How to Pan Fry Steak: A Step-by-Step Guide from Our Argentinian Chefs in London

If you’re wondering how to pan fry steak like the experts, you’re in the right place. Pan frying is one of the most reliable ways to achieve a restaurant-quality crust and a perfectly pink centre without needing a grill. Even in a busy steakhouse in Central London, chefs often rely on pan-frying for certain cuts because it brings out the best flavor and texture. With the right techniques, you can master this method at home and enjoy steak cooked to perfection.

This guide covers everything: choosing the right cut, the correct pan, heat management, butter basting, resting, and the common mistakes that ruin a good steak. We’ve also included our chef’s tips that most home-cook guides simply don’t tell you.

What You’ll Need Before You Start

Before you touch the heat, have everything prepped and within arm’s reach. Once the pan gets hot, things move fast, especially when perfecting the best way to pan fry steak.

Equipment:

• A heavy cast-iron skillet or thick-based stainless steel pan (not non-stick, it can’t handle the heat)
• Metal tongs
• An instant-read meat thermometer
• A timer
• A wooden spoon or a large metal spoon for basting

Ingredients (serves 2):

• 2 steaks, ideally 2.5–4cm (1–1.5 inches) thick
• 1–2 tbsp neutral oil with a high smoke point (vegetable, sunflower, or rapeseed, not olive oil)
• Flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3–4 garlic cloves, skin-on and lightly crushed
• A few sprigs of fresh thyme or rosemary (optional but worth it)

How to Pan Fry Steak: Step-by-Step Guide

If you’ve ever wondered about the best way to pan fry steak, the secret is heat control, patience, and choosing the right cut. To get the perfect steak, it’s important to first understand the different types of steak cuts and how each one behaves when cooked.

Step 1: Choose the Right Cut

Not all steaks are equal when it comes to pan frying. The ideal cut is boneless, between 2.5–4cm thick, and well-marbled with intramuscular fat. Here’s how the most popular cuts perform:

• Ribeye: The best choice for pan frying. Exceptional meat marbling means the fat renders during cooking, basting the meat from the inside out. Rich, beefy flavour with a beautiful crust. This is what we serve as our signature cut at Asador Bar & Grill.
• New York Strip (Sirloin): Firm texture with a strip of fat along one edge. Develops a fantastic crust and holds its shape well in the pan. A close second to ribeye for stovetop cooking.
• Fillet (Tenderloin): The most tender cut available, with very little fat. Delicious when cooked rare to medium-rare. Because it’s so lean, basting with butter is essential to keep it moist.
• Flat Iron: A thinner, more affordable cut that works well for quick pan frying. Best cooked to medium-rare and sliced against the grain. Great value without compromising on flavour.

What to avoid: Round steak, brisket, or any tough braising cuts. These need slow, low-heat cooking. High-heat pan frying will make them chewy and dry.

Step 2: Temper Your Steak (This Step Is Non-Negotiable)

Take your steak out of the fridge at least 30–45 minutes before cooking, and ideally up to an hour for thicker cuts. This is called tempering. A cold steak straight from the fridge means the outside will overcook before the centre reaches the right temperature. You’ll end up with a grey band of overdone meat around the edges. Bring it to room temperature, and you get an even, edge-to-edge cook.

Step 3: Season Generously and Pat Dry First

Pat the steak completely dry with kitchen paper on both sides. Any surface moisture will steam in the pan rather than sear, and steaming is the enemy of a good crust.

Once dry, season both sides heavily with flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. A thick steak needs more seasoning than you think, and much of it will form the crust. Season the edges too.

If you’d like a more detailed breakdown of timing, salt ratios, and advanced techniques, read our full guide on how to season steak properly, where our chefs explain the process step by step.

Chef’s tip: For an even deeper flavour, season the steak the night before and leave it uncovered in the fridge. The salt draws out a small amount of moisture which then gets reabsorbed, seasoning the meat all the way through. Pat it dry again just before cooking.

Step 4: Get the Pan Ripping Hot

Place your cast iron or stainless steel pan over high heat and leave it for 2–3 minutes until it’s smoking hot. This is longer than most people expect. A properly preheated pan is the single most important factor in getting a good sear.

Add oil, not butter at this stage, as butter will burn at the temperatures needed for a crust. Swirl to coat, and when the oil shimmers and just starts to smoke, you’re ready.

Why not non-stick? Non-stick pans can’t safely reach the temperatures required for a proper Maillard reaction, the chemical process responsible for that dark, flavourful crust. Cast iron retains heat better, giving you a more even sear.

Step 5: Sear the First Side and Don’t Touch It

Lay the steak away from you into the pan (so any oil splatter goes away from you), and leave it completely alone for 2–3 minutes. Resist every urge to prod, peek, or move it. The steak will initially stick to the pan, this is normal. When a proper crust forms, it will naturally release. If it’s still sticking when you try to flip it, give it another 30 seconds.

You’re looking for a deep mahogany-brown colour, not just golden. That darkness is flavour.

Step 6: Flip Once and Add the Butter

Flip the steak and immediately add your butter, crushed garlic, and herb sprigs to the pan. As the butter melts and foams, tilt the pan slightly and use a spoon to continuously baste the steak, spooning the hot, garlicky butter over the surface every few seconds.

This basting technique is exactly what steakhouse chefs do, and it’s what gives restaurant steaks that incomparable richness and shine.

Cooking times from flip (for a 3cm steak):

• Rare: 1.5–2 minutes
• Medium-rare: 2–3 minutes
• Medium: 3–4 minutes
• Well done: 5+ minutes (though we’d gently advise against this)

Step 7: Use a Thermometer, Not the Touch Test

Guessing doneness by pressing the steak is unreliable, especially for home cooks. A £10–£15 instant-read thermometer removes all guesswork. Insert it horizontally into the thickest part of the steak.

Remove from pan at these temperatures (the steak will rise 3–5°C more as it rests):

Step 8: Don’t Skip the Rest

Transfer the steak to a warm plate or cutting board and tent loosely with foil. Rest for 5 minutes for a smaller steak, up to 10 minutes for a larger cut like a ribeye.

Resting allows the muscle fibres to relax and the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. Cut it too soon and those juices will run all over your board, leaving you with a drier steak.

Step 9: Slice Against the Grain

If you’re serving the steak sliced, always cut against the grain, perpendicular to the direction the muscle fibres run. This shortens the fibres and makes every bite more tender.

The Most Common Steak Pan Frying Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)

• The pan wasn’t hot enough. This is the number one mistake. A warm pan steams the steak; a screaming hot pan sears it. If you don’t see immediate, aggressive sizzle when the steak hits the pan, take it out and heat the pan longer.
• Using butter from the start. Butter burns at around 150°C. Your pan needs to be at 200°C+. Start with a neutral oil, then add butter in the final minute for flavour.
• Moving the steak around. Every time you reposition the steak, you break the crust that’s forming. Put it down and leave it.
• Crowding the pan. Two thick steaks in a small pan will drop the temperature dramatically. Cook one at a time if needed, or use a larger pan.
• Skipping the rest. It feels counterintuitive to wait when a hot steak is in front of you, but those few minutes are the difference between a good steak and a great one.
• Cutting with the grain. Even a beautifully cooked steak can feel chewy if it’s sliced in the wrong direction.

Which Oil Should You Use?

Conclusion

Mastering how to pan fry steak isn’t about complicated techniques, it’s about precision, heat control, and respecting the quality of the meat. Choose the right cut, get your pan properly hot, baste with butter at the right moment, and always let the steak rest before slicing. When done correctly, a simple pan seared steak at home can rival what you’d expect from a professional kitchen.

Of course, while learning how to cook steak in pan is a skill worth having, there’s something special about enjoying expertly prepared Argentinian beef in a dedicated restaurant in Central London, where flame, timing, and experience come together every night.

Whether you’re cooking at home or joining us for dinner, great steak always comes down to the same fundamentals: quality ingredients, proper technique, and patience.