What (cast iron) pan for making steaks do you recommend?

[foodnoobie]

I have a lodge cast iron grill pan, however it's a pain to cook in. And it seems also pretty limited.
I want to use it, mostly to make steaks in. And perhaps steaks with vegetables. I'm in Netherlands, so some brands are difficult to acquire.

I tried making steaks in a stainless steel pan, but the oil would almost immediately harden which then became nearly impossible to clean unless i used Barkeepers friend, which was $27 to get where i live. I know people say heat control, but to heat up the pan sufficiently, and then to lower it once the steak goes in, i just don't get good results without the oil hardening on the sides.

So i thought a cast iron flat surface would be better. (Unless you recommend carbon steel for making steaks).
Any brand recommendations? All advice is welcomed.

PS: What size do you recommend for a single person? I have an 11 inch frying pan stainless steel. But it's big and heavy.
And despite it's size, i find it difficult to cook a steak and vegetables in it at the same time.

Would it be better to just buy 2 smaller pans? 1 for a steak and 1 for the vegetables? They would be lighter and easier to handle/clean. I don't eat much, so it's going to be 1 steak at home. Often cut into pieces like a stirfry.

 

[aporigine]

I have a lodge cast iron grill pan, however it's a pain to cook in. And it seems also pretty limited.
I want to use it, mostly to make steaks in. And perhaps steaks with vegetables. (I hate having to use 3 pants to make dinner due to cleaning them). I'm in Netherlands, so some brands are difficult to acquire.

I tried making steaks in a stainless steel pan, but the oil would almost immediately harden which then became nearly impossible to clean unless i used Barkeepers friend, which was $27 to get where i live. I know people say heat control, but to heat up the pan sufficiently, and then to lower it once the steak goes in, i just don't get good results without the oil hardening on the sides.

So i thought a cast iron flat surface would be better. (Unless you recommend carbon steel for making steaks).
Any brand recommendations? All advice is welcomed.

What oil are you using?

 

[foodnoobie]

What oil are you using?

Olive oil. I'm making the switch to avocado oil. Although i don't know if that will solve the issue completely.

 

[ethompson]

Plain, flat bottom lodge is great for steak. A small amount of high smoke point oil like grapeseed is all you need. Butter basing optional but recommended to finish the steak.

 

[aporigine]

Olive oil. I'm making the switch to avocado oil. Although i don't know if that will solve the issue completely.

You need something with a high smoke point and a low iodine number. Avocado or peanut might work better.

Ghee and tallow have high smoke points. I have tallow around from cooking ground beef; it’s my favorite medium for hot frying.

And, temperature control. If you like char on your meat, grilling is the better option imo.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

I'll take a different approach and advise to change your method. Abandon the oft-repeated idea of getting your pan "screaming hot" and fast searing both sides. Instead, go more low and slow and build up the crust. Far less hassle, can get just as good if not better crust and much easier to control.

Your setup will determine the temps but I go with around a medium heat and frequently baste and flip about every two minutes or so. 15-20mins for a decent sized sirloin is about the norm.

A good cast iron skillet (1o" or so) works great with this method as it retains heat well and evenly.

 

[Dan-]

Have a read: https://www.seriouseats.com/best-way-to-cook-steak

 

[sumis]

what has been said above.

it isn't about the pan.

medium high is actually really hot.

don't add fat until pan is hot (and heat the pan as slow as you have time for, in steps.)

it's not about the pan.

any solid traditional cast iron should give good results. just as any decent stainless or carbon.

.

 

[Benuser]

what has been said above.

it isn't about the pan.

medium high is actually really hot.

don't add fat until pan is hot (and heat it as slow as you have time for, in steps.)

it's not about the pan.

any solid traditional cast iron should give good results. just as any decent stainless or carbon.

.

In addition only:
I use the pan only for 20 seconds per side. After that it goes on a plate that was already in a preheated ofen at 110-120°C — 220-250°F — for 5 to 10 minutes before serving, or longer, depending for the cuisson you're aiming for. My numbers suppose the steak to come right out of the fridge. With steaks on room temperature reduce the time in the pan even more.

 

[YumYumSauce]

Yea go for Grapeseed or other high smoke point oil. Don't overcrowded the pan by cooking the steak and veggies at the same time. Cook the steak and while it rests cook veggies separately.

I also really like carbon steel pans for steaks. I use mine more than cast iron for its lightness compared to cast iron. I think 11/12in pans are a great size. Whether for meat or veggies, you dont want to overcrowd the pan if you want a nice sear. But it's nice to have different sizes depending on the occasion or ingredient.

With stainless you can sear, deglaze and make a pan sauce for the steak without worrying about acidic ingredients messing up the seasoning on the pan. You'll still need bartenders friend for stainless.

 

[dabes]

Instead of focusing on the pan, you should focus on the steak and how you're preparing it. Make sure to get the surface of the steak as dry as possible, I pat dry and put it in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours on a wire rack to help dry it out further. Keep it low and slow, you should be able to get a nice mahogany crust off of any pan without touching smoke points.

The downside is longer cook time, but it buys me time to roast veggies in the oven.

 

[Bodine]

Well, I am a rare steak guy, I use cast iron, steak 1.5 inch minimum thickness. Room temp steak seasoned on both sides.
Burner on high, add butter, sear on both sides 3 minutes max.

 

[ch_br]

I have a strange, but logical, way to pan fry steaks in my cast iron pan inside my apartment (with poor ventilation)

First I prep the meat:

1. Bring the meat to room temp
2. Rub in olive oil or tallow
3. Season (diamond salt & fresh cracked Telicherry pepper)

Then I get the cast iron as piping hot as possible... Quickly add some grapeseed oil to pan -- Then I move the meat and the pan outside and put it in my metal rack.

Outside, I quickly sear the first side till its caramelized.

This eliminates the smoke from high heat searing in my apartment completely.

When smoking and sizzling in the pan stops, I bring the pan back inside and then return to medium heat. The second side gets 2/3 the sear.

Then I cook it low and slow to medium rare (that's 128F for me).

Before done, I add a little butter on top and then grab and hold the meat with tongs to sear the sides.

Pull off heat, let it rest for about 10 min.

Serve.

Great results and Severely minimizes smoke in the apartment and the 3 day meat smell that tends to linger.

 

[YumYumSauce]

Instead of focusing on the pan, you should focus on the steak and how you're preparing it. Make sure to get the surface of the steak as dry as possible, I pat dry and put it in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours on a wire rack to help dry it out further. Keep it low and slow, you should be able to get a nice mahogany crust off of any pan without touching smoke points.

The downside is longer cook time, but it buys me time to roast veggies in the oven.

I'm a huge fan of dry brining meat overnight, or even a couple days.

 

[boomchakabowwow]

If you’re targeting steaks, a standard Lodge will be excellent. To a steak I imagine ALL cast iron looks and feels the same. Your steak won’t stick catastrophically.

I’m not experienced with grill pans, but I might agree w where your mind is going. A flat pan is better for me.

 

[dchang21]

i recommend carbon steel and cooking your protein and veg separately.
i never really cared for cast iron due to weight and i don't need the heat retention.

echo the other members on not needing screaming high heat. you just need medium heat, high heat oil (not olive) and a burger press to place on top of the meat. without the press, there will be uneven browning.

 

[dchang21]

I'm a huge fan of dry brining meat overnight, or even a couple days.

i don't do this anymore because i don't believe it makes any real impact. unless i'm trying to dry out skin, then yes i dry brine..

 

[M1k3]

Heat pan to medium, medium-high. Depends on stovetop burner strength.
Pat steak dry.
Season steak.
Add oil to pan, swirl around.
Put steak in 2-3 minutes or so per side.
Repeat until desired temperature is about 5-10 under target (will depend on mass and thickness when to stop cooking).
Rest.
Slice or eat it with your hands.

 

[sumis]

i don't do this anymore because i don't believe it makes any real impact. unless i'm trying to dry out skin, then yes i dry brine..

i agree. but, it is also a question of the quality of meat. if you are ’forced’ to cook a steak of ’lesser’ quality, it can def benefit from being salted in the fridge. a super marbled piece of meat, why bother?

.

 

[Jovidah]

My 2 sesterces:
-grill pans aren't really ideal IMO; yeah you get grill stripes but you get a lot of areas where you have little to no caramellization, you easily get a lot of smoking oil, and you're never going to get a proper bbq taste; I'll take a normal frying pan over a grill pan any day for meat.

-what oil are you using that it's giving you such trouble? what temperatures are you using? The idea that you really need insane heat that will basically push oil beyond it's smokepoint in 2 seconds and smokes up your entire house is... somewhat outdated and overstated.

-I very rarely have stains on stainless that I can't easily get off with normal dishwashing soap, hot water, and at most a scrubby.

-If for whatever reason you have more persistent stains any acid will do. Vinegar, limejuice, whatever. You don't need fancy pants American products that are only expensive because it's an import. There's also plenty of European alternatives (like HG staalpolish), but you don't really need those either.

-What helps far more to get a good crust is dry meat. This is probably the biggest advantage of drybrining (more so than already giving a good salt distribution). You get really dry meat that sears really well even in a pan that isn't ridiculously hot. Just make sure there's enough fat so there's proper contact.

-I would never put a steak and vegetables in the same pan, regardless of sizing. You get a lot of moisture coming off the vegetables, you're bringing down the heat a lot more, it's just not a recipe for success. Either use 2 pans, or for example sear the steak first and then finish the veg in the same pan while the steak is either resting or in the oven.

-The cheap and sensible alternative to cast iron is carbon steel... Debuyer Carbonne series. Basically the same properties as cast iron, a bit thinner and lighter, a bit smoother. Pretty much the same caveats as cast iron (works better with seasoning, loses seasoning from acids, worse heat distribution than stainless clad aluminium).

 

[Jovidah]

Ah just read you're using olive oil. FWIW I used to go out of my way to use seperate oils for high heat frying like clarified butter (if you're near the German border, it's cheap to buy it there as 'butterschmalz') or peanut oil... but I pretty much stopped bothering after I started doing dry brining and realized that you don't need 250 degrees celcius to fry a steak. So a lot of the time now I just use EV olive oil. Just make sure it's a pure oil without any gunk or weird crap in it... but my gut feeling is you're probably using too much heat because too many people are advocating for ridiculous heat.

Also...to avoid moisture... either season with salt right before it goes into the pan, or more than an hour in advance; there's an intermediate phase where it starts pulling moisture out and you'll just be throwing wet meat into the pan.

 

[aporigine]

Ah just read you're using olive oil. FWIW I used to go out of my way to use seperate oils for high heat frying like clarified butter (if you're near the German border, it's cheap to buy it there as 'butterschmalz') or peanut oil... but I pretty much stopped bothering after I started doing dry brining and realized that you don't need 250 degrees celcius to fry a steak. So a lot of the time now I just use EV olive oil. Just make sure it's a pure oil without any gunk or weird crap in it... but my gut feeling is you're probably using too much heat because too many people are advocating for ridiculous heat.

Also...to avoid moisture... either season with salt right before it goes into the pan, or more than an hour in advance; there's an intermediate phase where it starts pulling moisture out and you'll just be throwing wet meat into the pan.

Wet meat is better in the back of the house.

 

[Jovidah]

Wet meat is better in the back of the house.

It also requires less oil to lubricate...

 

[daveb]

I'm not a fan of most CI - I'm getting old and it weighs a ton. de Beyer is carbon pan of choice and there are other quality pans available. Sometimes use good stainless for same task.

Pro method for steak usually involves searing on very hot pan with presentation side down. Flip steak and into the oven (350 - 425F) to desired doneness. Back out, presentation side up, sauce, garnish.

Home method (my home) is SV for an hour an inch, at desired temp (128F) Remove steak, reserve juices for quick sauce, sear. Deglaze pan w wine and juices, add some butter or make sauce of choice. And serve.

 

[robzilla]

Scanpan non-stick, 1.5 minutes per flip on induction set to six after 30 hour salt and rack in the fridge, 45 minutes out of the fridge, only lube is the fatty edge of the meat, browning all edges moderately is first step in the pan. Cook to 115* center, and a wee rest.