowed to rest in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

The dry-brining process allows for the salt to permeate the meat more thoroughly, which not only yields a more tender steak, but gives it a more robust flavor. Contrary to popular belief, salt doesn't just make food taste more saline, it amplifies the natural flavor of the beef, making it more savory. Additionally, the type of salt you use can impact the quality of the finished steak .

Because it has large, coarse grains, kosher salt will adhere to the steak more easily and evenly, giving it a more uniform seasoning. And, this isn't the time for restraint. Give the meat a liberal coating to maximize the impact of the salt.

6. False: The surface of the steak doesn't need to be patted dry Another big faux pas that can make or break an oven-cooked steak is not patting it dry before preparing it. While it may seem like this is an unnecessary step, tossing a moist steak into a pan or oven can slow down the cooking process, steam the meat, and prevent the Maillard reaction from occurring, which means you'll have a tough, flavorless piece of steak.

This is especially important when marinating, where there will be excess moisture added to the meat. To dry a steak properly, use a clean paper towel and gently press the surface of it. Don't push too hard, otherwise you may damage the meat fibers.

You just want to remove enough moisture to ensure the exterior develops a golden brown crust. To further improve the texture and quality of an oven-cooked steak, allow it to air dry in the refrigerator. Air drying is a foolproof way to make restaurant quality meat at home , it just takes a little know-how.

Once the meat is patted dry, wrap it in paper towels and place it on a baking sheet for 24 hours. Rewrap the meat with fresh paper towels and allow it to rest in the coldest part of the refrigerator for up to three days for best results, replacing the wrapping as needed. 7.

False: Any type of cooking vessel can be used When it comes to cooking steak in the oven, not all cooking vessels are made alike. The best ones to use are those that can tolerate high heat and that are oven safe; the latter being something that may not occur to you until you place a skillet in the oven and have the handle melt, permeating the kitchen with toxic fumes that cannot be masked even by the sweet, meaty smell of a perfectly cooked steak. If you do plan to use a skillet, a cast iron or carbon steel pan are your best bets for placing in the oven.

If you want to use a baking sheet, rimmed half sheet pans that are made from a lower gauge uncoated aluminum or aluminized steel are the way to go, like this one from Nordic Ware . Non-stick ones and those that have a textured surface tend to impact the cooking time too much for consistent results. Lastly, when using a baking sheet, it may be beneficial to line it with a wire rack upon which the steak can be laid for best results.

This will ensure even airflow around the entire steak, allowing it to cook uniformly and develop a perfect crust. 8. False: Oiling a steak isn't necessary Though you can cook a steak in the oven without oil, it may take longer to brown, which will result in overcooking it before it develops a golden crust.

For this reason it is always advisable to coat the steak lightly in oil before popping it in the oven. The caveat is to not use too much and to opt for the right kind. The best types of oil to use for coating a steak before it is cooked in the oven are those with higher smoke points .

A higher smoke point will ensure the oil doesn't degrade before the steak is cooked, which can result in a foul odor and burnt flavor. Examples of oils with a higher smoke point include avocado, peanut, vegetable, safflower, sunflower, canola, grape seed, and sesame. While any of these can work for steak, I recommend steering away from those with strong flavors, as these may mask the inherent flavor of the meat.

Though you can drizzle the oil onto the steak, this may lead to patches where there is too much and others that aren't coated at all. I suggest either spreading the oil onto the steak with a pastry brush or using your hands to slather it onto the meat gently and evenly. 9.

False: A thermometer isn't necessary for determining doneness If you have ever watched a chef cook a steak on television, you will likely have seen them touch the meat with their finger to determine doneness. While this looks cool and easy, the touch test is actually a terrible way to determine the doneness of meat . It can be incredibly unreliable, as different types of meat can have slightly different textures, and it can be hard to do with a thicker cut of steak.

The only foolproof way to determine the doneness is to use a meat thermometer. Meat thermometers come in digital and analog varieties. The digital ones, such as this one from ThermoPro , are generally more accurate, quick, and reliable than the analog versions.

When testing a steak for doneness, it is crucial to insert the thermometer into the thickest portion of the meat and away from any bones for accuracy. When determining the doneness of a steak, use the following guidelines. A rare steak will register between 120 and 125 degrees F.

Medium-rare meat goes from 130 to 135 degrees F. A medium steak ranges between 140 and 145 degrees F. Medium-well between 150 and 155 degrees F.

And, a well-done steak will be 160 degrees F or above. Do note that doneness should not be conflated with safe minimum internal temperature, as it is defined by the USDA . 10.

False: A steak has to be seared before placing it in the oven The topic of searing meat before it goes into the oven is a heated one, pun intended. While it is a helpful way of ensuring the exterior of the steak develops that delectable, golden brown crust, it isn't necessary and can result in a steak that has been overcooked around the exterior. When properly prepared, a steak can indeed develop a browned crust in the oven, particularly when it is salted and dried properly before being cooked.

That said, a more useful way of searing a steak when cooking it in the oven is after the fact. This technique is called a reverse-sear , and it is a good one to have in your culinary arsenal. A reverse-sear involves taking a steak that is cooked in the oven and placing it in a hot pan seasoned with butter or another fat until the exterior develops a crispy crust.

To properly reverse-sear a steak, cook it in the oven until it is approximately 10 degrees below the desired doneness. For example, for a medium-rare steak, this would be 120 degrees F. Allow the steak to rest for approximately 10 minutes before searing to ensure the juices within the meat redistribute and the steak remains moist and tender.

A couple of minutes per side is all you need to finish the steak to the perfect doneness. 11. False: Preheating the oven is a waste of energy Cooking a steak in the oven requires that the oven be set at a high enough temperature for it to cook evenly and quickly, otherwise it runs the risk of drying out and developing a lackluster crust.

For this reason a steak can ill-afford to be placed in an oven that hasn't yet reached the desired temperature, therefore it should be preheated. There are a couple of schools of thought as to what this ideal temperature for cooking steak in the oven is. If you are planning on using the aforementioned reverse-sear technique, cooking it at a lower temperature of 375 degrees F will be adequate to achieve the internal doneness desired without browning the crust.

If you plan to finish the steak in the oven and want the crust to brown, a higher temperature of 425 degrees F is needed to obtain this result. If your oven is anything like mine, it can be beneficial to get an oven thermometer to ensure the internal temperature of the unit is accurate, otherwise no amount of preheating will produce a perfectly cooked steak. Though you can obtain digital and analog oven thermometers, in this case the latter, like this one from OXO , are easier to use and quite a bit cheaper to purchase.

12. False: Cooking the steak in the oven is a hands-off approach Set it and forget it. That's the beauty of popping something in the oven to cook, right? Well, when it comes to steak, cooking it in the oven isn't quite the hands-off approach that it might seem.

While you do not want to keep opening and closing the oven door too frequently, which can decrease the temperature drastically, steaks do need to be flipped on occasion during the cooking process to guarantee even cooking and browning. Even the best ovens will have hot spots and areas where the heat isn't as readily distributed. While a steak doesn't need to be flipped as frequently in an oven as it would when grilled or prepared in a pan stovetop, it should be rotated once every few minutes.

The caveat to this may be a convection oven, which has a fan that spreads the heat throughout the entire oven, promoting faster and more uniform cooking, even without flipping. That said, if you are cooking a thick cut steak, it may still need to be flipped, even in a convection oven. The same holds true for steaks cooked in an air fryer, which is essentially like a miniature convection oven.

13. False: The steak doesn't need to be rested A false fact that needs to be dispelled regardless of the cooking method used for steak is that it doesn't need to be rested before you eat it. This is especially true when cooking steak in the oven, because the cuts tend to be thicker and meatier.

The basic reason steak needs to rest after cooking is to allow the juices to redistribute and prevent the meat from drying out. More specifically, as a steak rests and its temperature cools, the muscle fibers near the center of the meat will become less taut, allowing for any liquid that was forced to the exterior of the steak to return to the center of it. This means when you cut into it, those juices will stay put rather than running out onto your plate.

Another important tip when resting a steak is to use a cooling rack to do so. Elevating the steak can ensure that the temperature at the top and bottom of the meat is consistent and it cools down uniformly. This will produce an even more luscious hunk of meat that will taste the same from one end of the steak to the other.

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