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Optimal Steak Cooking Methods Avoiding Gray Band Enhancing Crust

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Optimal Steak Cooking Methods: Avoiding Gray Band, Enhancing Crust

Clip title: The Best Way To Cook Steak? | Techniquely with Lan Lam Author / channel: America’s Test Kitchen URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJcO1W_TD74

Summary

This video from Cook’s Illustrated introduces various methods for cooking a perfect steak, aiming for a beautiful crust and even, rosy doneness from edge to edge, ideally with speed, minimal mess, and no specialized equipment. The host, Lan Lam, begins by showcasing two steaks: one with an undesirable “gray band” of overcooked meat beneath the crust, and another with ideal edge-to-edge medium-rare pinkness. The video explores how different cooking techniques impact these results.

First, the traditional pan-searing method is demonstrated, where a hot, oiled skillet quickly sears the steak on both sides before it finishes cooking in the oven. While this method delivers a good crust and doesn’t require special equipment, its significant drawbacks include a lot of smoke and grease splatter, messy cleanup, and, most notably, the inevitable “gray band” of overcooked meat around the rosy center. This overcooking occurs because the high heat applied to the surface takes time to penetrate to the center, leading to an uneven cook.

Next, Sous Vide cooking is introduced, a technique often used in professional kitchens. This method involves vacuum-sealing the steak and cooking it in a precisely temperature-controlled water bath for an extended period, ensuring perfect edge-to-edge internal doneness. However, Sous Vide requires expensive immersion circulators, generates plastic waste, and is very time-consuming (1.5 to 3 hours). The Reverse Sear method, developed by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, aims to replicate the Sous Vide internal cook by slow-roasting the steak in a low-temperature oven (275°F) until it reaches an internal temperature of 90-95°F, followed by a quick, hard sear in a pan to develop a crust. This eliminates the need for Sous Vide equipment but still uses the oven and requires two temperature checks.

Finally, the video presents the “Cold Sear” method as the ultimate solution. This technique involves placing a well-patted-dry, unseasoned (except pepper) steak directly into a cold non-stick pan, turning the heat to high, and flipping the steak every two minutes. This slow, gradual heating from a cold start allows the fat to render and the juices to come to the surface and reduce, helping to build a deep crust without burning. The frequent flipping promotes even heat distribution, eliminating the gray band, and the use of a non-stick pan and the steak’s rendered fat minimizes mess and cleanup. Salting is done only after cooking to preserve the crust. The Cold Sear achieves the desired edge-to-edge pinkness and a delicious crust quickly, cleanly, and with standard kitchen equipment, making it Lan Lam’s preferred method for perfectly cooked steak.

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