"The perfect steak is not about fire, it's about patience," said Jamie Oliver .
And he’s right: a cast iron frying pan, heated to the limit, and 6 minutes – that’s the secret that chefs are hiding.
Chef Andrey Makhov (restaurant "Sakhalin") confirms: "This is how they cooked in the USSR. This is a classic, not a life hack."
Choose meat 3-4 cm thick (ribeye, striploin) and use coarse salt. Add pepper after frying so it doesn’t burn.
Heat the pan for 5 minutes on high heat – a drop of water should evaporate within a second. Press the meat with a spatula for 10 seconds, turning only once.
The result is medium rare with a charcoal crust.
The hot pan creates the Maillard reaction – the very same caramelization that Food & Wine writes about. And the fat from the meat turns into a fragrant “sauce” that will not leave even a gourmet from Milan indifferent.
Check the meat for doneness by piercing it with your finger: elasticity, like the pad of your thumb, is ideal medium rare.
Don't rush to cut the steak right away - let it "rest" for 3-4 minutes so that the juices are evenly distributed.
Chef Makhov adds: "In the USSR, even frozen beef was fried this way. The secret is in pre-defrosting it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator."
Experiment with oils: clarified butter will give a nutty aroma, and olive oil will give a slight bitterness.
Serve the steak with a red wine sauce: reduce a glass of Cabernet with shallots and a spoonful of honey.
Author: Elena Shimanovskaya