My sous chef swore by cold searing steak and I thought he was nuts

My sous chef at the bistro downtown kept telling me to put the steak in a cold pan with oil and slowly heat it up. I laughed at him for a month until I tried it myself with a ribeye last Tuesday and got the most even crust I have ever had. Has anyone else actually tried this method or am I just late to the party?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_kim1mo ago

My buddy tried this at his popup last month with a NY strip and ended up with a gray band the size of my thumb. The whole low-and-slow approach just gives the heat too much time to sneak past the crust before it forms. I'll stick with a screaming hot cast iron and a quick flip every 30 seconds for that perfect sear.

brooke4841mo agoMost Upvoted

@the_kim have you tried patting the steak bone dry with paper towels before it hits the pan? I used to get that gray band too until I started doing that, it makes a bigger difference than most people think.