This Father’s Day, treat your dad to a mouth-watering steak fit for a king. This is all you need to know about preparing the perfect steak:   

1. Temperature  

Before you cook the steak, make sure it has come to room temperature. Cooking room-temperature meat ensures that it cooks evenly and stays tender. You get tough meat when the cold muscle fibres tense up as they come into contact with a hot pan.   

2. Seasoning  

Season both sides with salt and pepper. That’s all you need to enhance the natural flavour of the meat.  

3. Baste  

Add a knob or two of butter, a few sprigs of thyme and some sliced garlic to the pan just before serving. Spoon this over the steak to infuse it with some subtle flavours.  

4. Don’t overwork  

Once the steak is cooking, don’t keep turning it. Allow each side to cook for a few minutes before flipping. This helps to caramelise the meat and allows the flavours to fully develop.   

5. Hot pan  

Before cooking, your pan or grill must be nice and hot. This guarantees a caramelised crust and full flavour.  

6. Rest  

Steak should rest for at least 5 minutes before being sliced, ideally 10 minutes. This redistributes the juices and keeps the meat from drying out and becoming overdone.  

Guide to steak cooking times

The longer you cook your steak, the longer you need to let it rest for. Here’s a quick guide:

Rare: 2 minutes per side. Rest for 2 minutes.  

Medium-rare: 2 ½  minutes per side. Rest for 4 minutes.  

Medium: About 3 minutes per side. Rest for 4 minutes.  

Medium-well: 3 1/2 minutes per side. Rest for 5 minutes.  

Well-done: 4-5 minutes each side, depending on thickness. Rest for 6 minutes. 

Words by Chad January 
Photography: Fresh Living Magazine