Frying a Steak: Which Pan is Best

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Which pan is best for steak?

A frying pan is not just a frying pan. You should definitely pay attention to the following features when buying your steak pan:

For frying steak, your pan should definitely be a grill pan. This comes closest to the roasted flavor of a grill and also creates a crispy exterior without over-cooking the meat. You also get the typical groove pattern, which you cannot achieve with a smooth pan.
It is also important that your pan can withstand high temperatures, because this is what you need to fry the steak. For this reason, Teflon pans are not suitable.
In terms of materials, aluminum and cast iron are particularly suitable. Both get hot very quickly and have good heat conduction capability
Coated grill pans allow you to fry without oil, similar to grilling. Unlike when using uncoated pans, you can cook with less fat and therefore fewer calories without your steak sticking to the pan.
A good pan is usually around €100 – the upper limit is open. However, if handled correctly, the pan will last for decades.
If you can afford it, you should also invest in a hand-cast pan, as the heat conduction works even better here.

Finally, we would like to give you a tip so that you can use the perfect pan to fry the perfect steak.

There are different cooking levels for steak: Rare, Medium, and Well Done.
You can easily determine how well done you are with a finger test, without having to cut open the steak. Finger testing is exactly what the name suggests: you use your index finger to lightly press down on the steak.
The steak is rare, i.e. with a raw meat core, when it feels as soft as the heel of your hand when you test it with your fingers. To prepare your steak rare, you should sear it for between 1 and 2 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the meat and the heat.
When you bring an index finger and thumb together, the heel of your hand feels a little tighter. If your steak is similarly firm, it has reached medium doneness, meaning it is half done. Here you should fry your steak for about 3 minutes per side.
Now place the fingertips of your thumb and ring finger together so that the heel of your hand feels hard. This is how your steak should feel when it’s well done. Your steak is usually well done after 4 to 5 minutes per side.
Last but not least, a professional tip: Let the fried steak rest for a few minutes before eating so that the aroma can develop fully and the temperature is evenly distributed. This is best done in the oven or on a cooler stovetop. The shorter you roast the steak, the longer it should rest – up to 8 minutes for a rare steak!