How Chefs Cook Steak From Blue to Well Done (The Way a Starred Kitchen Does It)

Six identical lean pieces, one pan, one fire, six exits. I cooked every doneness at the same time, so the only thing that changes is the clock, and so you can see the difference instead of being told about it. What is in here. Why a wet steak refuses to brown, and what that costs you. Why you turn a steak every thirty to forty-five seconds instead of leaving it alone, and what the grey band under the crust actually is. The salt window you should never cook inside of. Why a probe is the honest tool, and why every cook I worked with owned one. The eight degrees a thick steak climbs after it leaves the heat. What resting really is, and why your steak has not started resting yet. And the six pull-and-rest temperatures at the end, in order, so you can write them down once and stop guessing. Well done is in here too, cooked properly, with a technique of its own. I cooked it for thirty-four years and I cooked it right. The six numbers: BLUE — pull 100F — rests to 110-115F (43-46C) — deep red, warm. Gives completely under a finger. RARE — pull 115F — rests to 120-125F (49-52C) — red, edges just turning. Soft with a floor underneath. MEDIUM RARE — pull 125F — rests to 130-135F (54-57C) — pink through, red core. Yields, then pushes back. MEDIUM — pull 135F — rests to 140-145F (60-63C) — pink edge to edge, no red. Firm, springs back quickly. MEDIUM WELL — pull 145F — rests to 150-155F (66-68C) — blushed pink. Firm with a little give left. WELL DONE — pull 155F — rests to 160F+ (71C+) — brown through. Firm, no give. Sear, then drop the heat and go lower for longer. Carryover: about 8F in a thick steak, less in a thin one. Turn every 30-45 seconds. Rest 5-10 minutes, at least half the cooking time, on a rack or a warm plate, loosely covered. Salt right before, or 45 minutes and more before. Never in between.