Cooking steak might seem simple, but there’s a fine line between getting it just right and ending up with something dry, flavorless, or just boring. Plus, the perfect steak dinner isn’t just about a flawlessly cooked cut of meat; it’s also about the sides, sauces, and finishing touches that take the meal to the next level. For fans of cooking shows, you’ve likely seen celebrity chefs make the process look effortless, creating stunning steak dinners that could easily rival restaurant-quality meals. Luckily, many of their expert tips are easy enough for home cooks to follow.
Celebrity chefs aren’t shy when it comes to sharing tips for creating top-notch meals, and steak dinners are no exception. From choosing the best cuts of steak to nailing the perfect sear, their advice can transform your cooking. And it doesn’t just stop there. Sauces, seasonings, and even the way you rest the meat can make all the difference. If you’re looking for ways to elevate this classic meal, these celebrity chef tricks can take your steak dinner from good to unforgettable. Ready to get started? Here are the essential tips that will have you cooking like a pro in no time.
Read more: These Are The Best Cuts Of Steak, According To Chefs
Wolfgang Puck: Consider Using A Bone-In Cut
Wolfgang Puck talking on a cooking show – Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images
When Wolfgang Puck opened his first restaurant, Spago, in West Hollywood in 1982, it was an instant success and quickly capitulated him to celebrity chef status. In the years following, the Austrian-born chef opened a string of equally successful restaurants including a chain of sophisticated steakhouses called CUT. Puck often shares his steakhouse secrets to make your food taste better and create phenomenal steak dinners, and one of those is to start with a great steak. His preferred cut? A bone-in steak.
In a 2018 interview with The Independent, Puck said, “One of my favorite ways to eat meat is if you can get the meat with the bone in. That way you’ll get more flavor and more juiciness.” He recommended opting for a tomahawk or porterhouse. Bone-in steaks tend to be more buttery than boneless steaks because the bone marrow absorbs into the meat as the steak cooks. This also prevents the steak from drying out as quickly. It might take a little longer to cook a bone-in steak than a boneless cut, but according to many chefs like Puck, it’s well worth the time for the intense flavor and succulent texture you get.
Gordon Ramsay: Let Your Steak Come To Room Temperature Before Cooking It
Gordon Ransay giving a cooking demonstration – Franco Origlia/Getty Images
You probably know Gordon Ramsay from television shows like “Hell’s Kitchen” and “MasterChef USA,” where he has no problem pointing out the mistakes cooks make with all kinds of dishes. Steak is often a point of contention on these shows, as the chef has strong opinions about what it takes to make a truly great steak. One Ramsay cooking tip you’ll actually use when creating an amazing steak dinner starts before the meat even hits the pan: he recommends taking your steak out of the fridge and letting it rest before cooking it.
“The rookie mistake that everyone makes is they cook the steaks ice-cold,” Ramsay said in an interview with Tasting Table. He stressed that a steak needs to rest and come to room temperature before it hits a heat source. The rationale behind this is that the center of a tempered steak will reach its ideal temperature quicker, and that leaves less time for the outside to dry out. In addition, some say a room temperature steak cooks more evenly because the muscle fibers are more relaxed.
Martha Stewart: Pat Your Meat Dry
Martha Stewart smiling at a cooking event – Sterling Munksgard/Shutterstock
Kitchen maven and serial entrepreneur Martha Stewart is another proponent of taking several steps to prepare your steak before you start cooking it. In 2024, she posted an Instagram video demonstrating how to make the perfect restaurant-quality steak. Like Gordon Ramsay, she recommended letting the meat come to room temperature before cooking it. In addition, she suggested thoroughly drying the meat with paper towels.
The reason many cooks recommend drying the surface of your meat comes down to science. Ideally, you want the Maillard reaction to take place when you sear your meat. This process explains why meat changes color as it cooks, becoming beautifully brown with a nice crust. The meat needs to reach about 300 degrees for the Maillard reaction to take place. If there is water on the surface of your meat, that can prevent the browning from happening. Water needs to reach 212 degrees to evaporate, so while you’re waiting for that to happen, your meat will still be cooking but not getting that beautiful brown crust. And by the time the water evaporates, your meat may be overcooked.
J. Kenji López-Alt: Salt Your Meat At Least 40 Minutes Ahead Of Time
J. Kenji López-Alt standing at the podium at the James Beards Awards ceremony – Jeff Schear/Getty Images
Self-proclaimed culinary nerd J. Kenji López-Alt is constantly experimenting with food to find better and more efficient ways of cooking. One dish that he’s tested making in a variety of ways is steak. One of the conclusions he’s come to is that you should salt your steak at least 40 minutes ahead of time. According to him, that gives enough time for the salt to completely penetrate the meat, making the meat intensely flavorful. In addition, it will make the meat easier to sear.
In a YouTube video López-Alt posted about how to cook a steak, he explained that when salt is initially added to meat, it starts to pull out the juices. If you try to sear your steak while those juices are still on the surface of the meat, you won’t get that nice browning and crust from the Maillard reaction. However, if you leave the salt on the meat longer, it begins to break down the muscle fibers. This allows the juices and salt to absorb back into the meat. López-Alt discovered that the magic number for that to happen is about 40 minutes.
Bobby Flay: Don’t Be Afraid To Go Big On The Seasoning
Bobby Flay preparing a seasoning mix at a cooking event – Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images
Fans of Bobby Flay probably already know that the chef isn’t afraid to go big with his cooking. One of his favorite ways to season steak is with a big, bold dry spice rub, and there’s definitely a right way to add dry rubs to steaks. He told Food Network, “Spice rubs not only add huge flavor, but also form a nice crust on proteins for added texture.” He recommended raiding your spice pantry and experimenting to make your own flavor combinations. He also suggested making a big batch to have on hand for whenever you want to fire up steaks or other proteins.
Your spice rub doesn’t have to be overly complicated, but it should have flavors that are strong enough to stand up to the meat. In a “Today Food” segment, Flay demonstrated how to make a classic spice rub with paprika, cumin, coriander, chili powder, salt, and pepper. However, he added, “If you want to add some other ingredients that you have on your shelf, that’s totally fine.” Flay also recommended rubbing just one side of the steak so that it creates a flavorful crust but doesn’t overpower the beef.
Ree Drummond: Butter Is A Major Flavor Enhancer
Ree Drummond speaking into a microphone at a media event – Monica Schipper/Getty Images
While many cooks use a neutral oil with a high smoke point to sear their steaks, Ree Drummond is all about butter. Whether she’s frying up steaks in a skillet or a grill pan, she often melts butter directly into the pan or rubs a stick of butter onto the pan before throwing in her steaks. Butter works incredibly well with steaks not only because it imparts extra richness, but also because it browns in the pan, adding a nutty caramelized character to the steak.
Drummond is also a big fan of using butter as a topping for steak. On an episode of her Food Network show “The Pioneer Woman,” she demonstrated how to make a compound butter for steak with softened salted butter, oregano, chives, roasted garlic, and crushed red pepper. The mixture is wrapped in plastic wrap, refrigerated until hardened, then sliced and slathered on the hot steaks. You can play around with different flavors for your compound butter. For example, Drummond has also been known to use parsley, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
Ina Garten: Use Indirect Heat For Grilling
Ina Garten speaking into a microphone at a media event – Brad Barket/Getty Images
Grilling steaks can be tricky. Get the heat wrong, and you risk ending up with a steak that’s overcooked on the outside and undercooked in the middle. Ina Garten admitted in an Instagram video that she used to have that same concern until she met one of the owners of Lobel’s meat market in New York and they taught her a game-changing trick: using indirect heat. This method helps steaks cook evenly while still developing that perfect crust.
As Garten demonstrated in the video, the key is to have hot coals on one side of the grill and none on the other. This creates a hot zone and a cool zone. To start, you want to sear your steaks on the hot zone for two to four minutes on each side. This should give them a nice brown crust. Then, you transfer the steaks over to the cool side, close the lid of the grill, and let them cook via that indirect heat for roughly eight to 10 minutes depending on your desired temperature and the thickness of the steaks. A meat thermometer can help you determine when to take the steaks off the grill.
Giada De Laurentiis: Commit To Leaving The Meat Alone Once It’s On Your Heat Source
Giada de Laurentiis smiling at a media event – Jc Olivera/Getty Images
Once you’ve seasoned your steak and placed it in a screaming-hot pan, it can be tempting to shift it around to ensure it’s getting a good sear all over. But according to Giada de Laurentiis, the best thing you can do is leave it alone. In an Instagram video demonstrating how to cook steak, she said “Do not move it around. Do not flip it early. You want to wait to see a little crust on there.” Once the crust has formed, then you can flip your steak.
There are a few reasons many chefs like de Laurentiis advise against moving your steak too soon. For one, you may not be giving the steak enough time for the Maillard reaction to take place. A steak that hasn’t formed that crusty brown exterior could stick to the pan or grill when you try to flip it. Plus, if you’re using a grill, too much flipping and moving can give your steak uneven grill marks.
Alton Brown: Try The Reverse Sear Method
Alton Brown at a media event – Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images
You’ve probably heard that searing your steak first is the key to locking in juices and getting that perfect crust. But what if flipping that idea on its head could give you even better results? Alton Brown swears by the reverse sear method, which starts with gently cooking the steak at a low temperature before finishing it with a high-heat sear. On an episode of “Worst Cooks in America,” he said, “I find it produces a more even doneness.” As a bonus, reverse searing produces less smoke, which is ideal if you’re cooking inside.
Brown’s method for reverse searing starts with placing the steak in an oven heated to 200 degrees. He uses a probe thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of the meat and takes it out when the meat hits 120 degrees. Then he lets the meat rest for about 10 minutes to prevent the interior from overcooking when he sears it. The final step is brushing the steak with oil, then searing it in a super hot pan until it develops a deep brown crust.
Lidia Bastianich: Baste Your Steak Before Serving
Lidia Bastianich holding her cookbook at a book signing event – Bobby Bank/Getty Images
Lidia Bastianich is best known for her Italian dishes like pasta and pizza, but she also knows a thing or two about steak. She has shared several tips for perfecting steak including choosing a prime cut that’s been aged properly and using an instant-read thermometer to ensure the meat is cooked to a perfect 120 degrees. One of her tried and true methods for ensuring her steak is ultra-flavorful is basting the steak before serving it. This simple step adds richness, enhances the meat’s juiciness, and gives it a glossy, restaurant-quality finish.
There are a few different ways Bastianich bastes her steak. She often recommends using a mortar and pestle to create a paste with ingredients like olive oil, salt, chopped rosemary, and sometimes anchovies. After the steak comes off the heat source, you can brush the paste on the steak to infuse it with additional flavors. Bastianich also suggests pouring the juices that are released when the meat is cut back over the steak and adding a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil for extra lusciousness.
Andrew Zimmern: Serve Your Steak At Room Temperature
Andrew Zimmern leaning on a bar at a cooking event – Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images
Like many chefs, Andrew Zimmern recommends letting your steak come to room temperature before cooking it. However, Zimmern takes it one step further and suggests that steak should also be served that way. He told Business Insider that he prefers his steak much closer to room temperature. That may sound strange considering most people like their meat piping hot, but Zimmern pointed out that allowing the meat to rest and cool down makes it more tender and flavorful.
Most chefs will tell you that it’s a major mistake to cut into meat right off the grill because the juices need time to redistribute throughout the meat. In a Facebook video, Zimmern explained that steak swells with moisture when it’s cooked. If you cut into the meat right away, you risk losing those flavorful juices. He said, “When you rest, that moisture and fat returns in between the protein strands to get these really meltingly tender slices.” Zimmern recommended letting the meat rest for at least 10 minutes. If you have thicker steaks, you may even want to let them rest up to 45 minutes.
Marcus Samuelsson: Caramelize Your Vegetables For More Flavor
Marcus Samuelsson speaking at a cooking event – Chance Yeh/Getty Images
A great steak dinner isn’t just about the meat; side dishes can add contrasting flavors and textures that can make the meal more cohesive. Marcus Samuelsson loves cooking with vegetables, and one technique that he often uses is caramelization. This technique enhances the natural sweetness of the veggies, which can contrast nicely with the saltiness of the steak. Plus, it works well with a wide variety of vegetables including Brussels sprouts, carrots, and cauliflower.
Caramelizing vegetables is easier than it sounds. All you need to do is heat a pan over medium heat, add a bit of oil or butter, and let the vegetables cook, stirring occasionally until they develop a golden-brown crust. You can also toss them with olive oil or butter and roast them in the oven or char them on the grill. Samuelsson also likes to coat his caramelized vegetables with flavorful glazes. A splash of balsamic vinegar, a drizzle of honey, or even a bit of soy sauce or miso pastes can further enhance the depth of flavor.
Guy Fieri: Brine Your Baked Potatoes
Guy Fieri cooking ribs at a cooking event – Dylan Rives/Getty Images
Steak and baked potatoes are a match made in heaven, but if you’re only seasoning your baked potatoes after they come out of the oven, you’re missing out on a serious flavor upgrade. Guy Fieri kicks things up a notch by brining his potatoes before baking them. This ensures that potatoes are seasoned all the way through rather than just on the surface, so you get more flavor in every bite. It also enhances the texture, making the potatoes crispy on the outside and ultra-tender in the middle.
Brining potatoes involves soaking them in a saltwater solution before baking. The brine permeates the potato, adding salt to the interior and helps crisp up the skin of the potato as it cooks in the oven. Just be warned though — Fieri’s method isn’t for the time-strapped. He recommends leaving the potatoes in the brine for a minimum of two hours and up to eight hours (via Food Network). Once they’ve thoroughly soaked up some of that saltwater solution, he suggests coating them with seasonings like kosher salt, garlic salt, and pepper and baking them at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.
Julia Child: Make A Simple Steak Sauce Using The Same Pan
Julia Child sitting at a table covered with food in her kitchen – Photo Researchers/Getty Images
Purists will tell you that a great steak doesn’t need anything more than perhaps a sprinkling of salt. But for those of us who aren’t opposed to amping up the flavor, Julia Child had a great tip for a hassle-free steak sauce. On an episode of “The French Chef,” she demonstrated how to use the same pan you cook the steak in to create a simple and supremely flavorful sauce. She recommended boiling down the steak juices and adding a pat of butter. She said, “This is sort of the final unctuousness of the sauce and it also helps thicken the sauce a bit.”
Another dish that Child was fond of making that employed a similar technique was steak au poivre. Traditionally, the dish features peppercorn-crusted steak that’s pan seared and served with a creamy peppercorn sauce. To create the sauce, you remove the steak from the pan and add minced shallots. Then, you deglaze the pan with cognac, add beef stock, and add a dollop of butter right at the end. If you want to get fancy with it, you can also add heavy cream or a spoonful of Dijon mustard.
Read the original article on Chowhound.
