Step-by-step guide to cooking the perfect steak

For as long as we can remember, a freshly cooked steak has been a firm dinnertime favourite. You know how you like it; rare, medium or well done. You know your favourite cut, whether it be a juicy sirloin, tender fillet or a flavourful rib-eye. But do you know how to cook it?

Cooking the perfect steak is an art-form that can be tricky to master, but these five simple steps straight from the HelloFresh kitchen will beef up your cooking know-how, and have you channeling your inner Ramsay in no time. It’s much easier than you may think! 

1. Always season

Don’t forget to season both sides of your steak with salt and pepper! Sprinkle as little or as much as you like.

2. Take the chill off

Remove your steak from the fridge at least 10 minutes before cooking to get it as close to room temperature as possible. This simple step will let heat travel to the middle more easily, helping the steak cook evenly.

3. Make it sizzle!

Patience is key here. You need to make sure your frying pan is hot before adding the steak. If your meat sizzles when it hits the pan, you know it’s ready.

4. Set your timer

Use the timings below as a guide for how long to cook your steak.

Cooking Time: (minutes per side)

Steak Thickness                Rare          Medium       Well Done

Less than 1cm                    1 min         1.5 min          2 min

Between 1cm & 2cm        2 min        2.5 min          3 min

More than 2cm                 3 min        3.5 min          4 min

When the meat is cooking, you can also gently press the steak using the back of your tongs to test if it’s ready. Rare steak is soft, medium is springy and well-done is very firm.

5. Let it rest

Set steaks aside on a plate for at least five minutes to rest. Resting helps redistribute the juices in the steak, making it tender, delicious and worth the wait! 

We like to swap out a crisp garden salad and chunky fries for seasoned greens and mash to suit the seasons. And don’t forget your choice of garlic butter, peppercorn or mushroom sauce!