Sweat, seasoning, and sorrows. No longer does cooking a steak need hours by the grill spent next to your frustrated partner who has burnt one too many New York strips.
This is because one chef believes she has the quickest, simplest, and yet yummiest alternative.
“The best freaking steak you’ve ever had,” she calls it.
Posted recently, private chef Mila Furman (@girlandthekitchen) shared a few steak-searing hacks to her TikTok platform. In less than 5-minutes, the cooking influencer teaches viewers the ins and outs of how to craft the perfect medium rare steak. Pinned at more than 3 million views and 96,700 likes, the video has quickly gained quite the following.
Simple steak seasoning
Before properly diving into the process, Furman quickly states her two extra ingredients.
“Two ingredients: Salt. Pepper. That’s it,” Furman says.
Swearing a proper steak needs nothing more, she says, reiterating the importance of simple seasoning.
“All you need to worry about is seasoning your food the right way,” Furman says. “Lots of salt, kosher sea salt.”
Furman believes that when cooked and seared properly, a steak should be flavorful enough on its own, without the need for additional seasoning or sauces to enhance its taste.
“I like a lot of pepper you can use as little or as much as you want,” Furman says.
Then from about a foot distance above the meat, Furman sprinkles her salt and pepper on both sides of the steak. By keeping the seasoning high above the meat, she explains that this technique ensures a more even distribution of the seasoning across the cut.
Furman then begins her instructional guide into preparing her New York strip.
To rest or not to rest the steak
Furman explains that contrary to popular belief, she does not believe it’s important to let a steak sit at room temperature prior to cooking.
“I took the steak out. It’s been resting at room temperature for about 5-10 minutes, that’s really all you need for it,” Furman says.
Though briefly leaving her steak out at room temperature before cooking, she believes this step is less important. Furman explains that at most restaurants, the steak typically goes straight from the grill to the stove, rendering this step unnecessary.
Once the steak is properly seasoned and left-out, if you decide, then it’s time to pop it in the pan.
“We do this in a stainless steel pan, it’s so much easier to work with than a cast iron,” Furman says.
Furman swears by the importance of using stainless steel cooking ware. This may stem from the faster heating and easier maintenance of the stainless steel kitchen utensil in comparison to cast iron.
And from here?
“We’re not going any higher than medium heat,” Furman says. “And how do we know our pan is ready? Put some water on it.”
If not enough, Furman explains and demonstrates how the water will create little fast-moving beads across the hot surface. This indicates that the temperature is high enough to not only cook the meat, but also give it a crisp crust as well.
“I have some avocado oil spray here you can use whatever you want,” Furman says.
Furman uses the avocado oil spray to help create a non-stick coating on the pan. She then places the steak into the pan, laying it away from her body to prevent any oil splatter from landing on her.
“Over medium heat, we’re gonna get a nice slow beautiful caramelization and sear,” Furman says.
With the strip now sizzling in the oil, Furman begins to answer the next question on every viewer’s mind…
How long do you cook the steak?
“Leave it alone for about 4-5 minutes, until you can easily lift it up,” Furman says.
Around the 5-minute mark, Furman explains that the meat should be easy to lift off the pan, exposing a deep brown crust on the opposite side. Combined with the crisp sizzling sound, Furman shares that this should be the indicator that it is time to flip the steak.
“Your second side will go much faster,” Furman says. “So, I’m gonna put in a little bit of butter.”
Using a technique called basting, Furman lifts her ban off the flame at an angle, allowing the melted butter to pool on one end. From here she uses a spoon and continually scoops the butter and drizzles it on top of the meat.
“Not only are we cooking it, we are also dousing it with that gorgeous brown butter and adding so much flavor,” Furman says.
By doing this toward the end, the butter allows for a little extra moisture to be given to the meat, providing the last few flavorful touches.
How do you know when its done?
Furman then grabs her meat thermometer and while the meat is still in the pan, places the thermometer directly into the center of the strip. Depending on the desired temperature, the thermometer will be a clear indicator of when it is time to take the steak out of the pan.
“I like my steak a beautiful medium rare. So, I took it off anywhere between 135 and 140 [degrees],” Furman says.
Deeming this incredibly important, Furman shares that taking the meat off too early may be better than too late. Because once the meat is overcooked, there is no turning back. However, if undercooked, it’s always possible to throw it back on the flame, or even in the oven.
“At this point what you could also do if you wanted to go a little higher,” Furman says. “You can throw it right into the oven and it will cook as long as you need it.”
She adds that this is what restaurants do when orders are too underdone for a customer’s liking.
Once done, Furman lets the meat sit and rest for a few minutes prior to cutting and serving. Furman also advises to leave the thermometer in during this process.
“Do not take this out until it rests, ‘cause then all your juices are gonna come right out of the center,” Furman says.
Finally slicing into her New York strip, Furman shares the final glimpses of what she considers to be a perfectly cooked steak.
“Now this is a beautiful, grass-fed New York strip,” Furman says.
However, Furman’s post was met with an audience that seemed neither convined nor impressed by her simple steak tips.
What did viewers think?
“Sear needs work,” one commenter said.
“Gotta add garlic and rosemary to the butter,” another added.
From one comment to another, viewers shared their own opinions of what exactly Furman was doing wrong. From disagreeing with how she seasoned the meat to even her use of a stainless steel pan, viewers were outraged.
“I’m a private chef and this is literally everything NOT to do,” one commenter even said.
Others even chimed in with their own methods, offering a series of revised tips on the “correct,” way to cook a steak. With different takes on types of oil to use and how long to cook the meat for, every viewer seemingly had their own opinion.
So what is correct?
So, the Daily Dot did a little digging of its own to settle the exact correct way to cook a steak. And the verdict?
There is none. From Gordan Ramsey to Jamie Oliver, each culinary expert had their own take on the topic. Because red meat can be eaten at a variety of temperatures, it’s really all up to personal preference.
@girlandthekitchen Private Chef ULTIMATE STEAK
♬ original sound – Chef Mila Furman
Though the USDA recommends steaks to be cooked at around 145 degrees fahrenheit, many chefs will argue that the perfect steak is subjective. Ultimately, it’s about mastering the cooking process to match your own personal ideal flavors and textures.
In the end, everyone’s “perfect steak,” will probably look a little different than their neighbor’s.
The Daily Dot reached out to Mila Furman (@girlandthekitchen) via TikTok direct message for comment.
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