Fried Steak
Ingredients
Directions
Sear the steak
Heat your skillet until hot.
Add the steak whole or cut into palm-sized pieces.
Sprinkle a little coarse sea salt on the steak.
Brown one side, then turn and brown the other side.
Remove the steak to a platter.
Make the gravy and serve
Pour 1 cup of boiling water into the skillet.
Add a little coarse sea salt and butter.
Thicken the gravy and pour it over the meat.
If not serving immediately, keep the steak in a warm place.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Steak
- The main protein, which browns on the hot surface to develop savory flavor and color.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness to the pan gravy, giving it a rounder, savory flavor.
The step that matters
Brown one side, then turn and brown the other side. Browning relies on direct, sustained contact with a hot pan surface, which drives the Maillard reaction and builds color and savory flavor. Moving the steak too early or leaving the pan too cool prevents a good crust from forming.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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