# I've been cooking my steak wrong all these years. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 13, 2013, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-cooking-my-steak-wrong-all-these-years/660935 "2013-06-13T22:37:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-cooking-my-steak-wrong-all-these-years/660935/21 "2013-06-14T12:12:34Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > broiling (US) is grilling (AU, UK) Consider my mind officially blown. I always though broiling must have something to do with boiling. I haven’t been this flabbergasted by my own ignorance since I first found out about month/day/year format. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-cooking-my-steak-wrong-all-these-years/660935/22 "2013-06-14T12:45:21Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > Consider my mind officially blown. I always though broiling must have something to do with boiling. I haven’t been this flabbergasted by my own ignorance since I first found out about month/day/year format. Don’t feel bad, it took me ages to get my head around that. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-cooking-my-steak-wrong-all-these-years/660935/23 "2013-06-14T15:23:01Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Funny. I thought you were referring to[this article](http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/06/the-food-lab-7-old-wives-tales-about-cooking-steak.html), which matched my experience. I thought that as well. I can’t believe bringing the meat to room temp before you cook it doesn’t do shit. As a matter of fact, for the majority of that article, I kept thinking to myself: 'NO! What are you doing to me?! My world is turning upside down!" ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-cooking-my-steak-wrong-all-these-years/660935/24 "2013-06-14T15:52:25Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > I honestly don’t recall how/why I did a Google search that yielded this simple, sublime technique. I think I might have seen someone do it on a cooking show. No matter. Being 46, I have cooked steaks in many ways. Directly on the grill being the most common. I’ve tried the broiler. The stove top. Most recently, I tried my beloved cast iron skillet, in the oven. All were good. It’s steak, after all. It never dawned on me to try the cast iron directly on the grill. Of course! It makes brilliant sense. The high heat of the grill, with the flat cooking surface of the skillet. I’m probably sounding like an amateur to those who know this. No matter. I preheated the grill on high for 15 minutes with the skillet on the bars. I lightly coated the boneless rib eye with olive oil, salt and pepper. When the pan was ready I put the steak on, and let it cook 4 minutes per side. (I like my steak medium.) I let it sit while I fixed my sides. PHE-NOM-EN-AL. Perfectly seared outside. Just barely pink inside (you can obviously cook it less it if you like it more rare.) Juicy as hell. Yep. Wrong all these years. Works great for burgers, also. And pizza. When it’s 95 degrees outside, who wants to heat up a stovetop or an oven? ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-cooking-my-steak-wrong-all-these-years/660935/25 "2013-06-14T20:39:33Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > so, you liked the results from all of the other ways you’ve cooked your steaks, but now you’ve found another way and all of a sudden your previous methods were all wrong. > > got it. I rarely dip my toe in the Dope anymore, and its comments like this that make me stay away. OP found a great way to cook steaks and wrote it in a way that used hyperbole and a little creative license and along comes someone to dissect how the OP coveys his excitement about new way he has discovered to cook steak. It really reflects poorly on the person who wrote it. ---
**Author:** ![stoplight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@stoplight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stoplight)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2013, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-cooking-my-steak-wrong-all-these-years/660935/26 "2013-06-15T00:45:58Z")
sprinkle some kosher salt on the steak prior to searing, gives it a wonderful crust. ooops, just made my mouth water ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-cooking-my-steak-wrong-all-these-years/660935/27 "2013-06-17T21:48:40Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > You might find this site useful, **Aspidistra** : > > [language - Translating cooking terms between US / UK / AU / CA / NZ - Seasoned Advice](http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/784/translating-cooking-terms-between-us-uk-au-ca-nz) > > 🙂 Great site! Something bugging me since “Fawlty Towers”\*: UK salad cream = US ? \*Yes, I am an old fart. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-cooking-my-steak-wrong-all-these-years/660935/28 "2013-06-17T22:26:33Z")
> [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](#): > > Great site! > > Something bugging me since “Fawlty Towers”\*: > > UK salad cream = US ? > > \*Yes, I am an old fart. Salad cream is kind of a runny mayonnaise. I don’t think there’s anything like it in the US, not even Miracle Whip. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-cooking-my-steak-wrong-all-these-years/660935/29 "2013-06-17T22:51:51Z")
I’m confused - don’t you have a big cast iron plate as part of your grill anyway? So why do you need a skillet at all? Here in New Zealand pretty much all barbecues (= grill in US English) have half slats-half plate on top. See the [example here](http://www.masport.co.nz/PRODUCTS/Barbecues/tabid/1357/Default.aspx). Personally pretty much everything except sausages gets cooked on the plate. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-cooking-my-steak-wrong-all-these-years/660935/30 "2013-06-17T22:58:09Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > I’m confused - don’t you have a big cast iron plate as part of your grill anyway? So why do you need a skillet at all? > > Here in New Zealand pretty much all barbecues (= grill in US English) have half slats-half plate on top. See the [example here](http://www.masport.co.nz/PRODUCTS/Barbecues/tabid/1357/Default.aspx). Personally pretty much everything except sausages gets cooked on the plate. Nope. Most standard grills here are all rack ([example](http://www.weber.com/grills/series/genesis/genesis-e-330)). Ninja’d by **pulykamell**. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-cooking-my-steak-wrong-all-these-years/660935/31 "2013-06-17T22:58:30Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > I’m confused - don’t you have a big cast iron plate as part of your grill anyway? SO why do youi need a skillet at all? Well, no, which is exactly why someone would use a skillet. [This is what the top of a standard kettle grill](http://www.smoker-cooking.com/images/gsc-21l.jpg) looks like. [Here’s a typical two-level](http://www.charbroil.com/char-broil-six-burner-gas-grill-with-sideburner-model-463230510.html) gas grill. I’m a charcoal griller, personally, so when I grill, the point is for there to be some direct interaction between the coals and the meat. If I wanted to “grill” on a plate, I’d just cook indoors. (I understand there are other reasons for wanting to cook outdoors, not getting the kitchen hot, etc., but I’m speaking exclusively for myself. When I grill, the point is coal and/or wood and/or fat-in-the-fire flavor, and a plate defeats that purpose for me.) ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-cooking-my-steak-wrong-all-these-years/660935/32 "2013-06-17T23:09:37Z")
Huh, what a varied world we live in. How the hell are you meant to cook the eggs for your burgers on a US-style grill? ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-cooking-my-steak-wrong-all-these-years/660935/33 "2013-06-17T23:14:58Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > Huh, what a varied world we live in. How the hell are you meant to cook the eggs for your burgers on a US-style grill? Hmmm. I’m not sure if that’s a tongue-in-cheek comment or not. Eggs on burgers are not unheard of here, but not common either (in my experience.) My grill has a separate side-burner that’s much like a gas stove top burner. When I want to saute something outside or make a sauce, I use that. You can easily fry an egg on a skillet on it. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-cooking-my-steak-wrong-all-these-years/660935/34 "2013-06-17T23:19:23Z")
I should have used a smiley - eggs on burgers are an Antipodean thing. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-cooking-my-steak-wrong-all-these-years/660935/35 "2013-06-17T23:38:13Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > I should have used a smiley - eggs on burgers are an Antipodean thing. They do them in the US, too, but it’s not quite a standard option (although even some hamburger chains like Fatburger offer eggs as an option). I think they’ve become more popular over the last decade or so. I can’t say the same for beetroot. I’m sure there’s some restaurants that offer it, but I haven’t found one, and the only time I get beetroot on my burger is when I make it myself. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-cooking-my-steak-wrong-all-these-years/660935/36 "2013-06-18T00:21:09Z")
> [@newcrasher](#): > > I rarely dip my toe in the Dope anymore, and its comments like this that make me stay away. > > OP found a great way to cook steaks and wrote it in a way that used hyperbole and a little creative license and along comes someone to dissect how the OP coveys his excitement about new way he has discovered to cook steak. It really reflects poorly on the person who wrote it. Thank you. I didn’t want your post to go unrecognized. I know what you mean. Thankfully, the majority of responses are interested in the subject. Don’t let them keep you away. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-cooking-my-steak-wrong-all-these-years/660935/37 "2013-06-18T03:52:49Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > I’m confused - don’t you have a big cast iron plate as part of your grill anyway? So why do you need a skillet at all? > > Here in New Zealand pretty much all barbecues (= grill in US English) have half slats-half plate on top. See the [example here](http://www.masport.co.nz/PRODUCTS/Barbecues/tabid/1357/Default.aspx). **Personally pretty much everything except sausages gets cooked on the plate.** personally I use the plate for skewers, chopped onion, the occasional fried egg and burgers, whereas most other things I put on the slats. (I’m from across the Ditch) Interesting that I had a look at the standard 6 burner in the link by pulykamell and they don’t even seem to have the flat plates as an option, where here you can go to any large hardware warehouse and upgrade or change plates, slats etc. Mine’s a 4 burner and under the stats I’ve got an iron setup with ceramic beads that absorb and radiate heat. You get smoke from dripping fat on them, but no charcoal. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-cooking-my-steak-wrong-all-these-years/660935/38 "2013-06-18T14:01:30Z")
I introduced Mrs. Magill to the wonders of a steak cooked over charcoal Sunday night. She has stopped thinking I’m mad. At least as far as the new grill is concerned. Next up: ribs. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-cooking-my-steak-wrong-all-these-years/660935/39 "2013-06-18T14:13:05Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > Interesting that I had a look at the standard 6 burner in the link by pulykamell and they don’t even seem to have the flat plates as an option, where here you can go to any large hardware warehouse and upgrade or change plates, slats etc. Honestly, while I’m sure they must exist, I can’t remember ever seeing a flat plate on a grill here in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-cooking-my-steak-wrong-all-these-years/660935/40 "2013-06-18T14:50:24Z")
The Big Green Egg has a [grill plate](http://www.biggreenegg.com/eggcessories/cooking-grids-racks-extenders-pans/half-moon-griddle/) accessory. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-cooking-my-steak-wrong-all-these-years/660935.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-cooking-my-steak-wrong-all-these-years/660935.md?page=3)