Discovering the right technique to cook dinner steak is a private journey. One individual’s frozen grilled steak technique is one other individual’s reverse sear (fairly certain that’s a well-known previous steak saying). And when you’ve discovered yours, effectively, you’re a steak grasp: Every steak comes out precisely to temperature for rapid feasting. It’s all smiles and steak frites till the following day when bother strikes—how do you reheat the leftover cooked steak with out taking it into well-done territory? Properly, it’s taken some trial and error however these are my favourite reheating strategies in accordance with steak priorities.
Microwave
For a steak with some wiggle room (it may well bear to cook dinner a smidge), the microwave is by far the quickest technique. Put the steak on a microwave-safe plate and nuke it on excessive for 20 to 30 seconds. Get in there and punctiliously contact the steak to gauge the temperature. If it’s a small piece of steak then it is perhaps sufficiently heated sufficient to get pleasure from. If it’s a bigger steak then you definately’ll have to flip it and do one other 20- to 30-second blast.
I meal-prepped steak within the air fryer yesterday with the intention of reheating it, so my steak is small (I minimize a bigger strip steak into 5 items) however it’s additionally medium-rare to uncommon within the heart. Popping it into the microwave for 30 seconds made it scorching to the touch and I didn’t need to flip it. The middle remains to be a wonderfully tender medium to possibly medium-rare, which is how I desire my steak. Understand that microwaving won’t offer you any form of extra sear or crust. If you’d like that, then learn on.
Pan fry
I do suppose that is my favourite solution to reheat steak, particularly if it’s a bigger piece than my meal-prepped ones. I really like the crispy brown sear I get from this technique and it’s a superb center floor between the speedy microwave and the longer sous vide (or my “faux-vide”) technique.
Warmth up a heavy bottomed skillet, like forged iron or carbon metal. The pan can keep dry; in the event you like some butter or oil, that’s high quality however you’ll get some splatter. As soon as the pan begins to smoke a bit, add the steak to the pan. Let it sit and sizzle for 2 minutes, then use tongs to flip the steak. Cook dinner it for an additional minute or two on this facet as effectively. You probably have a bigger steak, you could want so as to add extra time.
Credit score: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
Once more, my steaks are small from dividing, however truthfully due to this, you possibly can see how the middle has stayed pink right through. Pan frying provides you extra taste from the sear and because it’s heating from the surface, one facet at a time, you shield the inside from cooking too shortly. Spending an additional couple of minutes with this technique delivers high outcomes.
Air fry
I really like my air fryer, however I’d like air-fryer-reheated steak the least. It’d simply rely upon my temper. Air frying is quicker than searing however slower than microwaving. It may give you a bit of little bit of a crispy exterior, however the scorching convection winds can take the steak a bit of too far too quick. You will need to preserve your eye on it. That’s form of exhausting to do with some basket fashions that don’t have home windows, however that’s what we signed up for.
First, preheat the air fryer. This solely takes a pair minutes however it’s vital that the container be scorching already so your steak doesn’t slowly begin cooking in the course of the preheating time. Pop the steak into the air fryer and let it cook dinner for no less than three minutes for a small steak. For a bigger steak, I recommend checking on it each minute and possibly flipping it after just a few.
Left: Pan-fried steak. Proper: Air-fried steak.
Credit score: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
As I discussed above, my steaks have been minimize from a bigger strip steak so you possibly can see the pink heart all through reheating. You’ll be able to see that my air fried steak cooked fully on the whole exterior, in order that pink edge is gone. The pan-fried steak on the left didn’t cook dinner by means of on the sides.
What do you suppose to date?
Credit score: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
However don’t let the sides idiot you: The middle of the air-fried steak remains to be a young medium while you minimize into the center. Nevertheless, in case your steak doesn’t have any wiggle room for cooking a bit extra, you wish to use one other technique.
Sous vide or faux-vide
That is the longest technique—it gently reheats the steak by way of a scorching water bathtub. The profit is that when you have a wonderfully cooked medium-rare steak, it’ll keep that means.
You probably have a sous vide, or immersion circulator, you possibly can arrange the water bathtub and circulator for the steak’s unique goal temperature. Reheating occasions will fluctuate on the scale and thickness of your steak, however it will take round half-hour.
Credit score: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
In the event you don’t have an immersion circulator, you possibly can faux-vide. Put your steak in a zip-top plastic bag and squish all of the air out. Submerge the top with the meat into scorching faucet water, which might be roughly 120ºF. If it floats, add a weight to the water. I left the zip high finish hanging out of the water after which put a water glass on the steak to maintain it submerged. It’s best to go away it like this for about 20 to 25 minutes. You’ll possible want to alter out the water no less than as soon as and even twice throughout this time.
Once more, you received’t get any added taste with sear marks utilizing the sous vide technique, however your steak might be revitalized and as juicy as ever. Among the many 4 strategies, consider your priorities first. Do you’ve wiggle room with how cooked the middle is? Would you like sear marks? Are you pressed for time? Then you may make the precise selection to your steak.
