I want to cook steak on my new stainless pan

[preslove]

I returned my mom's too large sweater gift and a hand mixer to macy's regular and home. I got an immersion blender kit and a stainless steel stainless pan with an aluminum base. It's rated to 450 in the oven.

I've been using a cast iron pan for a while and just want to try something new.

Anyone here cook steak on stainless?

 

[NetWareHead]

Stick with cast iron IMO

 

[HN]

grounded coffee and sweater too large. your mom just can't win

 

[Vdubchaos]

Stainless skillets = horrible idea

We use stainless ONLY for pots (pasta cooking/boiling etc).

Another vote for sticking to Cast Iron. It's impossible to beat.

 

[Strk]

I use an enameled cast iron pan for steak

 

[Fritzo]

I do them in stainless all the time. They're better if you want some kind of sauce with your steak as you'll get a fair amount of glazing on the bottom of the pan. Deglaze it with red wine, then throw in some mushrooms and onions for a fantastic topper sauce.

 

[jaedaliu]

Go for it.

The pan's temperature will drop, so it's not as easy to get a good sear, but if you take your time, it's no problem. (I'm hoping it's got some thickness on the bottom to allow the heat to spread)

 

[kage69]

Anyone here cook steak on stainless?

Nope, but if you're cooking sirloin better break out the canola.

If I cook a nice piece of cow or buffalo with a stove, it's going in the broiler, and most likely in conjunction with a grilling cast iron pan.

 

[smackababy]

I don't think I've ever used a stainless steel pan for anything.

 

[preslove]

I usually use cast iron and grapeseed oil.

I do them in stainless all the time. They're better if you want some kind of sauce with your steak as you'll get a fair amount of glazing on the bottom of the pan. Deglaze it with red wine, then throw in some mushrooms and onions for a fantastic topper sauce.

How high a heat do you use? I guess it will require stuff like that. I'll just make this one on iron and pick up some mushrooms. That sounds good, and I've been trying to get more mushrooms in my diet

 

[Dick Duck Dong]

Cast iron is best for steak. It holds heat much better than the stainless steel and is able to get much, much hotter.

 

[Fritzo]

Nope, but if you're cooking sirloin better break out the canola.

If I cook a nice piece of cow or buffalo with a stove, it's going in the broiler, and most likely in conjunction with a grilling cast iron pan.

Grape seed or peanut oil. Canola will burn at 375F or so, leaving a brown glaze on the pan than takes a LOT of elbow grease to get off.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I'd stick with cast iron. See Alton Brown's advice for a perfect pan-seared steak:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQKkzUmOcdk

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pan-seared-rib-eye-recipe/index.html

 

[destrekor]

Grape seed or peanut oil. Canola will burn at 375F or so, leaving a brown glaze on the pan than takes a LOT of elbow grease to get off.

Alton's method for cast iron suggests 500ºF, which I used to use. I ever-so-slightly adjust times and stick to 450ºF, and use a high-heat Canola Oil rated for 450. I definitely noticed less smoke, though it's still easy to ever-so-slightly cross the threshold that allows for the oil to burn if you do stick to that temperature. Slightly lower will work for steak just fine too, with another ever-so-slight increase in times.


One thing for sure: you definitely do NOT want your oil to smoke when cooking. Why? That means the oil is polymerizing - the same thing we are after when seasoning cast iron. Polymerized oil = a layer of oxidized oil remnants that needs serious effort to remove.

It's also one of the last things you want to eat: the polymers and carbonization are not something you want to find on your steak, which is about to go into your stomach. They can be carcinogenic - and eating carcinogens is not particularly a thing I'm fond of.


It's not something you have to worry about from your seasoning itself - it's only the real oils getting cooked in it afterward. The polymers formed should easily be able to withstand any real cooking temperature you'll use.
If you just want to throw it on a literal fire, like while camping or something... some care should be used there. Perhaps test the actual temperature over the fire to ensure it's not insane - though I doubt it'd be a problem unless you want to put the cast iron essentially on the wood itself so that the flames completely engulf the pan and whatever it contains.
Which sounds like a wonderful quick way to possibly burn off the seasoning/polymers. That or the self-cleaning oven route.

I don't know if any specific oils have a polymer breakdown around 500-600, but if so I'd avoid those. I'm fairly certain, however, that all of the various recommended oils, or at least their resulting polymers, cannot withstand 900ºF or higher, which is typically the self-cleaning temperature in ovens that feature that.

 

[DrPizza]

You're supposed to heat the cast iron prior to putting it in the oven. My son recently measured the temperature of his cast iron (I don't have one of those laser things to measure mine with) - around 800 degrees before the steak went in. A stainless steel pan at 450 doesn't contain anywhere near the same amount of heat to transfer to the steak.

 

[Fritzo]

I'd stick with cast iron. See Alton Brown's advice for a perfect pan-seared steak:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQKkzUmOcdk

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pan-seared-rib-eye-recipe/index.html

I wish people would stop quoting that hack.

Let Mr. Ramsay show you how to cook a steak in 2:30

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmC9SmCBUj4

 

[destrekor]

I wish people would stop quoting that hack.

Let Mr. Ramsay show you how to cook a steak in 2:30

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmC9SmCBUj4

Ugh, he's so narcissistic.


I don't care if they are different routes - I cooked two 6oz bacon-wrapped fillets using Alton's method somewhat recently, and they turned out to be some of the best steak I've ever had the pleasure of consuming.

I'm not sure if that method would really work well for anything above medium, if it even works well at all for medium. He said he likes rare, and it sounds like that ended up between rare and medium rare. Which is fine - but longer on what must be high-heat on the gas stove might start getting the outside too crispy before it can get the interior done right.

I'll give it a try someday, for sure. Still trying to wrap my head around what heat he was using though if the olive oil isn't smoking. Depending on the type of olive oil, that pan wasn't anywhere above 450, possibly not hotter than 400. What trickery is being done here?

That's what leads me to suspect this isn't much use for medium and higher.


I don't understand how you'd say Alton is a hack, however. Just because his method takes longer? Alton is wonderful because he also explains the scientific reasoning during demonstrations. His method for scrambled eggs is absolutely phenomenal. I watched a video for Ramsay's approach to the super-soft and creamy scrambled egg, and there was just way too much going on from the start. So many things added, fair bit of cream and whatnot iirc as well.

Frankly, all I care about is following the right process to go from cold raw food to absolutely delicious food in my tummy. I haven't cooked many extravagant dishes like the majority of video demonstrations, but what I have read and seen of Alton's work has led to just that - very tasty food. And his science is sound.
Alton's a little closer to the new-school, trying to create the perfect dish through the science of chemical reactions during the various stages. Ramsay definitely seems to have an older style, like classical chef training.
Of course they'll clash from time to time.

 

[destrekor]

You're supposed to heat the cast iron prior to putting it in the oven. My son recently measured the temperature of his cast iron (I don't have one of those laser things to measure mine with) - around 800 degrees before the steak went in. A stainless steel pan at 450 doesn't contain anywhere near the same amount of heat to transfer to the steak.

I preheat it with the oven as I let my steaks rest with seasoning and oil (which is about the same time I'd need if I was using my charcoal chimney and heating the grill), then I take it out and put it over high heat (gas) and then I proceed to get everything ready and throw the steaks on for 30 second sears then into the oven.

 

[ElFenix]

stainless works fine for steak. steak au poivre rocks.

 

[Fritzo]

Ugh, he's so narcissistic.


I don't care if they are different routes - I cooked two 6oz bacon-wrapped fillets using Alton's method somewhat recently, and they turned out to be some of the best steak I've ever had the pleasure of consuming.

I'm not sure if that method would really work well for anything above medium, if it even works well at all for medium. He said he likes rare, and it sounds like that ended up between rare and medium rare. Which is fine - but longer on what must be high-heat on the gas stove might start getting the outside too crispy before it can get the interior done right.

I'll give it a try someday, for sure. Still trying to wrap my head around what heat he was using though if the olive oil isn't smoking. Depending on the type of olive oil, that pan wasn't anywhere above 450, possibly not hotter than 400. What trickery is being done here?

That's what leads me to suspect this isn't much use for medium and higher.


I don't understand how you'd say Alton is a hack, however. Just because his method takes longer? Alton is wonderful because he also explains the scientific reasoning during demonstrations. His method for scrambled eggs is absolutely phenomenal. I watched a video for Ramsay's approach to the super-soft and creamy scrambled egg, and there was just way too much going on from the start. So many things added, fair bit of cream and whatnot iirc as well.

Frankly, all I care about is following the right process to go from cold raw food to absolutely delicious food in my tummy. I haven't cooked many extravagant dishes like the majority of video demonstrations, but what I have read and seen of Alton's work has led to just that - very tasty food. And his science is sound.
Alton's a little closer to the new-school, trying to create the perfect dish through the science of chemical reactions during the various stages. Ramsay definitely seems to have an older style, like classical chef training.
Of course they'll clash from time to time.

Ramsay is allowed to be narcissistic because he's won they 2nd largest amount of Michelin Stars of anyone in history.

 

[spidey07]

stainless works fine for steak. steak au poivre rocks.

Main reason I have a decent big heavy bottom stainless steel skillet. Allows you to get the fond/yummy bits for sauces and go right into the oven if needed.

Can use enameled cast iron as well for the best of both worlds.

 

[MrSquished]

Alton also had an episode where he cooked a steak over a chimney starter. He said it was teh closest you could get temp wise to the high heat restaurant quality equipment used in steakhouses. The good steakhouses.

This particular recipe calls for an aged Porterhouse that he aged, but I am sure it is good for any nice cut.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/dry-aged-chimney-porterhouse-recipe/index.html

 

[ElFenix]

Alton also had an episode where he cooked a steak over a chimney starter. He said it was teh closest you could get temp wise to the high heat restaurant quality equipment used in steakhouses. The good steakhouses.

This particular recipe calls for an aged Porterhouse that he aged, but I am sure it is good for any nice cut.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/dry-aged-chimney-porterhouse-recipe/index.html

he's used a lot of methods - cast iron, stainless steel, chimney, directly on charcoal, etc. there's a lot of people who apparently have only seen the 1 episode of good eats with the cast iron method and decided that was the end-all, be-all.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Ramsay is allowed to be narcissistic because he's won they 2nd largest amount of Michelin Stars of anyone in history.

I don't really care much for his guide...or other guys. I find that cooking at high temp ruins seasoning on Cast Iron.

I don't like to cook my steak at high temp or fast.

Different strokes for different folks.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Main reason I have a decent big heavy bottom stainless steel skillet. Allows you to get the fond/yummy bits for sauces and go right into the oven if needed.

Can use enameled cast iron as well for the best of both worlds.

Any specific brands for a good stainless steel skillet? Something not too expensive. I rent a room in a house and I keep all my supplies to myself so I need something versatile to cook all different kinds of stuff. I'm using a shitty aluminum teflon pan that I got for free right now and the heat spread is horribly off.